Eleni's Reading for August 2018

I'm continuing to tackle my TBR pile - using the Author A-Z challenge to chose the next book, but also listening to audio books as they become available. 


Read: 13               (up 3)
Series: 8               (up 3)
TBR:   6                (up 1)
Audio: 4                (up 2)
AWW: 3                (down 1)
Graphic novels: 0  (same)

Fantasy Romance / Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy 

• The Golden Apple (The Dark Forest #1) by Michelle Diener | 4.25 stars
• Shifting Hearts (Wiccan Haus #1) by Dominique Eastwick | 4.5 stars
• One for the Money (Night Huntress #4.5) by Jeanine Frost  (in Magic Graves duology with Ilona Andrews) | 4.5 stars | short story
• With All My Soul (Soul Screamers #7) by Rachel Vincent | 5 stars | YA - fab way to end the series

Contemporary Romance (erotic)  / Rural Romance 

• New Year's Kisses by Rhian Cahill | 4.5 stars | novella

Historical Romance | Historical Fantasy | Historical with Romantic Elements

• Sacrifice (Y Ddraig: The Dragons of Brython #1) by Gwendolyn Beynon | 5 stars - just wow!!
• The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict (audio narrated by Mozhan Marno) | 4.5 stars
• The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1) by Julia Quinn | 4.5 stars
• The Duke and I: The 2nd Epilogue (Bridgertons, #1.5) by Julia Quinn | 4 stars

Speculative Fiction (no romance)

• Out of Time: 2 Strange Tales by Milo James Fowler | 4.5 stars | short stories
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (audio narrated by Martin Jarvis) | 5 stars - hilarious!

Children's 

• A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1) by Madeleine L'Engle (audio narrated by Hope Davis) | 4.5 stars | children's

Non-fiction

• My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud'Homme (audio narrated by Kimberley Farr) | 4.5 stars | non-fiction |


~Happy Reading~

August 2017 reads

Here's a list of what I read in August. A total of 14 works with 7 of them being audio. As for series reading, there were 9 titles.


Historical Romance/Time Slip

• Lady Fortescue Steps Out (Poor Relation #1) by M.C. Beaton w/a Marion Chesney (audio read by Davina Porter) | 4 stars - a few chuckles with this one
• Secrets in Time by Alison Stuart | 5 stars 

Urban fantasy/paranormal romance/fantasy

• Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) by Ilona Andrews (audio read by  Renée Raudman) | 5 stars - this series gets better with each book.
• Happily Never After (Night Huntress #1.5) by Jeanine Frost | novella | 4 stars
• The Snow Queen (Five Hundred Kingdoms #4) by Mercedes Lackey | 3.5 stars
• Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake #3) by Kerrelyn Sparks (audio read by Donna Rawlins) | 4.5 stars

Contemporary Romance

• Full Bloom (Full #5) by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes (audio read by Lorelei King) | 4 stars - hilarious. Love the quirky characters.
• A Christmas Refuge by Rebecca Winters | novella | 4 stars

Children's

• Louie the Spy by Kerri Lane (illustrator: Murray Dewhurst) | 5 stars
• Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl #4) by Eoin Colfer (audio read by Nathaniel Parker) | 4 stars

Crime/Mystery/Romantic Suspense

• The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (audio read by David Timson - audio versions of stories spread throughout The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Naxos audio and has stories of both The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes mixed up. I listened to them in order of publication) | 4 stars
• Shattered Sky (Border Watch #2) by Helene Young | 4.5 stars

Other

• Die Snow White! Die, Damn You!: A Very Grimm Tale by Yuri Rasovsky (full cast dramatisation) | 4 stars 
• Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (audio read by the author) | non-fiction | 5 stars - having the author read this gave it an extra dimension that you wouldn't have gotten as much from the print/e-book.

~Happy Reading~

August reads

And now it's time to go over my August reads.

The Gunslinger - Dark Tower, 1  by Stephen King
Five stories in one volume. This is a surreal world - post apocolyptic - where the Gunslinger is on the hunt for the Man in Black. He comes across towns, settlements, and a boy on his journey across the desert for what he thinks is his final showdown - and searching the truth for the Dark Tower.  I found it a little hard to follow at times - the surreal aspect of it - and a bit disjointed.  I think that's what the world is like for the gunslinger. So will continue on to read the second book in the series.

Lover Unleashed - Black Brother Brotherhood, 9 by J.R. Ward

Payne's story and she's mixing it up with a human as well, Dr Manny. I continue to love this series, and loved seeing more of Vishous and Jayne. I love the feeling of family of the Brotherhood, and of course there's the action, the danger, the heartbreak. Such a fantastic take on vampires and love that the guys swear like guys do. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Rapunzel in NY by Nikki Logan

A wonderful category read. It was exactly the book I needed as I waited in a hospital waiting room. Beautifully drawn characters with hang ups about their past and how they start to look outside their spheres. Lovely writing.

Greek Myths by Deborah Locke

Was good to read the Greek Myths in an easy format aimed for kids. Definitely well aimed. Good illustrations.

Take A Chance, issues 1-5, by C.E. Murphy

Great drawings, great story. I enjoyed this series. I read it in the 5 installments instead of the one volume. What happens when an ordinary woman becomes a vigilante? Chance is now faced with superheroes interfering with her job.

Galactic Burn by Mel Teshco

All I can say is hawt, hawt, hawt - should come with a warning label. There is three alien males (they look human) and one VERY satisfied human female. :))

The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess by Trish Morey

Well I was lucky enough to be given a dedication in this book. I did enjoy the relationship between Marietta and Yiannis. The perception of one what says, what one thinks and what one does is highlighted in this book. Bravo, Trish. 

Her Cattleman's Boss by Barbara Hannay

As usual, Barbara's stories are heartfelt and lovely. I adore Barbara's writing and her stories. I always walk away with emotion stuck in my throat. This one was no different. 

So I've read some really good books. How about you? What have you read lately?