Sometimes I manage to fit in books that I just want to read rather than ones that I have been provided by a publisher. (Not that I’m complaining!) I think I will include some of my short reviews in a monthly post!
Shadows You Left by Taylor Brooke & Jude Sierra: I came across this book on twitter as I follow one of the authors. This was a great book. It was passionate, thought-provoking, edgy and I loved the main characters. The supporting cast was great too! I loved Jadis!!
This book isn’t a smooth ride… it’s difficult in parts. I can see how it would be really challenging and potentially triggering book for some folks. For me… It was a pleasure. The characters were so well thought out, realistic and imperfect. I love that. The prose is smooth and almost poetic sometimes, without being over-the-top.
I loved it.
Oz, Milo and Gideon from the Finding Home series by Lily Morton: These books were fun. I always seem to enjoy a series when the author dedicates each book to a different character from the same world. These books are set in England and they’re funny, romantic and sweet. Of course, there are some ups and downs but these are lovely summer romance reads. There were a few odd grammatical things that took me out of it every so often but nothing that would make me set the book down!
My clear favorite in this series was Milo. He’s a lovely character with some huge obstacles to overcome. There’s lots of UST, quick dialogue and the relationship evolution was a pleasure.
The New Milton Series by Sally Malcolm: These books are set in the same small, coastal town of New Milton. The first book is about a summer fling that falls apart and then rears its head when two men are reunited later in life.
The third book was my favorite. Between the LInes is about Theo and Luca. They meet on business as Luca’s family home (a quaint hotel) is being sold. Luca has dyspraxia and has trouble “reading” people. Their relationship has many ups and downs and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Love Letters Series by Anyta Sunday: This is another series of stories that link together by expounding on the life of a character in a previous novel. These books cover all the tropes and Sunday does them well. There is a lot of UST, first times, cliches done well and romance!
Again, I have a favorite. The first book, “Admiring Ash” had the plot I found most interesting. Ash is a young man who’s been left to raise his little sister. They have very little except each other when River shows up to tell Ash about a Grandfather he didn’t know about. The grandfather has left Ash a bookstore and River wants to show Ash how magical a place it is. It’s a lovely story.
A List of Cages by Robin Roe: What a heart-breakingly sad story. This book is about Julian. When his parents died he was sent to a loving foster home… too soon, he was retrieved by his abusive Uncle. Once Julian ends up at high school he reunites with Adam who was his older foster brother. Adam can see there’s something wrong in Julian’s life but he has no idea what until it’s too late. This story is difficult to read but probably more realistic than I would care to think about.
The novel is written from the perspective of each of the boys as they unravel what’s happening in Julian’s life. Being inside Julian’s head is so sad and emotional. This is a well-written story that should be read. warning! explicit descriptions of child abuse.
Kinzie Things 