Summer Reading Wrap-up
Since summer doesn’t technically end until September 22, I gave myself more time to finish my summer reading. The breakdown of genre is pretty typical for me—lots of fantasy and romance. I did manage to thrown in a couple of historical mysteries, which I prefer over contemporary mystery. So, here’s the alphabetical list because I forgot to record the date I finished each one. D'oh.
A School for Brides by Patrice Kindl—YA historical romance/Regency
A Spark Unseen (The Dark Unwinding #2) by Sharon Cameron—YA gothic steampunk romance
Big Girls Need Love Too: A Novel by Aubrey Gross—contemporary romance
Charm and Consequence (Snark and Circumstance #2) by Stephanie Wardrop—YA contemporary romance
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers—YA historical fantasy
Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige—YA fantasy
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers—YA historical fantasy
Hunting Shadows (Inspector Ian Rutledge #14) by Charles Todd—historical mystery
Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3) by Robin LaFevers—YA historical fantasy
Murder in Murray Hill (Gaslight Mystery #16) by Victoria Thompson—historical mystery
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love by the Numbers #1) by Sarah MacLean—historical romance
Nobody’s Goddess (Never Veil #1) by Amy McNulty—YA fantasy
Pride and Prep School (Snark and Circumstance #3) by Stephanie Wardrop—YA contemporary romance
Prudence (The Custard Protocol #1) by Gail Carriger—steampunk
Sixty Acres and a Bride (Ladies of Caldwell County #1) by Regina Jennings—inspirational historical romance
Snark and Circumstance #1 by Stephanie Wardrop—YA contemporary romance
The Artisans (The Artisans #1) by Julie Reece—YA Southern gothic/fairytale retelling
The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending #1) by Rachel Harris—YA contemporary romance
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer—Regency romance
The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson—YA fantasy
The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12) by Lauren Willig—historical romance
The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla (Pink Carnation #11) by Lauren Willig—historical romance
The Passion of the Purple Plumeria (Pink Carnation #10) by Lauren Willig—historical romance
The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham—YA steampunk romance
To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer—inspirational historical romance
Undeniably Yours (Porter Family #1) by Becky Wade—inspirational romance
What Happens in Scotland (Second Sons #1) by Jennifer McQuiston—historical romance
So which was my favorite? There are some fabulous books here that I really enjoyed reading. My sentimental favorite was the finale of Lauren Willig’s historical romance series of aristocratic spies, The Lure of the Moonflower, because I’ve been reading that series for over ten years. The ending was absolutely perfect!
Overall, though, my favorite reads of the summer were the three books of Robin LaFevers’s His Fair Assassin series. (This is the advantage of waiting until an entire series is out before you start reading it.) There was the setting of medieval France, plenty of action, political intrigue, assassin nuns, and just the right amount of romance. Plus, each of the heroines had a lot to overcome because of the emotional and physical scarring of their pasts, and yet they succeeded. And of the three books, I liked the middle one, Dark Triumph, the best.
So that’s it. Are there any of your favorites here? Putting this list together was so fun that I plan to do the same thing with the books I read this Fall. Stay tuned…