I’m actually shocked by how much I’ve read this month, I was on holiday for a week and literally just dipped in and out of the one book for the entire holiday and yet my total for June is 23 books. I’ve no idea how I managed it. Maybe I was trying to take my mind off the fact that my much anticipated trip to Italy is now over! 😀

So something unwelcome started going on this month and that unwelcome is me starting to get very annoyed with the lack of growth of one of my favourite authors. I’ve always been able to read KA’s books with the knowledge that if I knew men like that in real life I’d have not one thing to do with them and therefore read them and enjoy them for what they are, an over the top caricature of romance or a soap opera, it’s not real life and a bit wild and fun but some of the flaws and red flags are starting to really grate on me. I’ve noted some of the issues I’ve had with some rereads below.

Quiet Man (Dream Team #0.5) – 4⭐, Dream Maker (Dream Team #1) – 5⭐, Dream Chaser (Dream Team #2) – 4⭐, Dream Spinner (Dream Team #3) – 4⭐ & Dream Keeper (Dream Team #4) – 4⭐ by Kristen Ashley

So this series isn’t a firm KA favourite for me but it is still a fun one to reread. I’m becoming more and more aware of KA’s MMC not groveling enough when they fuck up. There is a lot of chatter about her new book Perfect Together and the heroes lack of groveling after being a big man child and I’m really hoping KA starts to give her heroines some backbone in future books because I’m seeing a pattern and it makes me sad to think she might be becoming less and less for me.

A quote I saw on a review for Perfect Together that highlights what I mean:

“He walked out,” I said shortly. “And divorced me. I wanted to talk about it then. I wanted to work it out then. He didn’t allow either.”

She swung her glass toward me. “So you didn’t get what you wanted, girl. Who cares? Again, that was then, and this is now.”

“So I should just snap to when Remy suddenly decides we’re worth fighting for?”

“Hell yes.”

Perfect Together by Kristen Ashley

Ummmm I haven’t read it but I know that this is a ‘friend’ giving this advice and girl needs new friends because this shit is WRONG!! I want to see these men GROVEL!!

Which brings me to…

Flock (The Ravenhood #1) – 5⭐, Exodus (The Ravenhood #2) – 5⭐ & The Finish Line (The Ravenhood #3) – 5⭐ by Kate Stewart

This series was so tough, so much pain and I mean PAIN. I had a stomach ache for pretty much all of it. This is an enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers with a tiny love triangle Robinhood retelling and the final book? It’s a book of the MMC working out his many issues and GROVELING! It was wonderful.  Cecelia was a little bit too much at times and I do wonder about heroines who every man who ever laid eyes on wants, but come book three and her not being a doormat I kind of fell in love with her myself so maybe she is all that.

Now, I did want her to forgive him earlier than she did because I’m weak and felt terribly sad for Tobais but then I’d remember what he did to her and cheer her on because you go you badass bitch!!

This is a suspenseful romance about the same characters over three books so it’s kind of a commitment and honestly the term ‘romance’ often feels like a push. Maybe ‘people with lots of trauma not seeking therapy but world domination and sex’?

Not sure I’ll be rereading book 1 and 2 again but I can for sure see myself reread The Finish Line.

Thieves and Monsters (Three Fates Mafia #1) by Clio Evans – 5⭐

With every book, Clio Evans is getting better and better, and you just love to see it. One of the things that has bothered me in the past was the lack of contractions as it made reading feel very stilted but Thieves and Monsters saw like an 85% improvement and it made reading so much more fun.

I still get confused during some of the sexy times but I also don’t care! 😀

It might be more of a 4 star read but I HAD SO MUCH FUN reading it and it was completely wild and I love that the writing is improving with each book so 5 stars it is!! Can’t wait for the next, Clio Evens currently plans to release one book a month in this series with the next one due the end of June. This also makes me love them, no arduous waiting for the next book. They are a bit of a machine with the publishing schedule!

Flawless (Chestnut Springs #1) – 5⭐, Heartless (Chestnut Springs #2) – 5⭐, Powerless (Chestnut Springs #3) – 5⭐ & Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) – 4⭐ by Elsie Silver

I’m super wary of TikTok recommendations because me and TikTok don’t seem to be on the same page at all when it comes to books, especially in the steam department. I saw these talked about on Bookstagram and when I went to buy this one it had that ‘TikTok sensation’ in the title (I wish they’d stop doing that) and I lost excitement and put it off.

Well, I now need to rethink my method because I LOVED these books! They have all the things, cowboys, small town, hot broody men (Cade and Jasper I love you!) , hot pretending to be okay heroes (Rhett (going to put Beau in that category as well)), sassy loveable not annoying heroines, dual POV, a precocious child, rodeo, beautiful houses, hot dirty talk and oooow when the slow burn caught alight!! 🔥

These books are also all set in Canada and I found it a nice change of pace. I know Canada also has it’s issues but the US is such a dumpster fire at the moment and I find the small town romances set there harder to wrap my head around.

Elsie Silver is a new autobuy author for sure! YAY!!

Always Mine (Honey Mountain #1) by Laura Pavlov – 2⭐

After Chestnut Springs being such a success I decided to pick up this as it was one of those ‘because you liked this we recommend this’ things.

I should love this book. It’s got everything I like but I just couldn’t get on with it.

It felt a bit too much but like, I read monster romance that are outrageous and love them so I’m not at all sure what my problem is.

All I can say is that the characters felt flat to me. I didn’t feel invested with any of them, the trauma both Niko and Vivi were dealing with on an individual level were serious and they just seemed to be happy developing this co-dependent relationship and I just kind of stopped caring.

It did start out okay but I just didn’t care near the end. It’s a pity because this is the kind of series I adore and I’m not sure I’ll be up to continuing. I’m a little intrigued by the rest of the sisters but I can’t see anything drastic happening in terms of the writing style so not sure I’ll continue. I won’t rule it out though.

American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson – 5⭐

Fabulously researched, written and narrated. Huge Tenfold More Wicked and Buried Bones fan so plan to read all Kate Winkler Dawson books. This was a fascinating look into the life of the ‘American Sherlock Holmes’

Edward Oscar Heinrich was a flawed trailblazer and the way Winkler Dawson told his story was wonderful, she used some of the cases he worked on that changed the world of forensics and explained how they did that while giving us insight to the man himself. She showed us his brilliance and his many flaws and she did it in a really respectful way. He changed forensics in a lot of amazing ways but some of the blunders are still causing issues today. Above all, Oscar Heinrich was human and I’m glad I got to learn about him.

Knight (Unfinished Hero #1) – 3⭐, Creed (Unfinished Hero, #2) – 4.5 ⭐, Raid (Unfinished Hero #3) – 2⭐, Deacon (Unfinished Hero #4) – 5⭐ & Sebring (Unfinished Hero #5) – 4⭐ by Kristen Ashley

Taken from my Raid review:

“Changing this to 3 stars because Raid is a dickhead and the idea that KA likes to give the most uncommunicative heroes a ‘reward’ of a ‘pure’ and ‘naïve’ heroine for the trauma they endured is really starting to bother me as the years go by. It could be just a mood thing but for now I just couldn’t wait for it to be over.”

I’ve touched on my new issues with KA above and on previous posts. Maybe it’s a mood thing, maybe I’ll go back to not caring or maybe, after 10 years of not seeing much growth in her characters and her insistence in writing bad BDSM, I’m getting bored.

I’ve read MANY books that have Daddy kink, it’s not a favourite but some authors have done it super well, KA unfortunately is not one of those authors. Knight and Anya are TOTAL cringe.

Creed and Deacon are my favourite out of all the books but there is also not enough groveling, Sebring at least does a HUGE grand gesture!

It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) – 4⭐& Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) – 3.5⭐by Tessa Bailey

So as a MASSIVE Schitt’s Creek fan (my monthly reading blog wraps use a Schitt’s Creek gif each month because there is literally a Schitt’s Creek gif for every single occasion) I was always going to read the book that was inspired by the incomparable Alexis Rose and her heartwarming transformation!

I did put it off for a while because I’ve not always gotten on with Tessa Bailey so I was a little nervous. Book one was enjoyable but I was a little underwhelmed by book two! They were both cute though and very easy reading.

I feel like Tessa Bailey just misses the mark a lot for me. So much potential but the execution can be weak. Like a huge thing missing for me was the sisters dealing with the trauma of their fathers death and the fact that their mother dealt with it in such an unhealthy way. It was weird that their mother just didn’t factor. Is it potholes that I’ve issues with? I really don’t know, I just can’t put my finger on what doesn’t work for me when it comes to her writing. I will continue reading her though because the stuff that works really works!