firewhiskeyreader

I used to be so good about getting these things up on time and now I’m just a hot mess. I’d apologize, but I feel like it would be disingenuous because there’s such a slim chance I’ll be fixing this particular flaw. Anyway, let’s hop to it.

Hot Target by Suzanne Brockmann

This one was interesting because it continued the trend of being with the Troubleshooters rather than the SEALs, but also because the plot here is that the Troubleshooters need to provide private security for this Hollywood producer and Cosmo is tapped to be one of Jane’s bodyguards. I really did enjoy this installment, but my main takeaway from it was Robin and Jules meeting. This stoked my excitement for Jules to star is his own book exponentially!

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

I feel like I’ve talked about this book and this series an excessive amount so all I’ll say is that I love this book a whole lot and I CANNOT wait for Sapphire Flames. Was any of that new information? I didn’t think so.

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Can I just read everything TJR has ever written like right now? I adore her writing style and I adore her character development. This book follows alternate timelines based on one choice that Hannah makes and talks a lot about the idea of fate and what’s meant to be or what isn’t. I really, really enjoyed this one and I think here soon, I’ll likely be calling TJR a favorite author. (Should I already be? Maybe.)

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

Despite the cute cover, this book is not the casual, light fluffy rom com many people went in expecting. Fortunately, I had seen enough reviews that I knew to adjust my expectations going it and I have to say, I really liked this one. It wasn’t quite perfect, but I really enjoyed the awkward meet cute to friends to enemies to lovers dynamic explored here. Some of it was absolutely too cliche and like, law school was not this cut throat for me, but I know Carolina intentionally fosters an environment where a lot of that overt competitiveness is frowned upon. (We’re in the South, so all cut throat-ness needs to be understated and subtle with a veneer of civility at all times, obvs. I say that, but like, I loved my time at Carolina and had ZERO people sabotage me.)

Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann

I’ve talked a lot about the Troubleshooters series and I mentioned this book as one I was especially looking forward to because my precious Max and Gina finally get their HEA in this one and… I really loved it! My one complaint is that Gina and Max aren’t actually on page together enough in this one, except in flashbacks until like…. halfway? or more? into the story. But even so, I love Gina. I love Max. Max is a bit slow on the uptake as far as feelings go, but he got there and I loved it.

Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann

Um… This was something. This installment of the Troubleshooters series is a little different because it’s a team up between the Troubleshooters and SEAL Team 16 for a training exercise and also the hero is like convinced that he’s in love with Tracy Shapiro (who is not the heroine). Meanwhile, Dave is in love with Sophia who is in love with Decker who is still feeling so much guilt about The Pit that it’s all this really tangled mess. Also everyone loves Sophia so that’s a thing. AND I’m upset because in the background, there are apparently problems between Nash and Tess and that’s just wildly unacceptable to me. (Even though it makes sense.) Oh and did I mention that Tracy is annoying af? And also I couldn’t remember Jenk OR Lindsey’s name when I started writing this, so in other words, this is not the strongest in the series by a long shot.

Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockmann

Everything about this book was incredible!! Okay, so actually I was way more invested in Robin and Jules than in Ric and Annie, but I really did enjoy every aspect of this book. But Jules and Robin??? Hello!!! The content we deserve. My precious babies deserve all good things and I was thrilled about all of this. However CW for outing of a character’s sexuality.

Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter

I really enjoyed this fairly new paranormal romance. I described it to Dani of Dani’s Bookshelf as Percy Jackson for adults, but it’s more violent and less funny. However, the romance is also more adult so all things considered, I’ll take the trade offs, I think. I’m glad I picked it as my book to continue after the Try a Chapter Tag I did. I am now very invested in book two!

Teach Me by Olivia Dade

Y’all. This book caught me off guard with how much I loved it! You know how a lot of people love Rafe because it’s so soft? Teach Me is my perfect level of soft because it has angst throughout, but you feel safe the whole time? I don’t really know how to articulate what I mean, but know that this book is wonderful in every way. And!! It has a prom scene because our leads, Martin and Rose, are teachers who have to chaperone. I loved this book so much. I highly recommend it. (Oh and I got this as an ARC from Netgalley and then didn’t read it before it’s release because I’m the worst!)

Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh

I love Nalini Singh, which is not a secret, and I’ve been wanting to re-read Cherish Hard for a while because of how much I love Rock Hard and read it all the time. Plus, we’ll be getting a new book in the series soon-ish, and I am very, VERY excited! Anyway, I really enjoyed this book again, obviously. It’s about Sailor and Isa. Sailor is the brother who doesn’t play rugby professionally because he wanted to be a landscape architect kind of person. Isa is an English teacher, but she’s also an heiress and her mom essentially blackmails her into spending the summer as the VP of her company. Both of them are really invested in their family and Isa also has her best friend, Nayna, who gets her own book! (That book is Rebel Hard and it’s WONDERFUL.) I’m not describing this book well at all, but I really love it so I highly recommend.

Good Guy by Kate Meader

I really enjoyed this start to a new series that’s a spinoff of the Chicago Rebels series and really appreciated Netgalley and the publisher granting me early access to this one. The Chicago Rebels are a bit of an unconventional hockey team, so it’s no surprise that the Rebels have pulled an unconventional player from the minor leagues. Levi Hunt is a former Green Beret and hasn’t played hockey since his college days really. This makes him quite the hot commodity and every press organization wants a piece of him. Enter Jordan, a reporter and also the widow of Levi’s partner (Josh) in the Green Berets. Jordan is convinced that Levi hates her and is not convinced her connection to him is actually going to be helpful. Of course, Levi has actually been in love with her since he first saw her–the same night she and Josh met.  I really liked this one and I’m really excited for what I hope is the next book in the series. This book made me want to dive into Kate Meader’s backlist, actually!

And finally we have reached the end of my reading in the first half of July, thank goodness. It is actually difficult to choose my favorite non-re-read book of the first half of the month, between Force of Nature, Breaking Point, and Maybe in Another Life. I highly recommend all three of those! What was your favorite of the first half of July?

xx