My Favourite Reads banner 2020

Welcome to the bookish goodness that is My Favourite Reads.

I had a blast with the books I read in July. Lots of romance this month, in particular historical romance, and only one DNF (did not finish) which I suspect was a mood thing.

There were so many titles deserving of my favourite read status that I decided not to choose a standout. I know… fence-sitting. But sometimes selecting a favourite is just too hard!

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The Kiss Quotient by Helen HoangThe Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Oh, this book! The Kiss Quotient has been floating around my Kindle library for a while now. I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to get to it but I wish I’d done so sooner because it was absolutely gorgeous.

Hot too. There’s plenty of steamy sex in The Kiss Quotient and it’s nicely done. But the romance is what did it for me. The relationship between Stella and Michael was completely swoonworthy. He was so kind too, and I’m a terrible sucker for kind heroes.

Lovely, happy-making romance.

The Highlanders English Bride by Anna CampbellThe Highlander’s English Bride by Anna Campbell

I’ve been a bit behind with my Anna Campbell reading, so imagine my surprise when I opened The Highlander’s English Bride and found that Anna had dedicated the book to me. Isn’t that the loveliest thing?

Even better? It’s a truly wonderful read! I loved The Highlander’s English Bride so much I kept highlighting my favourite bits and sending them to Anna to let her know how much pleasure it was bringing me.

What a perfect read to have dedicated to me. Thank you, Anna!

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis GravesThe Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

I really enjoyed this story about a high-functioning autistic girl who’s found her place in the world through hard work and sacrifice, and the man who loved and lost her. The Girl He Used to Know swaps between ‘before’ – set in the early 90s – and ‘after’ – set in the early 2000s, which added to the drama and tension. No iPhones!

The end had me fretful I was going to be cheated of my happily ever after, but The Girl He Used to Know stayed true to romance and left me with a happy sigh.

Highly recommended. I had teary moments!

Marry in Haste by Anne GracieMarry in Haste by Anne Gracie

I’ve been hanging out to read Annie Gracie’s new Convenient Marriage series. After reading Marry in Haste I wish I’d started it sooner because it was absolutely adorable. Full of the humour and spark so typical of an Anne Gracie romance, Marry in Haste rollicked along. Best bits? The wonderful characters – especially our delicious hero, Cal and his convenient wife, Emm – but I also loved Aunt Dottie and Aunt Agatha, and I can’t wait to read more about our hero Cal’s sisters and niece.

I was also delighted to see a cameo from Daisy Chance from The Summer Bride (the Chance Sisters Series). That made me smile.

Marry in Scandal is already on my bookshelf!

Mindf-ck by Christopher WylieMindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break the World by Christopher Wylie

I really shouldn’t read these kinds of books. They’re too bloody scary. Give me a horror novel any day. At least they’re not real. Mindf*ck was real and terrifying and made me want to delete every social media account I own, and wipe most of my electronic gadgets while I was at it.

Mindf*ck is about the Cambridge Analytica debacle and the extraordinary mischief they got up to, written by the whistleblower who brought this mess to public light. Amoral and disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe CA.

Not for the fainthearted.

Year One by Nora RobertsYear One by Nora Roberts

With a premise of the world going into meltdown after a virus wreaks havoc, Year One was perhaps not the smartest reading for 2020. I enjoyed it though. A lot. Roberts made me care about the characters and had me barracking for them to get through. And the baddies were nicely nutso bad.

This is book one in The Chronicles of the One trilogy. So a good story but I’ll have to read books two and three for resolution.

Ninth House by Leigh BardugoNinth House by Leigh Bardugo

Honestly, this author can do no wrong in my eyes. Leigh Bardugo is awesome. I see Ninth House has been described as her first adult novel, but I always felt her others were very adult anyway. But yes, this was definitely adult.

Terrific characters. Galaxy – Alex – was brilliant and I adored Darlington, and the worldbuilding was fantastic. Lots of magic and mystery and privileged college kids with access to too much power getting up to no good.

Ooh, I’ve just noticed on Goodreads that Ninth House is being described as Alex Stern #1. It sounds like there’s a follow on book coming. Yeah, baby!

The Other People by CJ TudorThe Other People by CJ Tudor

I made CJ Tudor an auto buy author after reading her first book, The Chalk Man which I thought was extraordinary. I adored The Taking of Annie Thorne too and The Other People follows her trend of excellent thrillers.

Completely gripping, The Other People opens with protagonist Gabe experiencing something horrifying and unbelievable. From that moment on, he’s on a mission.

Although very different books, with its payback type theme The Other People did remind me a little of Adrian McKinty’s The Chain, which I loved too. I think I liked this one better because of Gabe. He was a great character.

Claiming His Out of Bounds Bride by Annie WestClaiming His Out-of-Bounds Bride by Annie West

Another hugely enjoyable romance from Annie West. As with all her books, Claiming His Out-of-Bounds Bride starts off with an emotional bang and doesn’t stop.

Poor Olivia is jilted on the eve of her wedding. When her fiancé’s brother Alessandro proposes he take the part of groom, she has little choice but accept. Too much rides on this merger of dynasties. So… jilted and marriage of convenience tropes, smart, hard-working heroine, smouldery sexy hero… a girl could melt into a puddle of mush from that much sigh-worthiness.

Oh, and it’s partly set in Venice. Swoon!

The Maids Secret by Emily OrganThe Maid’s Secret by Emily Organ

The Maid’s Secret is book three in the Penny Green series and another fab read. These books are fun historical mysteries with characters I like being with and a hint of (impossible) romance to tug at my heartstrings. I particularly like that Penny is a journalist in a time when there were very few females in the trade.

I’m going to buy the boxed set of the next three.

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What books have tickled your fancy lately?

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