Welcome to the July instalment of My Favourite Reads.

Another excellent reading month with every book keeping me enthralled. I had a lovely Anna Campbell binge, catching up on her Dashing Widows series, and caved in to my young adult fantasy series obsession which made me very happy and wanting more. But there was also crime, horror and a terrific rural romance.

As to my favourite read… sooooo hard! Kylie Scott’s new release Trust was brilliant and I really enjoyed book 2 in Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands series, but I just LOVED…

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

Book 3 in the Great Library series.

I thought the first two books in this series were awesome (find my thoughts on those two here) but this one… wow. I devoured this story.

I love how Rachel manages to make everything go from bad to diabolical but still hooks me with a glimmer of hope that things might work out. That hope comes from the characters, who are compelling, clever, brave and, in the case of Jess, totally swoonworthy. It might be cradle-snatching on my behalf but I don’t care. He is my bookboyfriend. I love him.

This series makes me want to read everything Rachel Caine has written but if I did that I’d never have the time to catch up with my other bookloves, like…

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

Ah, this series, I do adore it so. Magic and myth, vivid landscapes, monsters (both human and fantastical), trickery and warcraft, and a brave band of friends fighting for freedom.

There’s action a-plenty, along with a lovely dose of romance. But now I’ve succumbed and read book 2 instead of waiting like I’d planned, I must wait MONTHS until book 3 hits shelves. Gah!

If you’re interested in this young adult fantasy series, you’ll find what I said about book one, Rebel of the Sands, here.

Pursuing Lord Pascal, Charming Sir Charles and Catching Captain Nash by Anna Campbell

Somehow I managed to get behind in my Anna Campbell reading (nothing to do with my YA fantasy obsession… much) but last month I made up for it by catching up on books 4-6 in her terrific Dashing Widows series.

Anna’s wonderfully romantic historicals always leave me feeling warm-hearted (and occasionally teary, but in a nice way) and it was great to catch up on how other characters from previous books are faring, too. Lovely reads and only 99 cents each.

Actually, if you’re quick, you can grab The Seduction of Lord Stone, Dashing Widows Book 1, for FREE at amazon.com, Kobo, iBooks and Barnes and Noble. Hurry though, limited time only.

The Horseman by Charlotte Nash

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book at the Australian Romance Readers Convention back in February and I’m so pleased I did. This was a wonderful, wonderful story. Beautiful setting, great characters and a suspenseful and romantic plot that will keep you riveted.

As for the horseman of the title, Craig Monroe … oh yeah!

Highly recommended.

Webcam by Jack Kilborn (JA Konrath)

Another superfast-paced techno-thriller horror from Kilborn, featuring Tom Mankowski who I first encountered in The List (which I talked about in this My Favourite Reads) and Haunted House (more in this My Favourite Reads).

I think I’ve already mentioned how brilliantly bonkers these books are. Yeah, they may not be everyone’s idea of fun – they’re pretty gory – but they’re sure mine!

Trust by Kylie Scott

My second favourite read of the month. I dare you start this young adult romance and not get hooked.

The opening is tense, frightening and had me whizzing through the pages, but it’s the aftermath and how the characters deal with it, along with the friendships and family relationships, that stays with me.

The heroine and voice of the story is Edie and I fell in love with her from the beginning. She’s smart, attractive and plagued with not only the usual teenage hangups, but by the trauma she experienced in the book’s opening. It’s how she handles that which makes her special.

Loved it.

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

Regular readers will know how much I raved about Fox’s Hades series (find my thoughts on Fall here) so picking up Crimson Lake was a no-brainer.

Talk about an interesting hero. Detective Ted Conkaffey is accused of the rape of a young girl, spends months in prison on remand, but is ultimately never convicted. His career and marriage over, his existence in Sydney untenable, Ted escapes to the tropics and Crimson Lake where falls into working with private investigator, and equally damaged soul, Amanda Pharrell.

A claustrophobic setting, with excellent characters, plenty of intrigue and the kind of menace that I’ve come to expect from a Candice Fox book, and what looks like an ongoing mystery to be solved. Hopefully the start of a new series!

What were your favourite reads of July?