Carried Over from Last Month’s TBR

I want to bring over the two new releases from last month:

In Stormy Weather was introduced in the July TBR, so I won’t rehash the premise, but I did want to talk a little bit about why I’m excited to read this book. I do love a good rivals-to-lovers story, because usually they are familiar enough with each other to have a lively banter. Not only was this a women in STEM romance, but it takes place in Florida (and Quincy lives near Orlando, which is where I was based for my Nuke A school). Donald and I both have ties to Florida, and – as he will attest – I am the girl who is cheering on the hurricane. Not that I want there to be people hurt or property damaged, but I do love a good storm.

Resist Me is the sequel to Ruin Me and I enjoyed the nostalgia for an underground gambling ring romance, if that’s a thing. A little bit of danger spices things up every once in a while. In Ruin Me, we saw a little bit of the start of Ford’s infatuation with June, and I’m ready to see where it goes. I’ll be honest, I keep getting flooded with Kelsie Rae’s ads on social media and they are what made me pick up the first book.

New Releases

This month, there were only two new releases that I pre-ordered:

However, I’m not going to be reading either of these in August.

Adversary to the Villain is the fourth book in the Assistant to the Villain series, and while I have the other books in the series, I have not read books 2 or 3 yet. I’m trying not to read the blurb on the back of this book, so I don’t accidentally spoil myself for those books.

Chasing the Rush I am saving for September, since that’s when the NFL football season officially begins and this is a football sports romance. I like to stay on-theme when I can. This is also a second chance romance because Luca and Chelsea met previously when she was a Mathlete going to an event. Something happened and they didn’t actually get into a relationship at that time. Now, she runs into him again when she starts doing statistics for her father’s new team. He’s a player who needs babysitting and Chelsea is saddled with the job.

Book Club Picks

For my brother’s Moon Lit Bookclub selection for August, we will be reading The Tempest Blade by Danielle L. Jensen. This is the sixth book in The Bridge Kingdom series and I can’t believe the book club is completing an entire series! In this finale, Ahnna is on the run because everyone believes that she killed Good King Eddie. Since it is the final book, we have chapters with POVs from all six of the main characters from the series.

For my brother’s Welcome to the Apocalypse book club, we will be reading Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman, which is the sequel to last month’s Dungeon Crawler Carl selection. It picks up where Book 1 left off, with Carl and Donut entering the third floor.

Amazon First Reads and Book of the Month Selections

Generally, I make my Amazon First Reads and Book of the Month selections on the first of the month or close to it. Since I don’t really pay for the Amazon reads, I set them as “Bonus” books on a list I maintain of books I acquire each year. My goal every year is to read all of the books I buy (or at least a decent percentage of them), but I allow myself to skip ones that are free or gifts or books that I buy for Donald.

I totally forgot about making these selections, and by the time I went to BOTM, the window for making August selections had ended. So nothing new to see here for August.

Final List

My final initial TBR for August consists of 2 books:

• In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
• Resist Me by Kelsie Rae
• The Tempest Blade by Danielle L. Jensen
• Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Carried Over from Last Month’s TBR

I actually read ALL of the books on my May TBR, so I don’t have anything for this section! Yay!

New Releases

I think for New Releases, I should put them on my TBR as ‘Possibles’ or ‘Bonus’ books, since while I intend to buy them, I may not, or they may not release in enough time for me to pick them up and read them.

The Magic of Us by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi follows Elliot, who has built a career around trashing love and relationships. However, after someone casts a spell on her, she wakes up to find herself in an alternate reality where she never broke up with her boyfriend.

I’ve been really enjoying the National Parks series by Olivia Hope McCarthy, so I’m excited to read Maple Mayhem in Indiana Dunes. Jayce has always been a part of the popular crowd. The same crowd who tormented Ana throughout her school years. When she’s assigned to his National Park to conduct research, she can’t seem to get away from him, and he can’t understand why she keeps him at a distance. I’m definitely going to read this book this month!

In My Forever Girl by Laura Pavlov, Gracie and Cutler have been best friends since childhood. She left to chase her dreams and follow her boyfriend to another country. Cutler’s the one who flew to her rescue once that relationship ended. He’s always been there for her, but can he convince her to give him a chance at turning their friendship into something more? I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, so I’m excited to dive into it!

Rocket’s Red Glare by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann looks like the perfect book to read on the Fourth of July. Ex-special forces operators functioning as a covert privatized unit. This book will be saved until July, obvs.

My most anticipated new release for this month is The Courage to Commit by Shawn Johnson East and Dr. Andrew East. I was fortunate to be part of their launch team and go to preview a few chapters and provide feedback ahead of publication day. They show the benefits and varied meaning of commitment – in your activities, professional life, and relationships.

Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben is a thriller, which is normally not my preferred genre. But this one involves an Army combat surgeon who has lost her medical license finding her way back as a plastic surgeon for wealthy customers wanting absolute discretion. When a patient disappears under her care, everything goes sideways. I bet her Army combat training will come in handy.

It seems that I am always looking out for the next Tom Clancy. He was an amazing storyteller and the pinnacle of the military thriller genre. I’ve also found the Vince Flynn books to be enjoyable. Both universes, while still enjoyable because I’ve become attached to the characters, have lost that special spark since the original authors have passed away. The Most Dangerous Man by Jack Murphy is a book that I’m interested in trying to see if it will fill that niche. In this book, Jeremy Lopez is an ex-Army Ranger who is kidnapped and released into an environment as a target for an elite hunting party.

Ashley Poston books always have that dash of magical realism to them. In The Someday Garden, Sophie takes a summer job in Maine at an estate with a secret garden that has a trapped man inside. Outside of the garden is the owner’s nephew. The garden itself is proving to be a challenge, as the plants do not want to respond to her care. The rest of the plot…I will just have to see when I read it. I get that they don’t want to give too much away on the blurb, but to just say a secret garden and two guys…. Maybe just a little bit more?

Sports romance seems to be my jam lately. I’m not exactly sure what about it is so compelling, but I have been eating them up! Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie follows Abby, a woman who leaves her whole life after finding out her fiancé has cheated on her, and lands in the UK, where she finds a job with a football club. There’s an attractive player with a mysterious (and apparently absent) wife. Add a bit of forced proximity and see what happens.

Hoping the make the switch from wedding photographer to landscape photographer (and still pay the bills), Sloane spends her spring chasing tornadoes to capture the perfect shot in Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances. This shot will win her a cover contest for a well-known nature magazine and secure her career switch. However, someone else in in the hunt for the cover prize. Wes and Sloane have been longtime rivals, but as the tumultuous season keeps tossing them together, will something else emerge?

Night Witch by Jaymin Eve is the sequel to Spellcaster. From what I remember of Spellcaster, it has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet theme, in that Logan and Paisley’s fathers are bitter rivals. They are in a magic school and since Paisley recently discovered that she is a Spellcaster, she’s been connected with Logan, who is a strong spellcaster for development of her magic. Night Witch brings us Paisley’s second year at Weatherstone College.

The Winged Game by Sophie Kim bills itself as “fantasy meets sports romance,” which honestly seems like my cup of tea. Rugby on winged beasts. Yes, please. Taissa was a great player, until Kion destroyed her career. Now, he’s offering her redemption as a part of his team. Fake relationships and mysteriously sick winged creatures… Will this end up being a wild romp or a bitten off too much moment?

Book Club Picks

For my brother’s Moon Lit Bookclub selection for May, we will be reading The Endless War by Danielle L. Jensen. This is the fourth book in the Bridge Kingdom series and the second book focusing on Zarrah and Keris. Zarrah has been imprisoned on Devil’s Island by her aunt and Keris will do anything to save her, while balancing the responsibilities of a being a new king whose kingdom has been warring with Zarrah’s for endless years.

For my brother’s Welcome to the Apocalypse book club, we will be reading Cold Storage by David Koepp. This is Book 1 in a series and is pitched to people who love Andy Weir (which would be me). Roberto is a “bioterror operative” (is that really a job title?) who once found and contained a highly mutative organism. Now, that organism is loose and only Roberto knows how to stop it.

Final List

My final initial TBR for March consists of 5 books, and 21 bonus books:

• Maple Mayhem in Indiana Dunes by Olivia Hope McCarthy
• My Forever Girl by Laura Pavlov
• The Courage to Commit by Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East
• The Endless War by Danielle L. Jensen
• Cold Storage by David Koepp
  — Bonus —
• The Magic of Us by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi
• Rocket’s Red Glare by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
• Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben
• The Most Dangerous Man by Jack Murphy
• The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
• Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie
• Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances
• Night Witch by Jaymin Eve
• The Winged Game by Sophie Kim