August 2022 Reads

I read quite a few books in August. Pretty much all of them were books I enjoyed and some I’ve really been wanting to get to. Did you read anything you loved this month?

All The Stories Are True: Classics Reimagined in the World of Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare and Illustrated by Cassandra Jean

Cassandra Jean’s beautiful illustrations have become an iconic part of the Shadowhunter world. In this book, we combine beloved characters from the Shadowhunter Chronicles with folk and fairy tales that both of us grew up reading. I adore these mash-ups and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do!

This had beautiful illustrations and I loved the stories. It was super short and each story was a sentence or two, but I loved it.


Plants vs. Zombies: Snow Thanks by Paul Tobin, Cat Farris, Heather Brickel, and Steve Dutro

Dr. Zomboss invents a Cold Crystal, which is capable of freezing Neighborville, creating an eternal winter and burying both plants and humans in snow and ice! With most of the benevolent, zombie-battling plants chilled and immobile, Zomboss hopes to lead his cold-blooded zombie troops on a mission to overrun the city. It’s up to Nate, Patrice, Crazy Dave, and the fieriest plants to adapt, fight on, and save Neighborville – with the help of pirates!

This was really fun and funny. I would love to get more in this series.


Lore Olympus Vol. 2 by Rachel Smythe

Persephone was ready to start a new life when she left the mortal realm for Olympus. However, she quickly discovered the dark side of her glamorous new home—from the relatively minor gossip threatening her reputation to a realm-shattering violation of her safety by the conceited Apollo—and she’s struggling to find her footing in the fast-moving realm of the gods. Hades is also off-balance, fighting against his burgeoning feelings for the young goddess of spring while maintaining his lonely rule of the Underworld. As the pair are drawn ever closer, they must untangle the twisted webs of their past and present to build toward a new future.

I liked this, but not as much as the first one. I missed the romance between Hades and Persephone but can’t wait for the third one!


Alaska Reunion by Jennifer Snow

Still single, still working at the same bookstore and still pining for the guy who got away, Ellie Mitchell cringes at the prospect of attending her high school reunion. She just can’t face showing up alone—with her dreams of becoming a teacher still unfulfilled—when her ex will be bringing a model-gorgeous plus-one. Callum McKendrick has been in love with Ellie since forever, but he’s sure she doesn’t take him seriously. Offering to be her date for the reunion—and the post-reunion wilderness retreat—is his chance to show Ellie just what she’s missing by being stuck in the past. But will becoming Ellie’s fake boyfriend be enough to prove that Callum is her perfect match?

I loved this so much. I’m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers romance and this book did an amazing job with it as well as fake dating. Super cute and I adored the characters.


How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

It’s hardly the type of wedding Fiona MacLean dreamed of. No family, no guests, just a groom who’s been dragged – literally – to the altar. But if marriage to Black Jack Kincaid, the handsome wastrel she’d sworn never to see again, will avert a bloody war between their clans, so be it. Surely she can share his bed without losing her heart… Known throughout Scotland and London as a wild rogue, Jack is accustomed to waking in dire situations, but…married? Long ago, he and Fiona reveled in a youthful passion. Now, the fiery, sensual lass is his once more. And though their marriage is in name only, Jack is determined to win her forever – body and soul…

I loved this! Fiona is amazing and such a great character. The romance was amazing! Very hard to put down.


Teaching the Teacher’s Pet by Sarah Sutton

When the popular crowd at Brentwood High votes me Most Likely To: Marry A Math Book, I’m ready to put my ruler into the eye of any egotistical jock who comes near me. Including the idolized Bobcats football player, Connor Bray, when he asks me to tutor him. His only requirement? Our tutoring sessions must be top-secret—meaning that because Connor is too embarrassed to be seen with the resident math geek, I can’t even tell my boyfriend I’m helping Brentwood High’s all-star player. And I’m about to tell him where he can stick his protractor when the principal steps in, saying that if I agree to help Connor pass his makeup test—and keep him on the team to lead Brentwood to the State Championships—she’ll reinstate the valedictorian award I’d been striving my entire life for. There is one thing Connor might have to offer in return—love advice to recapture the spark with my ever-distant boyfriend. Connor, who keeps the student body mesmerized just by flashing a forearm, is bound to have a good game plan, right? Except when Connor begins to give me lessons in love—and his demonstrations are breathtakingly thorough—it starts to feel like I’m the one getting schooled.

This was so good! I loved the banter and the romance in here so much. Sarah’s books are always so emotional and this book wasn’t any different.


Roommaid by Sariah Wilson

Madison Huntington is determined to live her dreams. That means getting out from under her family’s wealth and influence by saying no to the family business, her allowance, and her home. But on a teacher’s salary, the real world comes as a rude awakening—especially when she wakes up every morning on a colleague’s couch. To get a place of her own (without cockroaches, mold, or crime scene tape), Madison accepts a position as a roommaid. In exchange for free room and board, all she needs to do is keep her busy roommate’s penthouse clean and his dog company. So what if she’s never washed a dish in her life. She can figure this out, right? Madison is pretty confident she can fake it well enough that Tyler Roth will never know the difference. The finance whiz is rich and privileged and navigates the same social circles as her parents—but to him she’s just a teacher in need of an apartment. He’s everything Madison has run from, but his kindhearted nature, stomach-fluttering smile, and unexpected insecurities only make her want to get closer. And Tyler is warming to the move. Rewarding job. Perfect guy. Great future. With everything so right, what could go wrong? Madison is about to find out.

This was so cute! Such a feel-good story and it was so sweet.


Mysteria by Mary Janice Davidson, Susan Grant, P.C. Cast, and Gena Showalter

Hundreds of years ago, in the mountains of Colorado (just close enough to Denver for great shoe shopping), the small town of Mysteria was “accidentally” founded by a random act of demonic kindness. Over time, it has become a veritable magnet for the supernatural—a place where magic has quietly coexisted with the mundane world. It’s a town like any other town, where the high school’s Fighting Fairies give fans something to cheer about, where everyone knows your name—if not exactly what you are—at the local bar, and where the wishing well actually lives up to its name. Strange occurrences happen every day, but now the ladies of Mysteria are about to unleash a tempest of seduction that will have tongues wagging for centuries to come…

This was good! I really enjoyed all four stories in here. I read the second book first so glad to have finally gone back and read the first one.


Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal. Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on. Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead…

This was really cute. I enjoyed getting to see characters from the first book and loved the characters in this book as well.


The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dreyer, and Anne Stuart

When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she’s still trying to control her shape-shifting power–no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.
Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday–annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe and in his heart. . . . The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP and Mare’s long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget! 

This was pretty good. I didn’t love it but I did like the romances. The chapters are insanely long, which I wasn’t a fan of. Still a good book though.


Falling Like This by Bethany Monaco Smith

It’s been a week since I kissed Rae after the State Championship game. And we haven’t said a word about it. Tonight is the first big party of the summer, and I’m going to steal her away, kiss the hell out of her, make her mine. At least that’s the plan. Until everything comes crashing down. What happens at the party changes everything for both of us. Now I’m broken physically, and Rae is broken emotionally. She’s hiding behind fake smiles and the walls she’s so good at putting up—walls I’m determined to tear down. But she makes it clear that won’t be easy. After a summer from hell, the school year begins with everything up in the air. When we’re forced to face our feelings for each other, will we finally give in? Is she ready for this? Can we find our way to each other after everything that’s happened? Or will we fall apart before we even get started?

This book had so much drama and angst. I loved it so much. Rae and Aaron are so cute. The friendships are amazing in here. This is book two and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!


The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power peaking in the season of their birth. But their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season. In autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and voltaile, and the price of her magic – losing the ones she loves – is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather. In winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara finally accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference. In spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings for him, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses. In summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves…before she loses everything.

I loved this book so much. The writing is beautiful and I really want to reread it already. This was an amazing story and almost put me in a reading slump it was so good.


Eloise and the Grump Next Door by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor

I’m not sure which is worse–the lawyer handling my grandmother’s estate or the attack pelican living on the screened-in porch. Just kidding–I’ll take the pelican any day. After graduation, I thought I’d be off to grad school, doing research on my favorite poet. Instead, I’m renovating my late grandmother’s home and posting about the process on Instagram. Talk about a detour … But here I am. Turning Gran’s beach house into a bed and breakfast–a process that would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to deal with the grumpy lawyer living next door. It doesn’t help that the night Jake and I met, I got a little tipsy, and he had to carry me back to my hotel. But the longer I stay on Oakley Island, the more I feel a connection to my childhood and to my grandmother. This isn’t the life I dreamed of, but dreams can change. Especially when new dreams include a future with Jake. On the outside, he might be pricklier than a puffer fish, but I catch glimpses of a delicious, cinnamon roll center. Did I mention the tattoos he hides underneath those crisp button-down shirts? Yowza. When I’m suddenly presented with the academic opportunity of my dreams (former dreams?), my picturesque life on Oakley starts to unravel. A part of me wants to stay. If only a certain tattooed grump didn’t seem so determined to send me away …

This was so cute and the romance was amazing. I can’t wait to read about the other characters in this book!


Christmas As We Know It by Sarah Sutton

Christmas as I know it is blown away with the winter wind when my mom drops a bomb the size of the Rockefeller Tree—we’re going to Florida for winter break, AKA the land of no snow. And since this is the last Christmas season of my high school career, my last chance to spend the holidays with my friends before we all go off to college, the news is anything but merry and bright. There is one silver lining, though. Bentley, the sweet and kind guy I’ve been crushing on for years, is in my volunteer group for the annual Winter Festival. And did I mention his love for Christmas just might rival my own? Even though I’ll be missing out on the Winter Festival, being paired with Bentley almost makes it worth it. Until something happens with Jason, my best friend since elementary school. Something that may or may not involve an almost kiss. Jason’s the opposite of jolly, the Grinch to my Mrs. Claus, and though every year I have to drag him along for the Yuletide ride, this December, he’s grumpier than ever about the holidays. But the closer I get to Bentley, and the more it looks like Jason and his ex are getting back together, the more unsure I am about who I want to ring in the new year with. Maybe all I need is the magic of a mistletoe kiss to make up my mind. Or better yet, a Christmas miracle… 

I just bought a physical copy of this and had to reread it. This book is my favorite of Sarah’s and I’m so happy to finally get back to this story again. I always cry so much in this book and it really makes it feel like Christmas (even if it’s not).


Magic and Macaroons by Bailey Cates

For magical baker Katie Lightfoot, the only way to beat the Savannah summer heat is to whip up some cool treats for the Honeybee Bakery’s patrons. But when a meeting of the spellbook club is interrupted by a stranger collapsing on the floor of her shop, mumbling something about a voodoo talisman, Katie drops everything to begin investigating. Her search for answers quickly leads her into a dangerous blend of Savannah’s infamous voodoo queens, a powerful missing charm—and a deadly witch who seems to be targeting the city’s magical community. And with the case getting hotter by the second, Katie will have to work fast to track down the talisman and the killer before the timer runs out…

I really enjoyed this book. It was actually a little creepy and had a twist I never saw coming. Can’t wait to continue on in this series.


Breaking the Bully by Jessa Kane

We’re from different sides of the tracks, but Allie James has always owned me. Heart and soul. After years of pining for her in the halls of our high school, I finally touch her one night in an open field beneath a storm, receiving a miracle I never expected—she needs me in return. Or so I think. As soon as she finds out I’m a handyman, she cuts me off. But I’m not letting the richest girl in school break my heart without consequences. She will pay… But I’ll pay a far worse price when I find out why she really left me hanging without a word. And after unfairly bullying my sweet girl, I’ll sell my soul to win her back.

This was really good! I loved the romance and this. It was very smutty. A cute novella.


Morganville Vampires vol. 1: Glass Houses and The Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine

Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas-not a place that exactly screams “hotbed of creatures of the night”. But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark… Glass Houses College freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood… The Dead Girls’ Dance Claire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she’s invited to the Dead Girls’ Dance all hell breaks loose-literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night…

How To Be A Wallflower by Eloisa James

Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors. Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He’s furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby’s Costume Emporium from under his nose. Jake strikes a devil’s bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can’t resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend. It isn’t until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she’s stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn’t belong in her refined and cultured world. Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she’ll have him!

I loved this book so much. The banter between the characters was amazing and the romance was beautiful. There are some moments in here that are just heart-stopping with how romantic they are. Such a great book.

I loved both of these books! I can’t wait to continue this series. These books are so hard to put down and fast paced. A lot happens and they really take you on a wild ride.

Those are all the books I read in August! Hope you enjoyed! Until next time.