Monthly Wrap Up {May}

 

As you may know, I took the summer off from blogging. I am a mom with 4 kids, and they were home all day every day, and so having time to write just wasn't going to happen. Something had to give, and it was my hobby. 

Now though my kids are back in school, and I can play a little bit of catch up. So let's jump into my monthly wrap ups! I have FOUR to share with you. But will space those out over four days.

In the month of May, I read 15 books. I did the math and that equated to roughly 4,816 pages. That averages out to each book being about 321 pages. That's pretty good for me if I'm being honest.

I read 6 sports romances, a duet, 3 reverse harems, and so many other tropes/subgenres. This month I finished 3 series! What series were they?
 

Hockey Hotties by Piper Rayne
Sin by Aleatha Romig
Boneyard Kings by Becca Steele & C Lymari

In May, I had THREE 5 stars reads! I am so finicky when it comes giving a book 5 stars. Everything has to be just right for me to dole it out. What books met my criteria? 

Obsession
The Mate Games #1
K Loraine & Meg Anne

Rejection
The Mate Games #2
K Loraine & Meg Anne

Mine to Have
Southern Wedding #1
Natasha Madison

What was my favorite of the month? 

Obsession by Kim Loraine and Meg Anne stole the show for me. If you know me at all, you know I do not read a lot of paranormal romance. Yet there was something about this one that lured me in. I think it was the X-Men beginnings vibe that the description gave off. Then as I read the story, I found myself immersed in the world, and not wanting the story to be over. Sunday and her men were so fascinating, and the world building was top level. 

Here is the full list of books that I read in May 2022. All of my reviews are linked (whether they were on my blog or Goodreads).

A Greene Family Vacation by Piper Rayne

Hot Shot's Mistake by Gina Azzi

First Love by Xavier Neal

Obsession by Kim Loraine and Meg Anne
Ruthless Kingdom by Becca Steele and C Lymari

Wild About You by Rebecca Jenshak

Ryker by Samantha Lind

On the Edge by Julia Connors

Nothing Feels Better by Brit Benson

Last Love by Xavier Neal

Offsides with #55 by Piper Rayne

Mine to Have by Natasha Madison

Rejection by Kim Loraine and Meg Anne

Black Knight by Aleatha Romig

Jock Wanted by Kate Meader

I know May was a few months ago, but what was your favorite read for that month?

Laura

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Monthly Wrap Up

Oh what a month April was!

April was filled with birthdays, celebrating Easter, and of course being ecstatic that my Mom and Stepdad had returned from wintering in Florida. I am longing for warmer temps, and sunshine. In April we also took the kids to see two movies (Sonic 2 and The Bad Guys), and both were fun to watch. One of these years I'll be able to watch an entire movie in the theater without having to take a kid to a million bathroom breaks. Oh the joys of parenting. Another fun thing that we did was go to the carnival that our elementary school was hosting. My kids had a blast, and we stayed almost the entire time. Many memories were definitely made.

I mentioned birthdays up above, and that includes mine! As my brother pointed out, I've had as many years pre-2000 as I have post. Only he would think of that, and bring it to my attention. Gotta love your siblings. My birthday was very low key, and if you know me, you know that is 100% how I like it.

Enough about all that. Let's get back to reading...In the month of April, I read 21 books. I did the math and that equated to roughly 5,439 pages. There was a novella (Lucas by Amber Ford) that I read that wasn't posted on Goodreads, so I'm not entirely certain of the page count on that. But I did my usual calculation (location/20=page count) to get an approximation. 

I read 7 sports romances, a firefighter romance, one MC romance, a couple organized crime type romances, and so many other tropes/subgenres. This month I finished SIX series! What series were they? 

• Only One
• Fool Me
• Red Ridge Sinners
• Vegas Aces: The Tight End
• Carolina Reapers
• Broken Boys 

April was the month of 5 star reads too. This is quite possibly the most that I have had in a month since I started keeping track. In April, I had SIX 5 star reads! SIX! That's wild. What books were they? I'm glad you asked!

• Only One Forever by Natasha Madison
• Fool Me Thrice by Lizzie Morton
• Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros
• Maxim by Samantha Whiskey
• Caught Looking by Aven Ellis
• The Comic Con by Dee Lagasse

What was my favorite of the month? 

There were once again a few books that stood out above the rest, and so I had to sit and think on it for a bit. That being said, my mind automatically went to Caught Looking by Aven Ellis. Caught Looking is the fourth book it the DC Soaring Eagles baseball series, and I have been anticipating this one for a while now. Chase and Meghan are amazing together, and I loved every moment of their love story. I'm still working on finishing up my review, so that will be posted in a couple days. What I will say is that I love the characters and worlds that Aven Ellis creates. They are people I would want in my life, and I would love to live in their world as well. Every time I read one of Aven's stories, I always fall head over heels. Highly recommend all of her books.

Here are all the books that I read in April. If a review has been written (and published here on the blog), it is linked.

Bonds We Break by Paula Dombrowiak

Lucas by Amber Ford

Sinful Bodyguard by Emily Bowie
Second Shot with #76 by Piper Rayne

Only One Forever by Natasha Madison

Take Me There by JH Croix

Tight End by Lisa Suzanne

Sinful Vow by Emily Bowie

Broken Boys Crave Chaos by JB Heller

The Secrets to Heartbreak by Brittany Taylor
The Scorecard by Maren Moore

Fool Me Thrice by Lizzie Morton

Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros

Maxim by Samantha Whiskey

Baby Got Pack by Xavier Neal

Rule by Caitlyn Dare

The MRS Degree by Sara Ney

Caught Looking by Aven Ellis

The Comic Con by Dee Lagasse

Nova by Dee Lagasse
The Wrong Boy by Ashley Munoz

Tell me about the books you read in April! What was your favorite? Do you have any books that you're anticipating for May? I have quite the list!

Laura

What Laura's Reading participates in the Amazon Affiliate program. As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission through purchases made using my links.

Monthly Wrap Up

Happy last day of March!

Where did this month go? I feel like I have said that in January and February, but seriously! 2022 is cruising by, and it's a bit much.

I will say that March was a really good month. Not just on the reading front. We took a family vacation to Wisconsin Dells where we had an absolute blast. My kids did all the activities. We ate out way too often. We splurged. We made memories. Of course one of those memories was me finding a low spot in the floor, and ever so slightly twisting my ankle. Leave it to me to find those little things. My poor ankles are never going to heal from all these falls. Sigh. Oh, and my kids all picked out new stuffies from Build A Bear.

After our trip, my husband and I also celebrated 16 years of marriage. Our celebration was having strawberry cheesecake after the kids were in bed. 🤣 Hey that's what happens when the grandparents are out of town, and babysitters are crazy expensive. You enjoy a quiet night at home. If you know me though, you know that home is where I prefer to be.

March also had us beginning the process of our kitchen remodel. Appliances and cabinets were ordered, as were a new garage door, and a new front door. It was a ridiculous amount of money spent, but I am so excited for the finished product. I am so excited about my new stove, and I just hope that it comes in before December. 

Back to reading...In the month of March, I managed to read 18 books. I did the math and that equated to roughly 3,996 pages. I say roughly as I didn't have a specific page count for the four novellas I read. So I had to calculate the page count using the locations. (The formula I use is: page count =location/15~20. I choose to divide by 20.)

I read 8 sports romances, a rockstar romance, two MC romances, quite a few organized crime type romances, and so many other tropes/subgenres. I also started a series finale, I continued a few series, and I started one as well.

All in all it was an outstanding month. I will say that I was a bit disappointed in my page count for the month, but that is what happens when you read 4 novellas. At the same time, almost 4,000 pages is nothing to complain about.

What was my favorite of the month? I'm going to go with Shed My Skin by Nola Marie. Maddox's story was one that I had been anticipating. This man has been through so much in his life, and it's all becoming too much. The pain he deals with on a regular basis is intense. His demons continue to haunt him, and his usual "treatments" are no longer working. Maddox's story is dark. It's deep. It's intense. It's emotional. It's amazing. Just like the man himself. Now I just have to wait for Breathe Again to be released, so that I can find out how his story concludes. (My review for this book will be posted on April 2nd. If you want to read my abbreviated thoughts, head over to Goodreads.)

Here are all the books that I read in March. If a review has been written (and published here on the blog), it is linked.

Dare by Caitlyn Dare
Tied Down by Kim Loraine
Twisted Debt by Xavier Neal & Amarie Avant
Nero DeLuca by Xavier Neal & Amarie Avant
Vicious Queen by Becca Steele & C. Lymari
Big Deck Energy by Kim Loraine
Reap by Caitlyn Dare
Tight Fit by Lisa Suzanne
Shed My Skin by Nola Marie
Like I Never Said by C.W. Farnsworth
Deking the Beauty by Crystal Perkins
Campus God by Jennifer Sucevic
Tutoring the Player by Rebecca Jenshak
Worth Every Second by Jocelyne Soto
Tight Laced by Lisa Suzanne
Gold Lust by Aleatha Romig
Fighter by S. Massery
Bright Like Midnight by J. Wolf

What did you read in March? Did you have a favorite? Any anticipated reads for April? I have quite the list, and will share those tomorrow!

Laura

Monthly Wrap Up

Um, excuse me, where did February go? Was it not just the first day of the month? How are we already at the end of the month? WHERE DID THE TIME GO? Oh wait, that's right, life jumped up and said "hey, I'm here to cause some mayhem".

February started off a bit rough in my household. Thankfully it has all calmed down, and I feel comfortable saying that life is back to "normal". My mama heart still has the what if's playing in the back of my mind, but even that has quieted a bit.

Reading wise though, February was marvelous. This month I was able to read a few books that I was highly anticipating, and those books did not disappoint. They just made me love the characters, the settings, and the authors that much more. In February, I did have my first DNF of the year. So that put a slight damper on things. It was just one of those things where the book and I just did not vibe. It was not a fit, and I wasn't going to risk a reading slump just to say I read the book. Will I go back and try the book again? Eh, I don't know. So I'll say maybe. This book does not appear in my wrap up. I just wanted to document that I did have one.

In the month of February, I managed to read 21 books. I did the math and that equated to roughly 4,815 pages. I say roughly as I didn't have a specific page count for Roar or Trouble, as they were both free novella downloads from the authors. I had to calculate the page count using the locations. (location/15~20=page count. I use 20.)

I managed to read 8 sports romances, 2 fire fighter romances, a duet from a new to me author, and many many more. A series finale was read, I continued a few series, and I started a few. All in all it was an outstanding month.

What was my favorite of the month? This was difficult to choose. There were four books that I was going back and forth between. Ultimately though, I have to go with my gut. This book was also on my February anticipated reads list, and I kind of foreshadowed it there.  So what is it? The Edge of Redemption by Kristin Turnage! This was my absolute favorite. To say I'm obsessed with this small town romance series would be an understatement. I want to move to this community, and befriend the characters. Okay fine, I'm old enough to befriend their parents. Doesn't matter. I'd still be with these people in this small town community. My heart.

Here are all the books that I read in February. If a review has been written (and published here on the blog), it is linked.

Ruin by Caitlyn Dare

The Lies You Love by Rachel Robinson
Roar by Xavier Neal

It Went Viral by Stacy Stone

The Plan by Karla Sorensen

Mine to Kiss by Natasha Madison

The Edge of Redemption by Kristin Turnage

The Player Hater by Sara Ney

Fall For Me by JH Croix

Saving Jen by Ellie Masters

Up In Smoke by Kate Meader

Push by Sadie Rose

Pull by Sadie Rose

Trouble by Lisa Suzanne

Tight Spot by Lisa Suzanne

The Score Keeper by Gina Azzi

Only One Love by Natasha Madison

Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher

Sneaking Around with #34 by Piper Rayne

Tight Hold by Lisa Suzanne
All Geek To Me by Allie York

I am still working on finalizing my reviews on the books that are not linked, so those will be up in the next 10 days. If you're curious about some of my thoughts, you can go check my Goodreads!

What did you read in February? Did you have a favorite? Any anticipated reads for March? I have quite the list, and will share those tomorrow!

Laura

Monthly Wrap Up

January was a pretty phenomenal month when it came to reading. There was a weekend that I was forced to ignore my kindle. We were out of town visiting family after having been delayed at Christmas due to being quarantined. So, I had been sharing a hotel room with my youngest two, and my "baby" told me she can't sleep with a light on so I needed to turn off my book. Darn kid.

In the month of January, I still managed to read 19 books. I did the math and that equated to roughly 5,293 pages. I say roughly as I didn't have a page count for Thrill, as it was a free download from the author's website.

I managed to read 4 sports romances, 2 rockstar romances, 2 fire fighter romances, 2 greek mythology romances, and many many more. A series finale was read, I continued a few series, and I started a few. All in all it was a wonderful month.

What was my favorite of the month? Ooh, good question! That honor is going to Break Me Down by Nola Marie. Ryder's story is so intense, and I had been eagerly anticipating it for quite a while. Really the count down to his story began the moment I was introduced to him.

Here are all the books that I have read in January. If a review has been written (and published), it is linked. 

Our Finest Hour by Jennifer Millikin

Sincerely the Puck Bunny by Maren Moore

Shattered Desires by Victoria Ellis

Decker: Changing the Play by Kayley Loring & Connor Crais

Broken Boys Break Hearts by JB Heller

The Baby Proposition by Kim Loraine

Break Me Down by Nola Marie

Ignited by Sierra Hill & SE Rose

Thrill by S Masssery

Green Envy by Aleatha Romig

Broken Boys Fight Harder by JB Heller

Thief by S Massery

Rookie by Laramie Briscoe

Notes on Love by Naaz Spencer

My Famous Frenemy by Piper Rayne

Broken Boys Despise Deceit by JB Heller

The Joker by Ashley Munoz

Caught by Elise Faber

Soft Like Thunder by Julia Wolf 

What did you read in January? Did you have a favorite? Any anticipated reads for February? I have quite the list, and will share those tomorrow!

Laura

What I read in November

It's been quite some time since I've done a monthly reading wrap up. To be honest, I've missed writing these posts. So it is time resume the wrap up posts!

November, at least here in the US, is when we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is also the month when many people choose to share things that they are thankful for. There truly is so much to be thankful for in our lives. Here is just a snippet of my list:

• My husband
• Our kids
• Our home
• My parents and siblings
• My friends
• Our health
• Me being able to continue being a stay at home mom
• Books!
• Authors!

Those things are all pretty surface level if I'm being honest. I could take it a bit further than that, but that's what my journal is for. Right? Right.

On Thursday I had shared this on my Facebook page

 I also went on to say that I am even more thankful for the authors who write the books I read. And that is very true. I am so thankful for those people who write books. Who dream up these stories, bring them to life, and allow the readers to escape into this new world. To allow us to get to know these characters, to feel their emotions, to experience what they are going through. The stories these writers create, allow us to step out of our current situation, and take a break from the things that are happening in our real lives. It's truly a wonderful thing, and something to be thankful for.

In the month of November, I was able to read 25 books. I was able to have many experiences through these books, and travel to many places that I might never experience. I've felt the highs our characters have felt, I've felt their pain and heartache, I 've felt the joy of their reunions, I've felt the love of their friendships and families. These books have taken me on an emotional journey, and while there were tears shed with many of the stories, there was also feelings of utter happiness. Yes they are fictional people, but when you escape into their world, it becomes more than that. 

These are the books that I read in November.

1. King of Hearts by Ashley Munoz
2. Waiting for Love by Lacey Black
3. Inevitable Ella by VH Nicolson
4. Snowed Inn for Christmas Anthology
5. The Trailblazer by Gina Azzi
6. The Powerbroker by Anna Hackett
7. Kingdom Come by Aleatha Romig
8. Pompous Player by Brenda Rothert
9. What the Puck? by Crystal Perkins
10. All the Feels by Olivia Dade
11. Reckless Desires by Victoria Ellis
12. Crank by Caitlyn Dare
13. Love You Better by Brit Benson
14. Vindictive Blood by Jocelyne Soto
15. Snowed in with the Prince by EC Fountain
16. The Boss Who Stole Christmas by Jana Aston
17. Better with You by Brit Benson
18. Blame it on the Mistletoe by Noelle Fox
19. Stuck with a Cowboy for Christmas by Elysia Lumen Strife
20. Finding Paradise by Barbara Dunlop
21. Breath to Bear by Paula Dombrowiak
22. The Rules of Heartbreak by Brittany Taylor
23. Cheshire by Samantha Lovelock
24. Flock by Kate Stewart
25. Exodus by Kate Stewart

Going through this list made me realize I didn't write a review for Elysia Lumen Strife's book. So I will need to go back and take care of that!

My top 5 reads for November, in no particular order, were:

Honorable mention to:

What did you read in November? Any that had you thinking "I NEED TO SHARE THIS BOOK!"? I'd love to hear about your recent reads.

Hope your November was filled with memorable moments, and you were able to find something to be thankful for.

Laura

March Top 5

 

It's that time again my friends, time to recap another month of reading!

March was a month. My husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. It also marked one year of this pandemic. My oldest child returned to school full time, for the first time in a year. I was also summoned for jury duty in March, but did not have to report. (YAY!) Then there was the fact that both my parents were in the hospital at the same time, in different states, and it was stressful. (both are now fine) In March I also got to see my best friend for the first time in a long time. Outings with her are some of my favorite things. They always bring a smile to my face and I cherish that time with her.

Before we talk about my top 5 books of March, let's go over my stats.

In March, I read 22 books, which totaled 6,338 pages.

The book breakdown is

• 22 books read
• 2 physical (library) books
• 9 kindle books I own/or purchased
• 11 advanced reader copies

My average rating was a 3.95 ⭐️

Breaking my ratings down a bit further we have:

• 2   - Five Star
• 17 - Four Star
• 3   - Three Star

I also DNF'd a book this month, High Heels in the Highlands, and opted not to rate the book or include it in my monthly stats (other than as a DNF). Nor did I mark it as read on Goodreads. Simply put the book was too slow moving for my liking, and I just could not get involved in the story. Plus it claimed to be a romance, but by the time I DNF'd it (13%), there was no romance to be had. It is what it is, not every book will be the book for you.

My longest book of March was Driven by K Bromberg. It was 806 pages. (to be fair, it was a ebook boxed set)

My shortest book of March was Hockey Hunk by Kat Obie. It was 91 pages.

In March, my new to me author count was 8. So not as impressive as February, but still it's 8 new authors that I've discovered!

Are you ready for my top 5 books of March? 

February Top 5

 

Well this post is a little over due. I had originally planned on this going live at the beginning of March, yet here we are. Oops. That's what happens though when you take two weeks off. So yeah.

Before we move into my top 5 reads for February, let's take a look at my stats.

In February, I read 23 books, which was 5,587 pages, and 2 hours of audio.

The book breakdown is:

• 10 advanced reader copies
• 5 physical (library) books
• 7 kindle books I purchased
• 1 audio book from scribd

Let's talk ratings. My average rating was 3.7⭐️

Breaking it down a bit further, we have

• 1 - Five Star
• 17 - Four Star
• 4 - Three Star
• 1 - One Star

Now to be fair, that one star was a DNF, and I felt it needed to be rated. But we're not going to talk about that.

My longest book read in February was, Wake My Heart by Lydia Michaels. It was 406 pages.

My shortest book read in February was, Second Chance Sweetheart by Charity Ferrell. It was 64 pages.

In February, I read 13 new to me authors! OH MY WORD! That's awesome.

The time has come to talk about my top 5 books for February. After a lot of back and forth, I've settled upon my list.

5) Take A Hint, Dani Brown

by Talia Hibbert

Take a Hint, Dani Brown drew me in. It moved fast, the characters were personable, and I just loved it. The relationship between Zaf and Dani was adorable. I loved the fake dating aspect of their story. Then of course there is the Brown Sisters. These ladies are just fantastic, and bring a smile to my face. Zaf and his love of romance novels had me smiling as well. He would fit in great with the guys from the Bromance Book Club.

Oh and I'm 95% certain that Dani is my favorite of the Brown sisters. 

4) Intercepted

by Alexa Martin

Intercepted is such a fantastic book. Heck the entire Playbook series is amazing. 

I freaking loved Intercepted. LOVED IT. I fully believed it had the potential to be a 5 star read. And honestly, it probably should have been. But there was something in the last third of the book that had me wavering.

No matter what though, my thoughts about wanting to have physical copies of this series holds true.

3) Undercover Bromance

by Lyssa Kay Adams

I had been wanting to read Undercover Bromance since March 2020 when it was released. I absolutely loved Bromance Book Club, and had high hopes for its sequel. Yet for some reason I kept pushing it off. That changed in February 2021. 

I had originally thought Undercover Bromance was going to be a sports romance, but I was wrong about that. And I'm perfectly okay with that.  It truly did not matter because the content of the book pushed all those other thoughts out of my mind.

Liv and Mack could not have been better paired. These two are the embodiment of enemies to lovers. I still think about Undercover Bromance, and it's been over a month since I read the book!

So good, and highly recommend.

2) Balls to the Wall

by April Canavan

If you recall my review of Balls to the Wall, then you might remember me telling you to have tissues handy for this book. I stand by that recommendation. Heck I was tearing up within the first couple of pages. I also briefly told you there were content warnings, and again if you need to know specifics, let me know. (I don't want to spoil anything)

This small town, second chance, romance gutted me. Heck within the first few pages I was tearing up. 

Parker, Remy, and Nox have stolen my heart. Balls to the Wall was the first book in the Birch Police Department series, and I cannot wait to see more of these characters in future books. I'm sure I will fall even further for them as they help their friends out (and witness them fall in love).

So what book made the top of my list?

1) Make It Sweet

by Kristen Callihan

Now let me just say, Make It Sweet was my ONLY five star read for the month of February, and that was what helped to push it past Balls to the Wall to take the number one spot.

This love story grabbed me from the beginning. We get to see Emma and Lucian's relationship building, but we also see them grow individually. They are both gaining confidence to get back out there with their careers. The spark that these two have is off the charts.  So much steam in this book. 

The fact that Make It Sweet has a bit of a sports romance thing going on definitely influenced my love of the book, but really it was just Lucian and Emma that sealed the deal. In the beginning we had two hurt people trying to heal. In the end, well, there is love.

January Top 5

Hello my fellow book lovers!

Now that January is officially over, I want to take a moment to take a look back and recap my month. I will also be sharing my top 5 reads for the month, and believe me it was very difficult to make that selection.

Let's start with the stats.

In January, I read:

• 19 books, all of which were e-books
• 5,776 pages
• 8 advanced reader copies 
• 1 library e-book
• 10 books I own and/or purchased

My average rating was 3.95 out of 5.

Speaking of ratings, my breakdown looks like this:

• 3 books received 5 stars
• 12 books were 4 stars
• 4 books were given 3 stars

Not too shabby!

The longest book I read was One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, and it was 424 pages.

The shortest book I read was One Night with the Rebel by Kendall Ryan, and that was 67 pages.

I also read 8 new to me authors! So that's pretty darn amazing.