I started reading in June: Here’s all the books I read

I started reading again in June after not really being a reader for years so I thought I’d share the book that got me into reading and every book I’ve read since. I track my books on StoryGraph and I really like how it tracks what I’ve read and what I want to read. I’ll probably keep series that I read together and indicate if I read them all together or if I split them up.

I started to read daughter of the moon goddess in January and it kept getting put off until June when I could sit down and read it. I took a break between that and heart of the sun warrior, but since these are interconnected I thought I’d include them together.

The Daughter of The Moon Goddess is a fantasy novel about the legend of the moon goddess Chang’e. It follows her daughter Xingyin, who is a secret to other immortals in the celestial kingdom. When her magic is shown and she is forced to leave her home she becomes entangled with the emperor’s son and learns she has a hidden talent for archery. This book is filled with fantasy, magic, love triangles, betrayals and a strong female lead. I won’t put the description for the second book in case it might spoil anything with the first book.

I really enjoyed this series, but I definitely preferred the first book to the second book. I loved the world building in both books and the mythology behind them. I thought all of the characters were really well developed and I love a power female character. This book series had fantasy, action, a sprinkle of romance and I really enjoyed it. Personally I just didn’t love the ending of the second book, but maybe some of the things I had questions about will be answered in her newest book

I count reading this in one sitting because I easily could have finished it on my flight to Colorado but restrained myself to have something to read on the way home.

Mistakes were made follows Cassie Klein as she goes to an off campus bar on parents weekend to escape her own family issues. While there she begins flirting with and hooks up with a random woman in bars bathroom, only to find out the next morning it was her best friends mom the book follows the struggle of the two of them wanting to be together but know they shouldn’t, Ah forbidden love

I really liked how this was a take on the whole best friends parent, cause for me at least I only see people talk about dating your best friends brother or dad. Or like the dads friend. So I really enjoyed this. I really adored both Cassie and Erin as characters and found myself routing for them the entire book. I was happy to see how the author paced this because I was worried it would feel rushed at the end, but they had this flow very naturally and realistically for a long distance couple. I also was worried about the ending, but I was pleased to see how they played things out in a natural way

I started with Twisted Love after I read daughter of the moon goddess and read it in about two days. I then picked up twisted games, but took a break with the series before starting twisted hate.

The Twisted Series follows four best friends; Ava, Bridget, Jules and Stella. Each book is a standalone but probably should be read in order so you aren’t spoiled of anything. Each book is either a few months to a year in the future of the other books. Each book also has a different theme while in the same world, such as brothers best friend or bodyguard romance. I won’t list what they’re each about cause that might take too long, but that’s the basics of this interconnected series.

I’d rank the series for me as Twisted games, twisted love, twisted lies then twisted hate. Rhys and Bridget have my heart! Rhys is one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time. I thought the modern princess and her bodyguard was a fun trope, but I know not everyone loves that. I also enjoyed Alex and Ava, I thought their story was paced out well and even enjoyed the mafia esc aspects of it. I thought Christian and Stella were cute, but it felt like a long book for no reason. I can’t pinpoint any parts I would take out, but overall it felt over extended

I wanted to like Twisted Hate more than I did, but I just don’t like Jules as a character. At first I didn’t like Josh, but appreciated his character growth and development. I tried to be understanding of Jules backstory and how that could affect her lack of development in comparison, but to me it was just so hard to like her as a character. The whole plot around the painting also seemed a little strange to me, but I guess that was so we would be introduced to Dante who would lead us into Anna’s next series.

In between Twisted Games and Twisted Hate I read the beginning of the Brutal Birthright series. Now these are all out on kindle, but I get migraines so I try to stick to physical books, so I have only read the first two of this series and I’m debating on if I will continue.

The Brutal Birthright series follows different members of two mafia families in Chicago, the gallos and the griffins, who we see come together in the first book for a marriage between one families oldest son Callum and the others youngest daughter Aida the rest of the books follow various siblings in each of the families. I read Brutal Prince first and then saw Stolen Heir somewhere randomly and decided to pick it up and read that as well

I am a sucker for mafia related things and really enjoyed things like Peaky Blinders so that’s what drew me into these books. The first book I had no idea. I was sucked in by a tiktok talking about Aida eating strawberries on her wedding day so Callum would go into shock in front of everyone. I thought their book felt a little rushed at the end and that their relationship switched from enemies to lovers a little too fast.

I did prefer the story telling in Brutal prince more because stolen heir was so beauty and the beast coded I couldn’t stand it. I love Ness and Miko as characters, I love their story, I love the Polish mafia aspect. But the references to the movie were too much! Also the use of “nightie” three times before a romantic scene had me so off guard I had to walk away and come back.

I like the idea of a mafia family series, so I think I’ll keep reading it as the books come into print but I’m not in a rush to read this series.

After Brutal Prince I went back to Twisted Hate and then picked up Daughter of the Pirate King as a pallet cleanser and ended up reading this in one sitting. I picked this up on a whim after seeing it in the YA section. I like pirates and liked the idea of it following a strong female character.

This book follows the strong female character of Alosa who is the daughter of the Pirate King, one of the top three strongest pirates in the world. In this book she is sent on a mission to infiltrate the ship of one of the other pirate kings sons to steal a piece of a map her father needs to find an island of treasure.

Although this is a YA book it is one of the top books I read this year. I adored everything about this book, the world building, the characters, especially a strong female lead, and I thought the plot was amazing. I read it in one sitting in one day. I love Alosa and Riden together. They have the best banter out of all the books I’ve read and I’m excited to read the second book in this series, which I won’t name because it kinda is a spoiler. I thought for a YA this was a very so good and almost written like adult book. I would love to find an aged up version of this book because of how the tension between the two main characters was.

Alright time to talk about Ice Breaker. I was on hockey booktok for a long time and I finally decided to start with this one. I was a little nervous it was going to be overhyped, but the reviews did not disappoint.

Ice Breaker is the first in the Maple Hills series, it will not be a hockey series, but it does introduce you to characters who might be in the next books. The next book in the series comes out on October 3rd I believe. But we follow from joint perspectives Anastasia who is a college figure skater trying to go to the Olympics and Nate captain of their universities hockey team who has a pro team waiting for him. The two are in a not enemies but baby enemies to lovers situation when they are forced to share the same ice rink during a very stressful time in both of their seasons.

I thought Nate and Anastasia were so cute. I grew to love all of the side characters, especially Henry! I really hope he gets his own book in the series! I loved the writing and the flirting between the two of them. I thought the natural back and forth pull from them was very realistic for their relationship. I also loved how therapy was interwoven into her life so easily and was actually something a therapist would say! I definitely would recommend this book for someone wanting to get into hockey romances.

I think my favorite book of the year was Done and Dusted. I knew I would love it but I didn’t know I would love it this much. It is a western cowboy romance, but I wouldn’t say it’s super heavy on that. The series follows the Ryder family on their family farm in Wyoming. This book specifically follows Clementine, Emmy, who is a barrel racer who has come back to her small hometown and has reconnected with her brothers and their best friend Luke Brooks.

Luke Brooks is everything I want in a man; charming, protective, funny, sweet, good with horses and kids, owns a bar, and is stunning! Also the whiskey scene, I’m still screaming about it! The writing in this was so good and had me hooked from the beginning! Im already curious about the other family members and their stories. Im sad I have to wait so long for the next book to come out, but I can’t wait! I definitely need more cowboy romance books in my life after reading this.

I am still not over this book and I don’t think I ever will be. I cried three times and had to pick up stolen heir immediately upon finishing it because of the cliff hanger at the end. If you do not like cliff hangers and like to wait for a series to be completed wait for this book. I was worried again it would be overhyped and then a friend told me I had to read it and I’m hooked. I’m obsessed and need to read everything this author has to offer. Thank god! They moved up the release of the next book to December of this year instead of next march because I cannot wait another day to know what happens.

This book follows Roman Kit and Winnow who originally are rivals for a position on their cities paper. It is set in a country divided by war between two gods. We watch as Winnow sends her brother off to war and the struggles of having a family member on the battlefield. The two develop an interesting relationship and follow new paths together.

I loved the world building I this book! Very similar to like the legend of Korra, so trams and things from the 1940s with a little magic sprinkled in. I also thought the author wrote about war beautifully, both the pains and the triumphs of it. I learned to love each of these characters and worried about them throughout the entire book. Like I said I cried three times which I was not expecting, but it was so so good!definitely in my top 5 this year