I’ve just added another eight books to my TBR list. It was payday yesterday, but while I usually adhere to a monthly budget for books, I went a little crazy. Okay, we all make mistakes—yadda, yadda. I just need to ensure I buy no more books for the next five months to stay within budget. (Think positive—I can do it!)
Besides, seven of them are pre-loved books, so I’m not only saving money but protecting the environment. Okay, I’m trying to wrangle my way out of this and failing. I have a book-buying addiction—I admit it!
No Joy in June
I did very little writing last month. While we finally had some glorious weather in the UK, I spent most of it indoors recovering from the virus I picked up in Bath. While coughing, I must have jarred my already dodgy back, so I was practically immobile for a second week. I gritted my teeth and sat at the desk for the day job. However, I wanted to finish re-writing my draft of The Radical Heiress but failed. There are just a couple more chapters to finish, too. I’m so disappointed.
This meant I got lots of reading done instead. In Bath, I read Red, White and Royal Blue, which I enjoyed. While I was reading this wholesome, hilarious and uplifting M/M romance, my mum was next to me reading a book about the Holocaust. We are not two peas in a pod when it comes to reading material. Three Dukes and the Tower of Time by Will Forrest followed, and this was an enjoyable end to the trilogy. The fantastical adventures of our three dukes are engrossing and the descriptions are lovely.
Comfort Reading
After that, I grabbed the comfort reads while I was unwell and re-read an old favourite, Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. When I’m ill, I find it difficult to focus on something new, so it’s just nice to re-read something I know I’ll enjoy. The romance between Sebastian and Evie always warms the cockles of my heart.
After that, I read book three in the This Man series by Jodi Ellen Malpas. I hate that I love the first book in this series, but I rarely re-read the others because they are boring. While I love a spicy scene, after book one they just become dull, and I can’t stand Ava and her doormat behaviour. That said, the fourth book, set about 15 years later and from Jesse’s POV, is also on my TBR list. Yes, I am a fickle and hypocritical human being—I know.
My TBR List
What can I look forward to reading in the coming months? Well, I finally found a reasonably priced copy of Comanche Moon by Catherine Anderson. I’ve been meaning to read this for years. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley has also been a long resident on my TBR, and I nabbed a copy on eBay.
I have a hankering for medieval romance at the moment, so I’m going to try The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux. Plus, I also bought a dark fantasy romance by an indie author and fellow 5 am Writers Club member. I’ve just finished Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros and it has left me feeling a little hollow. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Fourth Wing, and I’m uncertain where the author is going to go with the next one. Even so, it’s giving me a yearning for more fantasy romance.
Have you read any of the above and what did you think of them? Do you have any recs for medieval or fantasy romance that I shouldn’t buy until December, at the earliest?
