Does everyone feel like they thrive between the months of September to March, or is that just me?
As I write this, I can't believe summer is almost over. Realistically, I know we have a good month left of true summer weather. I live in Tennessee, and I am under no illusion that I don't at least thirty more days of 90+ degree weather days sweating through walking my dog. That's my reality, and I'm content with it.
My fantasy, though, is a crisp, fall day in which I can smell football in the air, have a PSL in my hand, and am wearing a comfy sweatshirt and yoga pants sitting on my back porch. Those fantasies are probably a good two months away for me, but hey, a girl's entitled to dream.
As I mentally begin to enjoy my fall, I've been reflecting on some of my summer reading. Man, did I read some good ones this summer! I fell in love with the Bromance Book Club men, discovered Roni Loren for the first time, said goodbye to my favorite characters from the Serpent and Dove trilogy, and traveled to the world of Fable. I read a lot of five star reads (for me) this summer, and I also read some books that were big, flat flops for me. Today, though, I celebrate some of my favorites from summer as I prepare to fall into fall.
The Fable duology is, without a doubt, my favorite fantasy I read this summer. This series captivated me from the very first page of Fable to the very last page of Namesake. In fact, I liked Namesake even more than Fable because it gave me more of characters I longed to know about. Fable is such a unique character, and I liked that while this was a fantasy series, I would definitely call it fantasy-lite. It doesn't require the reader to understand a complicated fantasy world; really, the only thing that's fantasy about it is the way gems speak to Fable + the pirates. The characters in this duology dominated my every thought while I read this series. Between Fable and West and Saint and Clove and all the rest, I felt the loss of their friendship when I finished the series acutely, because I knew I had closed the book (literally) on their tale. The sexy pirateness that West, Clove, and Saint brought to the page is hard to replace, that's fore sure! This is a story of love - romantic love between Fable and West, and also familial love between Fable, Saint, and Clove. I loved that both storylines carried equal importance in the books.
I was introduced to Roni Loren for the first time this summer, and I am a lifelong fan now. I bought Yes & I Love You on a whim at Barnes and Noble, and I'm so glad I did. The story of Hollyn and Jasper sucked me immediately, and I can't imagine a literary world (for me) without them now. Hollyn has Tourette's syndrome, and she struggles to find her place in the world, let alone the confidence to interact with others. Jasper also struggles to find acceptance, albeit in different ways. When they get together, they offer each other the pieces of themselves they need the most: confidence. Jasper gives Hollyn the confidence she needs to interact with people, and Hollyn gives Jasper the confidence he needs to pursue his dreams. They also give each other a little something else when Hollyn approaches Jasper for a friends with benefits type relationship. What neither of them count on, though, is the electricity of their connection. The steam in this book is off the charts, and the scene where Hollyn "explores" Jasper almost made me spontaneously combust. It's that good. There's also a second book in the series called What If You & Me that is equally good, AND there will be a third book.
My other great love of the summer is The Unhoneymooners, the story of the unlikely love between Olive and Ethan written by the incomparable Christina Lauren. Christina Lauren is my new autobuy author duo because I love everything they put to page. The Unhoneymooners reached out and hooked me from the beginning, and I think it's because I relate to both Olive and Ethan in different ways. Olive both loves her body and struggles with what others think of her, especially since she thinks Ethan dissed her looks the first time they met. I think all women can relate to this, truthfully, but I also relate to Olive feeling lost in her career. I have felt that way at times, that I'm just surfing the waves doing what's expected instead of want I want. Ethan, despite his confident exterior, struggles with confidence as well. He wants to see the good in those around him, especially his brother, and he hides his insecurities deep inside for no-one to see...except he lets Olive see, and the connection they form is so frighteningly and magically intimate that I almost felt like an intruder in this story. I also fell completely in love with Ethan in this story, and I think he has broke me for all future book boyfriends. He is the king supreme of book boyfriends, and I will fight anyone for him...you know, fictionally speaking. I just love him, and I don't care who knows it.
Clearly I enjoyed a summer of romance because I also fell head over heels for the Bromance Book Club boys, especially Mac in Undercover Bromance. While I've enjoyed all four books in the series, I think I enjoyed Liv and Mac the most in Undercover Bromance. I've never done a 180 on a character as much as I did Liv; I didn't like her at all in the first book in the series. In fact, I downright hated her. In the second book, though, I figured out why she was the way she was, and I also discovered a character with a backbone of steel who carefully guarded her heart against anyone who might break it...something I can relate to because one of my biggest fears is a broken heart. I've experienced a true broken heart once in my life, and it was agonizing...so I get it. I also love Mac in this book because he is so sickeningly perfect in the boyfriend department that you can't help but love him. He wants love and he needs love, and he doesn't care who knows it. Respect, man, mad respect for a man as confident as Mac. I think more than anything, though, I love the men of this book because they support each other and build each other up the way men should. They don't conform to societal expectations, and they don't mind speaking out against the way things have always been to get to a better future. And come on, they read romance books to be better partners and lovers...what woman would not applaud that??? These books are a joy to read, and each book in the series brings something different to the table. Even if you're not a romance fan, I think you should give these books a try because they're just good stories...especially Undercover Bromance, but truly, each of the four books is fabulous.
There you have it, some of my top reads of the summer. There are others I've failed to mention here, like The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams (releasing 11/2/2021) and Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens (releasing 11/9/2021), I didn't include those on this list because they haven't actually released yet...so I don't know if they count as summer reads (even though I read them in July) since they are technically fall releases. Both are exceptional, though, and you should definitely get them on your preorder list.
I hope you had a good summer of reading too. Let me know what some of your favorites are from the summer. I love adding to my TBR!
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