Welcome to the booky goodness that is My Favourite Reads.

Not so many on my reading list this month, mainly due to the (wonderful) distraction that was the Romance Writers of Australia conference.

I’m having a hard time choosing my favourite read of August. They were all terrific and all very different, but I think I’ll have to go with…

And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic

I loved Emma’s debut Resurrection Bay which featured hearing impaired private investigator Caleb Zelic. It was twisty and surprising, and a total page-turner. And Fire Came Down is book two in what I hope will become a long-running series.

Caleb is such an engaging character. He’s proud – too proud sometimes – and refuses to let his deafness dictate his life. He’s also loyal, clever, and very brave. And he loves fiercely. It’s no wonder I adore him.

Small town Resurrection Bay features again in this complex and often moving crime story about drugs, racism, family and much more, and it’s so well drawn that it’s its own character. As for the other players, they were brilliant too.

Highly recommended.

Executed by RR Hayward

Book 2 in the Extracted trilogy. My thoughts on book 1, Extracted, here.

Another rollicking read that I enjoyed hugely. There’s a lot of humour here, along the fighting, swearing, violence and technology we saw in the first book. To be honest, it does go a bit over the top, but that’s also what made me love it.

I find I’m becoming increasingly partial to these slightly bonkers books. They’re just so entertaining!

Hurry up book 3.

The Desert King’s Captive Bride by Annie West

Ooh, Annie really outdid herself with hero Huseyn. What a man! So rugged, so strong, so rugged… Okay, so I like them a bit rough around the edges but Huseyn is a man of many talents, and this desert warrior knows not only how to ride and fight, he also knows how to work a suit. And take over a kingdom. Fortunately, our heroine Princess Ghizlan is more than a match for him.

I cried in this one. Always a sign of a good romance.

Annie’s new release His Majesty’s Temporary Bride is on my to-be-read pile. Can’t wait!

Sherlock Holmes and the Labyrinth of Death by James Lovegrove

Regular readers will know that I’m a big Sherlock Holmes fan and have read not only all the originals multiple times, but many of the new ones that are out. So far, my favouites have been Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk and Moriarty, but James Lovegrove’s story was an excellent addition to the range, with the riddles and twists you’d expect from a good Sherlock mystery.

It seems the publisher Titan Books has published a whole lot of Sherlock stories. I’ll have to check them out.

Friend Request by Laura Marshall

Domestic thrillers are all the rage currently and I’m a sucker for them too. This one had a great premise – our protagonist Louise receives a Facebook friend request from old school friend Maria. So far, so normal. Happens to all of us. Except Maria is dead, or so everyone believes. But if Maria is alive…

What follows is a high-stakes drama as Louise desperately tries to keep her past secret, her family safe, and her friendships intact, and all while uncovering the mystery of how a dead girl could seemingly come back to life.

Might make you think twice about accepting that next friend request!

What were your favourite reads of August?