August Book Roundup

I realize it’s the end of September but I need to share my biggest month of reading. I know for some readers out there this probably is a small number but I read NINE books, which is huge for me.

Towards the end of July I finally finished The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis that I started in May. It was a nice read but it just didn’t grip me enough to devour it but for some reason when I finished it I felt the urge to immediately pick up another book and I DEVOURED that one, then I caught the dreaded ‘rona which knocked me out of doing anything yarn related, so I kept reading.

Despite losing all of my creative mojo with yarn, I fell back in love with reading and it felt good. I thought about how can I incorporate reading with Rin Knits and Stuff and decided to blog about it…I mean it does fall into the Stuff category in the name Rin Knits and Stuff. So here’s my first book blog – August Book Roundup where I share all the books I read and how I felt about them.

Note: If you want to check out the books, click the title and it will take you to their Amazon listing via affiliate link.

1.The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

I chose a romance (my favorite genre) for my July Book of the Month and it was a great read that I immediately wanted to reread it. A woman who works as a bodyguard is assigned a very famous client, normally she is meant to blend in but in this special case she is to act as the girlfriend to a famous actor. It sounds like a simple story but it was actually quite complex with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Simply put I thought it was great and I could not put it down.

2. Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

When I first read the premise for this romance I was unsure but after one chapter I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I loved reading the perspectives of Alexis and Daniel and I fell in love with the people of the small town really quick. Coming from a smaller town, this book was pretty relatable. There isn’t a thing I can complain about – I loved the characters, and their journey, and the bits of magic that happen along the way.

3. The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

This was not a typical read for me but it was the only book that interested me for the February Book of the Month. It is a thriller about a married couple that go to counseling. Marissa had cheated on her husband and wanted to fix things by reaching out to Avery Chambers a therapist who lost her license for controversial methods. This book was a wild ride and I can see why people enjoy thrillers despite the mental torment. The book was written from the perspectives of Marissa and Avery and starts off seeming simple but with every chapter there are more details and even more questions. Spoiler alert: you do get all the answers. This is not a book I would reread but I did find it gripping and would recommend.

4. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

THIS BOOK. This was actually a reread because I’m obsessed and this was my very first BOTM (Sept 2021) and what initially got me back into reading. If you like a modern day romance with science, pumpkin spice lattes, and fake dating, then this is for you. Olive, a PHD candidate, randomly kisses a guy in her lab, who turns out to be a professor that she ends up fake dating. It is fun, spicy, and just my favorite read.

5. The Unbalanced Equation by H.L. MacFarlane

I discovered that Netgalley.com is a thing which is a way to read advance reader copies of books in exchange for an honest review and this was my first one! This is the steamy love/hate story of two scientists who learn through a dinner that their parents are getting married. They are thrust back into each others lives with no escape; living together and working together. The book is written from Liz and Tom’s perspective, which is something I really love. I also really enjoyed the sarcasm/banter in the book with the main characters as well as the best friends of the main characters. There was LOTS of spiciness and sometimes it was a little cringe but it was clear there was a ton of tension between the characters. There was lots of anime talk which if you are into, will love…but I am not. Overall I really enjoyed it and will likely read again.

6. Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft

Another Net Galley read – Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands is set in the cute tiny Christmas Village. Merry has come to the village to house/pet sit for her aunt as a way to get away from her overbearing brothers and focus on writing her novel. Theo, a veterinarian, has recently moved to Christmas Village for a fresh start after a bad breakup. Through out the book the two get to know each other and more importantly themselves. This book was a cute and quick read; it was fun getting to know the Christmas Village and all the different characters. I found it a little difficult at the start keeping track of who was who but once I was about midway I had fallen in love with the town and the characters and flew through the rest of the book. This festive read is perfect for Christmas time, and I will definitely have to revisit it come December.

7. My Dearest Duke by Kristin Vayden

Another Net Galley read set to release 10/25 – A duke with a sick mother and his best friend’s intuitive sister fall in love. There is loss, secrets, and love. The story was a little difficult to read for me, sometimes I felt it moved on to the next thing before I realized and I felt a little lost. I did enjoy the main characters and the dialogue was written well for the intended era. In the end it felt a little unfinished, there was one story line that didn’t seem to be completed, maybe that’s for another book? I’m not sure. It was pretty modest, in regards to steaminess which makes sense with the Christian theme. It was alright, and I will not read this again.

8. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

THIS BOOK. It was infuriating, maybe it was good, I don’t know. Basically the two main characters want to be together, they can’t for reasons, then they can’t for stupid reasons, then there’s tragedy, and then more things happen. I read it quickly, enjoyed parts of it, and HATED parts of it. I can appreciate that it feels real and makes you feel ALL the feelings, it doesn’t gloss over that in real life bad things happen to good people but I did not expect the tragedy. I read for good feelings, not to feeling awful so I feel really conflicted about it all. I find it unlikely I’d ever reread this. I am going to read the second book though.

9. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood did it again! AMAZING! I flew through this book, I could not put it down, like stayed up til 4am to finish it in one night. The writing is so fun, witty, sarcastic, and makes you feel all the things. Bee, a neuroscientist, gets a project at NASA and finds out her archenemy from grad school is her co-lead. There are twists and turns, miscommunications set straight, and the way it is written you really understand and feel all the feelings of Bee. I LOVED this book for the way it was written, the characters, of course the science. Also, that ending was WILD.

So that was my August, it was a pretty good one as far as books go. September is going to be a much smaller round up because I actually left the house and did things.

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