July has, so far, been an excellent reading month for me - and long may it continue! We had a holiday, and we've had rubbish weather at home, so there's been plenty of downtime. With that being said, here are 13 of my recent reads and what I thought of them...
The Funny Thing About Love by Tom Ellen
I'm trying to get through all the ARCs I requested on NetGalley, and this was one of them - I read it on Saturday in between tattoo and laser hair removal appointments (busy day) and I loved it. A really sweet, funny, clean romance story with a well-developed plot. Set in the writer's room at a comedy TV show, it features two interns who should be enemies but can't quite make that happen... It also touches on some fairly important topics, but in a light way, and I'd definitely recommend. Order it here
Wondering what a Netgalley ARC is? Read this blog post which explains a bit more about getting free books to review...
Sand, Sea and Second Chances by Catherine Michaels
Now I'm normally more into spicy romances, but a few of my recent ARCs have been more 'closed door' like this one - set on gorgeous Gull Island, it features the beach and an aquarium and a plot to save a local area of natural beauty, and a sort-of enemies to definitely lovers plot. It's a very sweet read and I flew through it, so if you want a bit of sunshine and romance in your life I'd highly recommend! Get it here
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
So I finally read it - or rather, listened as an audio book. I'm genuinely not sure if I enjoyed it or not, as I found the audiobook version quite difficult to get into, but the storyline is great and I think the characters are a lot of fun. Will I read the other instalments in the series? I'm not sure, but I'll definitely watch the TV show when it comes out... Buy it here
Not Exactly a Small Town Romance by JJ Knight
A bit spicier than the other romance ARCs on this list, I really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers story - it features a road trip, hitting small towns across America, and the characters work in film casting which was fun to read about. Another easy romance read, and another recommendation from me. Grab it on Amazon
The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
I thought this Netgalley ARC was going to be a thriller, but it's not really; it's more of a tale of grief and heartache, and of getting to the bottom of a mystery that doesn't want to be solved. It's full of family secrets and beautiful hotels, relationship drama and vivid memories. I definitely thought I knew where it was going, until I absolutely didn't... well worth a read! Pre-order here
Playing the Field by Becky Ward
I really enjoy a sports romance so I had high hopes for this, another Netgalley ARC. However, it definitely fell short for me - it's about a university student who sets up a new football team with her family, because the one they support is relocating. A premier league footballer appears at one of their training sessions, and they end up getting together. The premise had high hopes but being a football fan myself, none of it really seemed to fit and it was super unrealistic, which isn't typically my thing. It's still a fun book with a nice romance, I just didn't love it. Get it here
You May Now Kill the Bride by Kate Weston
I added this to my list of books to read before your wedding, and it was another audiobook choice for me - I loved the way it was read, and although all of the hens and bridesmaids blurred into one a bit, I thought the story was great. A woman dies at her hen party, which triggers a chain of events that nobody could see coming. Childhood friends, dark secrets, bridezillas... this book has it all, and it's one I'd recommend! Buy it here
The Abby George series by Anne Kemp
I had Rum Punch Regrets from this series sitting on my ARC list, and I finally read it on holiday - it was one of those that I didn't necessarily love in terms of writing style, but it finished on a bit of a cliffhanger so I needed the read the other two. Which I did. The first book is about Abby arriving in St Kitts to help fix up her sister's holiday home, which turns out to be a B&B, where she sparks an instant rivalry with the boy living in the pool house. There's cocktails, a damaged roof, and somewhere along the way friendships form. Book 2 is super short, featuring Abby back home in America packing up her live to make the island move permanent - while the third book is centred around a dramatic storm about to hit St Kitts. I'm waiting for book 4 to round things off, as Anne Kemp has a habit of ending things in the middle of something, and the books are generally pretty fun. Grab them on KU here
Elephant and Castle by Hannah Ledford
Travel writer Nora has moved to London to pursue her dream career, and she's absolutely NOT thinking about her rock god ex-boyfriend who lives here - until fate pushes them back together, of course. This is a nice, mostly closed-door romance about trying to pick up where you left off but ending up in a completely different direction while trying to juggle work and an ill parent on the other side of the world. I enjoyed this one and it was a nice easy read, too! Pick it up here
The Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley
An American travel consultant rocks up in cold Scotland to try and overhaul a family-run business, and one member of the family in particular is NOT happy about it... a picturesque, slightly spicy, very hot enemies to lovers romance that ends beautifully? Inject it straight into my veins. I adored this book, with its exploration of the Scottish highlands, and it's one I really want to see made into a film. So so so good and if you're into romance, I'd definitely say to pick it up asap! Get it here
There will definitely be more books read in July, so keep your eyes peeled for part 2 if you like these quickfire book reviews...
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