How on earth is it August and we are definitely more than halfway through the year as we only have five months left in the year? Holy Moly! This year is going by so fast. As excited as I am for the upcoming fall season, I am really trying to enjoy the summer season. So July was a fabulous reading month, I almost got to 50 books. Which always amazes me how much I can read these days. It hasn’t been like this in years and it feels so fantastic to be so compelled by books so fully. July is a fun month. One of my favorite holidays is in July. I adore celebrating Independence Day. It was a pretty fun day for sure. Hope you all had a wonderful time in your July month as well! Now this month has been a bit different, my quality of reading has been a bit lower as I had some lower rated books and a DNF but I still had a large amount of 4.5 and 5 stars, so not too badly.
Reading Stats
Books Read: 49
Audiobooks: 11
Audio Book Listening: 99:14:00
Number of Pages: 11,946
Library Books: 2
Re-Reads: 3
Diverse Reads: 13
Self Pub Books:21/ Trad Pub Books: 27
Total Books For Year: 296
Historical: 5
Contemporary: 13
Dark: 11
Erotic Romance: 0
Fantasy: 1
PNR: 6
Romantic Suspense: 5
Romantic Comedy: 2
New Adult: 1
Sci Fi: 2
5 Stars: 8
4.5 Stars: 10
4 Stars: 19
3.5 Stars: 4
3 Stars: 5
1-2 Stars: 1
DNF: 1
Average Rating: 3.97
Acquisitions/Savings
So one of my goals for this year, is to track my acquisitions and see what I am saving through my subscriptions and such. So each month I will be sharing my month’s current savings. Now while part of me would love to purchase everything and keep all of it, and while I do have the money to buy books, its nice to save money when and where I can especially during a recession.
May Totals:
Total Spent: $37.82
Subscription Costs: Libraries, Audible Plus, Anyplay, KU: $28.98
Total Month Savings: $178.86
Reading Challenges
So, I am not participating in too many reading challenges this year. My focus for the year is the Goodreads (of course), Romanceopoly and a few of the reading challenges on Storygraph. Just simple ones. So below I will be sharing my reading progress with you on these every month.
Goodreads Reading Challenge
I am at 296 books out of 500 and I am on track to complete the challenge. So far I am keeping steady with the challenge.
Romanceopoly Reading Challenge-Under the Covers Book Blog
So I have completed 94% of the challenge. I have been keeping up with the books that I plan on for this. I have really been loving this challenge so far and I got caught up on it! If you are looking for a FUN challenge, you definitely need to join in on it. I also love how adaptable it is, you can really make it work for you in whatever way
Books Read
Top Books of the Month
I am in awe of her talent.”— Julia Quinn In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s thrilling new romance in the Palace of Rogues series, an infamous privateer’s limits are put to the test when he’s trapped during a raging tempest with a prickly female at the Grand Palace on the Thames. He clawed his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to the top of a shadowy empire. Feared and fearsome, battered and brilliant, nothing shocks Lorcan St. Leger—not even the discovery of an aristocratic woman escaping out a window near the London docks on the eve of the storm of the decade. They find shelter at a boarding house called the Grand Palace on the Thames—only to find greater dangers await inside. Desperate, destitute, and jilted, Lady Daphne Worth knows the clock is ticking on her last chance to save herself and her an offer of a loveless marriage. But while the storm rages and roads flood, she and the rogue who rescued her must pose as husband and wife in order to share the only available suite. Crackling enmity gives way to incendiary desire—and certain Lorcan is everything she never dreamed she’d wanted, but he can never be what she needs. But risk is child’s play to St. Leger. And if the stakes are a lifetime of loving and being loved by Daphne, he’ll move any mountain, confront any old nemesis, to turn “never” into forever.
What a BOOK!!! Honestly one of my favorite historical’s I have read in a long time. It just was such a perfect mix of everything I look for in a story. It had emotion, it had chemistry, swoony sexual moments, and the best banter and witty humor. Plus a fabulous cover to match.
She’s the wife he never wanted…and the weakness he never saw coming.
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.
Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.
The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—
until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.
Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He’ll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.
There’s only one problem: now that he has her…he can’t bring himself to let her go.
***
Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.
Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.
Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.
While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.
Craving his touch was never part of the plan.
Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.
King of Wrath is a steamy billionaire/arranged marriage romance. It contains explicit sexual content, profanity, and mild violence. Recommended for mature readers only.
This book had one of my favorite tropes in it and such fabulous writing. I think this is the best book this author has written and she has written so many great ones here. I absolutely love this writing style she has and I had this in audio and was a duet so I highly recommend it. What really impressed me the most is how the romance was developed and I do think the narration really uplifted the enjoyment.
In this first of New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan’s new series, The Dark Horse Dive Bar, sassy singer-songwriter Lyric Wilde matches wits with FBI Special Agent Mason Gunn. And when her obsessed fan and Mason’s most wanted criminal targets her, he’s the only man capable of protecting her. Welcome to the Dark Horse Dive Bar, where the Wildes throw one hell of a party and love could be a barstool away! When Lyric Wilde’s not whipping up the best food in town at the Dark Horse Dive Bar, she’s making a name for herself as a rising singer-songwriter. And if any of her online followers cross the line from friendly to fanatical, well, Lyric figures it goes with the territory—and she can take care of herself. But there’s one fan she wants to get to know better—a silent, sexy biker named Viper. A man who makes her think mine every time she looks at him. But who exactly is “Viper?” Undercover FBI special agent Mason Gunn has been hiding in plain sight and alone for far too long. And while he fantasizes about a peaceful life with beautiful Lyric by his side, he knows that until his mission—to take down a murder-for-hire network—is accomplished, his dark world is no place for her. But when frightening encounters and threatening text messages from a stalker bent on keeping Lyric all to himself and his most wanted criminal target his sultry songbird, he will stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves…
Jennifer Ryan really stepped up her game with this one which I know is saying a lot as I probably say this about most of her books but this book was beyond beautiful and precious and EPIC!! It had me in all of my feels and satisfied me so deeply.
Honorable Mentions
I wish I could express how much I adored all of these books and could have added them also in my top favorite and they are really all over the genres here. Definitely most swoony worthy reads that I can’t recommend enough if you haven’t read them!
You are 94% through a challenge already – amazing! Great stats for the month too. Always nice to see low numbers for the lower ratings/DNFs.
What a wonderful month you had. Can’t wait to see all your reads for August.
Wow! You read a ton of books! Good ones, too! I love seeing Bowen/Kennedy and Cowles on here.
Wow, 49 books! That’s awesome. Nice to see you’re so far ahead in your challenge too. Looks like July was a great month for you, Renee!
You are a rock star of reading. 😊
Almost 50 books in a month is staggering! Reading is your superpower. 🙂 I love seeing Him, Knotted, and Beautifully Broken Pieces among your favorites.