October 2023 Reads
In October, I read mostly romance but a few spooky season books as well. Basketball and hockey for the sports romance. The rest of the romance was not sports themed.
reading tracker from @Blythesbookstagram
Book 1: Full Court Press by Sierra Hill
Rating: 3 stars
Review: To be honest this book was eh. I’ve read a decent amount of sports romance books at this point and ones that center on Arizona but this one was so realistic in a sense. Like full on used real places that I know of and it felt so strange reading it all. I don’t know. It was interesting but also just bizarre to me. Hence 3 stars. Overall, the store was typical. ML does something dumb and meets FL. FL does not like ML but he’s all no I’ll make you like me. They fall in love. Oh no TRAUMA rips them apart. and then they get back together.
I don’t recommend this book. It’s just not worth it.
Book 2: Her Savage Defender by S.R. Jones
Rating: 3 stars
Review: A solid 3 at best. The FL is given a body guard because her life is being targeted thanks to her dads job. She suffers from stress and anxiety so obviously we get SPICE since thats a cure. ** Spoiler ** the ML has piercings. Turns out FL actually has a stalker and ML takes it upon himself to make sure she is safe.
I don’t recommend this book. Only interesting points was the spice and that is not enough to read this book.
Book 3: The Puck Secret by G.N. Wright
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This was like any other hockey romance. Personally, I love the enemies to lovers troupe and Madeline and Nova are just chefs kiss and their love is SPICY.
Definitely one I recommend to other hockey romance lovers.
Book 4: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I actually thought I’d really like this book and it’s definitely different from the books I usually read but oh go, it was just not it. It felt too gimmicky being so closely tied to horror movies we know and honestly like the author couldn’t think up his own originality that he had to use those tried and true famous movies. This could have been such a good book but it also felt very predicable from the start and while they tried to make there be some confusion in it all, I don’t know it just was not very well done in my opinion.
I don’t recommend this book. There are better thriller/suspense books than this one.
Book 5: Marked by Him by S.R. Jones
Rating: 5 stars
Review: Also a lover of mafia dark romances, this one I clearly loved since I gave it 5 stars. Nikolai and Sienna and the love story they have starts as spy and employer but turns into protector and wife. This book can be read as a standalone but within the series there are 3 books.
I highly recommend this book.
Book 6: Collide by Bal Khabra
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This hockey romance is about Summer and Aiden. Aiden has puppy dog vibes while Summer has a serious vibe. The dynamic of them being enemies to frenemies to lovers is so cute and well worth the read for any hockey romance lover.
I loved this book so much even though I did not give it a full 5 star that I bought a physical copy of it. Highly recommend it be read.
Book 7: Madame by Sara Cate
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This book centers on Eden St. Claire. It is also the final book in the Salacious Players Club series. I think the story line of MFF was an interesting choice but honestly could have done without it. We already were given a throuple within this series and while I loved that rendition of it, the one on this book felt so lackluster and just not necessary.
I do recommend this book but it was not my favorite within the series.
Book 8: Meet Me in the Penalty Box by Cali Melle
Rating: 3 stars
Review: This hockey book was such a miss to me. I have read many hockey romance books by this author and this one just fell flat. The spice was there but the characters and language they used was just kinda cringe.
If you like hockey romance, this is not really it in my opinion and I do not recommend it.
Book 9: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I am not usually one to read classics but I will once and a while and this one paints a really interesting picture of society and how human beings view themselves. Victor gets so wrapped up in science that creating his monster has no repercussions on him until he’s done. Once his monster is alive he realizes that what he has created would never be accepted and that he in turn should not either. Part of the book then delves into the thoughts and views of the monster itself and how being around the family shapes them. The book ends back in the POV of Victor and basically just wraps up where the monster was in his part of the story.
I do recommend that this book be read at some point in everyones life. It is a very interesting and very thought provoking.
Book 10: Wild About You by Rebecca Jenshak
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This is the second book in the Wildcat Hockey series and is a second chance love. I like that troupe, second chance love. It is fun to read about characters who later in life come back together and are able to fall back in love. The ML in this book is a rookie and all of a sudden has to take his little sister in. The FL just so happens to be a student teacher at the school the little sister starts going to.
I have really enjoyed all the books I have read by Rebecca Jenshak so I do recommend this book, but read the first one before it.
Book 11: Three Swedish Mountain Men by Lily Gold
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I knew going it this was a why choose romance but the level of cringe I felt while reading the book was a lot. The story line of a woman leaving her home and deciding to take some time away in another country only to end up staying with three men at their cabin during blizzards was just like okay here we go, lots of sexy time. But it was just so awkward in my opinion as a reader since it felt so unrealistic.
I do not recommend this book. The spice was spicy but the story itself was just not the vibe.
Book 12: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I enjoyed that this book was from Coriolanus Snow’s point of view. In the Hunger Games series we just see him as a villain because that is what he is, but this book really shows up how he started to become said villainous character. His battle of self understanding and love is interesting to see unfold and how ultimately it is control that wins him over.
I recommend for any fans of the Hunger Games series that have yet too read this and want a deeper understanding of the movie that recently came out (11/17) since the last part of the movie felt very rushed and skipped key context that could have been fit in the movie in my opinion.
Book 13: Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This story jumps back and forth in time from Pamela and Ruth’s perspectives. Pamela’s story starts with her sorority house being under attack and how as the years go by she and others try to put away the killer. Ruth’s story is more a history of everything that lead to her death and how those affected are still to this day trying to find her body.
I think this book is fine but I personally do not think it is worth the read if you like suspense/thriller books. It just is kind of lack luster.
Book 14: If We Ever Meet Again by Ana Huang
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I wanted to scream because of this book. Like it was cute but oh my lord I hate it so much when the prologue is a jump in time forward because then the entire rest of the time I am just waiting for that part of the story to come. Personally that is something that ruins a book for me. I would just rather the prologues of books be of things that are in the past, not the future. I do think the story itself of two people finding love while in a study abroad program is adorable, I just think there are probably better versions of this out there.
I don’t recommend this book. It just is not the vibe for romance ones.
I hope you enjoyed my takes on the books I read during the month of October. I find it fun to read and if I can share what I like and dislike within books to help others decide if it is worth their time to read them as well, I am happy to do so.