So I decided to be a bit more ordered and a little more focused with my book posts! I thought that with the new year and with this domain aging even further (iit’s about 5 years now, surprisingly) I should mix it up a little. I have been reading other peoples monthly book posts for a while and I enjoy them. So I decided to do this instead of having it all so random. Of course last year I set a goal to read 50 books and I more than met that, so this year I shall aim for…100? Or 50? At least 50 again, 100 this time if possible.
On saying that, I have not got much reading done this month due to other things taking up my time- exams, then going on holiday.
1) Hush by Anne Frasier – I started this and finished this at the beginning of January and I…can’t remember anything about it. the friendship between the two main characters was sweet? meh.
2) Fair Game by Josh Lanyon – I’ve been looking into starting on Josh Lanyon’s books for a while and I finally got around to it this month. This book came with good reviews so I went in with high expectations and honestly? This book did not quite work for me. There’s nothing really wrong with it but I was never quite absorbed in it. The main let down was one the reasons I started this book- the central mystery. The mystery seemed to serve more as a catalyst for the characters relationship than anything else. I would have liked to know more about Terry Baker, it seemed so much like there was something there, unexplored. I wanted more from this book. By the end only the main relationship was resolved and everything else seemed to fall by the wayside. Although I don’t need everything wrapped in a neat bow for me, I don’t like it when a book rushes to the end and then abruptly stops. There are instances where that works, but not here. It felt rushed, there were loose ends all over the place and what little was resolved was done so in an ambiguous manner. I liked this book but I wanted to love it, so I was left disappointed.
3) Wings of the Storm by Susan Sizemore – I FINALLY finished this book. I feel like I have been reading it forever, and I probably have. I picked it up because I was interested in the setting, which reviews said the author did well and she did, but the book just dragged on and on and on. The author handled the time travel thing well though. I initially enjoyed Jane’s adventures in medieval England quite a lot until the romance started taking over but it was OK cos it seemed like the book would end…but it didn’t. and it didn’t for the next million chapters.
4) If it Ain’t love by Tamara Allen – beautiful. Just lovely. packs more into 40 pages than some authors put into series yet never feels rushed or incomplete. as close to perfect as they come, really.
5) Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon – How beautiful is that title? Anyway, this read a lot like Fair Game but I don’t mind, as it read like a better version. The ending was still a little rushed and ambiguous but it didn’t leave me feeling quite so disappointed as Fair Game. I really liked Swift and I liked how the mystery was intertwined with his issues. Not sure I’ll be reading any more of Josh Lanyon’s books though, as neither of these books I really loved and with these two being so similar I have no interest in reading the same thing thrice.
6) Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – The case of this crime novel was fascinating. I loved the Icelandic setting. However the main characters were dull- coming across not quite like stock characters, but close. And sometimes either of them, or both, said or did things that made me slightly uncomfortable. Even if I did appreciate how frank they both were, and the dry humour that ran throughout what is otherwise a rather grim book. Further, It was awkward to read as the writing is slightly clunky, although this may be due to language/cultural differences/translation so I can’t really hold that against the book. It’s a pity I couldn’t enjoy this book more- as the central mystery was fantastic and could have made for a haunting read.
7) Scarlet & The White Wolf by Kirby Crow – I read this in just over a day and loved nearly every second of it. Gorgeous writing, amazing world building, and a sweet slow burning romance. If I think about it the world building was initially a little confusing, and both characters did take some warming up to, and this is minor but I felt embarrassed for the characters (mostly Scarlet) one more time than I am comfortable with as I really hate feeling that sort of second hand embarrassment when reading/watching tv etc, but none of these things bothered me enough to stop reading. It was so easy to get caught up in this book and I’m eager to get to the next in the trilogy (series? idk)