It’s been a hot minute since I last posted something so I thought why not update you all on what I’ve spent July reading…
It’s been a busy month for me personally so I am genuinely surprised at how much reading I’ve managed to squeeze in between my 30th birthday celebrations and wedding planning.
If any of the books catch your eye, click on the image and view it on Amazon
Let’s just jump straight into What I Read In July…
Did I Kill You?
I listened to this audiobook while I worked on all of your lovely orders. Whilst it was entertaining, I found it somewhat predictable and felt as though it dragged on.
Definitely an easy listen/read for those that just want something to pass the time by with.
The monster never stops, and it’ll never stop…coming for her.
At fifteen, Iris Sinclair was always the more outgoing of the twins. That’s how she convinced her more reserved sister to sneak out for a Halloween party.
She can’t ever forget…
She ditched her sister on the side of the road when she refused to stay in the car while the other kids smoked pot. Except it was laced with PCP. Later, high on the drugs, Iris went back, and found her sister… Dead.
They never found the killer. Just a Jack O’Lantern near her sister’s head.
It’s affected her all these years and it was enough to drive her to become a NYPD detective. But when her parents are killed, Iris finds herself returning to the estate she grew up on, and she quickly realizes one thing.
The killer that was never found is ready to finish the job. The question is…is it her?
Credence
This was a really tricky one for me. I started it at the beginning of the year. Picked it back up and I can’t say I loved it, but I can’t say I hated it.
It was slower than I was expecting and very tame in terms of Dark Romance. It’s more of a taboo romance so I was rather disappointed as I had high expectations going in. The writing was enjoyable and the plot was okay…
Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue in this steamy dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, now with bonus material.
Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. And when her parents suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But she’s always been alone, hasn’t she?
Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan. Sent to live in the mountains of Colorado with Jake and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, Tiernan quickly learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore.
As the men take Tiernan under their wing, she slowly finds her place among them.
Because lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.
One of them has her. The other one wants her. But he’s going to keep her.
The Puppet Master
This is the third in the Major Crimes Series by Sam Holland so I recommend you read the others in the series first as it does refer to the past books throughout.
I found The Puppet Master to be enjoyable but a let down! It wasn’t as gripping as the previous two and I found it to be a lot tamer, little gore and action.
Massive thankyou to Dani for gifting me this
He watches your every move
We’ve all experienced it. That creeping sensation of eyes on your back, the faint echo of footsteps following yours.
He controls you
Across the country, a madman is carefully choosing his victims. Once he has you in his sights, he won’t let go.
He will make you pay
You think you’re in control of your own life? Think again. Because The Puppet Master is coming for you, and he won’t stop until you’re dead…
That's not my name
Whilst being a Young Adult read, I found this fully enjoyable. Packed with mystery, suspense and eerie tones. Definitely recommend this for a late Autumn read.
Thankyou Emily for gifting me this – you would love this!
She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. A gripping debut thriller perfect for fans of Natalie D. Richards and Vincent Ralph.
It was a mistake to trust him.
Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos.
He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.
When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it’s too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.
Listen For The Lie
Perfect for fans of A Good Girls Guide To Murder. Highly recommend the Audiobook as it goes so well with the story following a long with a podcast.
I found this the perfect listen while I was working as it had me gripped and wanting to know what happened. Didn’t see the twist coming.
Special shoutout to the Grandma, she was an amazing character.
Am I a murderer? You tell me . . .
My name is Lucy Chase, but you already know that. Yes, I’m the woman who doesn’t remember murdering her best friend.
You probably think I did it, too. I get it. Being found covered in her blood doesn’t exactly scream ‘innocent’.
Look, I’m as frustrated as you. I’d love to know if I’m a murderer – it’s something you really should know about yourself, right?
And now, thanks to true-crime podcast Listen for the Lie, I could finally have my answer. But how will I live with myself if it was me?
And if I didn’t kill her, then who the hell did?
The Serpent and the Wings Of Night
This was a highly anticipated read of mine for this year, and I am beyond grateful that it held up to my expectations.
I absolutely loved the plot, the slow burn romance, the magic and the VAMPIRES! I have been looking for a fantasy book with vampires for such a long time and this one was perfect.
If you love The Hunger Games but love a magical fantasy twist, give this a go.
Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.
The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.
But winning won’t be easy, pitting Oraya against the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, she will be forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.
Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown – and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.
But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari – and nothing more deadly than love . . .
The ashes And The Star-Cursed King
The sequel to The Serpent and the Wings Of Night was a brilliant end to the duology, however, I was less invested in the plot this time round. Whilst still fantastic, for me it lacked the risk element that was so much fun in the first instalment.
That being said, I did listen to this during a rather busy couple of days so I did zone out a little so if I were to re-read this I think I would love it more.
Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.
In the wake of the bloody tournament known as the Kejari, Oraya is now a prisoner in her own kingdom and grieving the only family she ever had. She’s left with only one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn, the vampire who betrayed her.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood has dug their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom – and seeking her revenge against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness an ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.
With enemies closing in on all sides, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall . . .
Butcher & Blackbird
This was so much fun. I’ll admit I soft DNF’d (did not finish) this earlier in the year as I wasn’t in the mood for it. But this time round I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think personally, I could have done without the romance and had it more gory but the romance refreshed the story and added a different level of risk to a serial killer plot.
Even serial killers deserve a meet-cute.
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive – the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers.
Stalking across the country, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
But as their friendship develops into something deeper, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their new-found romance.
Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?
The Perfect Marriage
The Perfect Marriage was so gripping and entertaining. I was a little uncertain on plot as I thought it may bore me, but a lot of it was out of the court room and solving the case/ proving the husband didn’t commit the murder.
The only let down was the end for me personally, I just didn’t like the open ended-ness it was left on.
Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?
Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.
The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.
Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.
Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.
Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.
But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?
Camp 1985
This was kindly sent to me as part of a book tour hosted by the amazing Pride Book Tours
I am all for a 80’s camp slasher plot – can this please be a sub genre, I will read and love them all !
This of course, I loved. With a fresh twist on the classic, we see a group of Social Media Influencers enter a 80’s camp without any technology. That’s horrific enough right? Nope, let’s throw in some murder, some ghosts and a lot of 80’s references. So much fun.
You can find my full review of this book over on @chris.reads.books on the 29th July
Enter the nostalgia-laced world of CAMP 1985, A bogus new summer program where parents send their social-media-addicted teens to unplug and make face-to-face connections without the help of a screen.
Ander expects a fun weekend getaway with other influencers but instead finds himself trapped in a radical landscape without wifi. Just when Ander gives in to camp life and starts crushing on a cute gamer boy, a little fun with a spirit board unleashes a vengeful spirit of a bygone era.
Now, with danger lurking behind every tree, Ander and his fellow campers must navigate a twisted game of survival against a retro evil determined to off them one by one.
Who will survive?
Brace yourself for a bloody good time in the first of seven books in Matthew R. Corr’s Slasherverse!
Have you read any of these?
Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these or are planning to in the near future.
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2 thoughts on “What I Read In July”
What a fabulous wrap up! A few more to add to the tbr I think 👀
Oooh, please let me know which you end up reading.