June was a slow month. I only got two physical reads in while the rest were audiobooks. I had The Download Festival this month, and a last-minute trip to Disneyland Paris with the kids. But it has been a month of BRILLIANT reads!
I had to DNF this month’s book club read. I have never been a fan of thrillers. I find there are far too many coincidences, and this book was the finest example. I’m not even going to name it, because I cannot slate authors, but I also cannot tolerate stupid people making stupid decisions. This is simply a rant, and I am (pretend) mad at my book club for suggesting I read it.
Branching beyond Poston, I moved onto a different rom-com by Emily Henry. Now I know I can love the entire genre, because A Funny Story was brilliant. I was with Daphne and Miles from the start. A jilted half of a couple, come together to form an alliance after their fiancés run off with each other. It was a brilliant concept, and I loved the fake relationship turned true love journey. A five-star read, while cementing Emily Henry as an auto-read author from now on.
I don’t always listen to TikTok for book recommendations, but hurrah to the world of BookTok for introducing me to The Ruinous Love trilogy. My history with dark romance consists of Haunting Adeline, which I had no love for. But this was VERY different. Bryne Weaver has written a brilliant trilogy, each book following a different Kane brother. Butcher & Blackbird follows Rowan and Sloane, a pair of serial killers competing to catch other serial killers. The concept is amazing, the comedy brilliant, even having me laughing out loud on a train. Which is a feat in itself. The romance was slow and balanced, while I thought the other books surely couldn’t compete. But Lachlan and Lark are a great slow-burn, enemies-to - lovers romance, which is an entirely different story. And then you’re introduced to the romance of Fionn and Rose, a doctor and a circus performer. It honestly sounds like a fever dream when I’m trying to sell it in a few sentences, but I loved this trilogy. It worked from front to back, each book completely different with each brother and their love journey. THIS is what dark romance should be.
ACOTAR - Sarah J Maas
Sometimes BookTok can be wrong. I have been recommended stuff on TikTok and been genuinely surprised at what I have found––in a bad way. Once upon a time, I began the audio of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and returned it after six hours of listening. I had no patience for Feyre, and was not loving the Beauty and the Beast vibes. From then on, I avoided ACOTAR because of how much of a following it had. I was worried it was a cultish movement, and I try my best to avoid such things, but I was bullied by book club on this one."Hannah, honestly. After book one––it’s a slog, it’s not great––but after that, it’s the best thing in the world." That’s a weird sell for me. One I had heard multiple times, but God loves a trier. I did it. I persevered through the first 75% and then I saw the light. If it hadn’t been for my intrigue about Lucien and then the Under The Mountain scene, I would not have been able to persevere through the series. And it’s true, after that slog of book one, it’s an unbelievable series. A Court of Mist and Fury is an epic read. It’s almost like a separate book entirely since the action begins early on and never lets off. THIS is my book of the month! ACOMAF was truly brilliant, and I can see myself bingeing the series without breath.
