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I didn’t read nearly so many books in September, because I remembered my love for audiobooks, and got the audio versions of some of my favorite. A book I can read in four or five hours takes ten to listen to, which slows me right down. Also, I got back to writing this month. Not a ton, but more than I have in ages, and it’s been nice to spend time with that. I did find some good books last month though, in addition to getting almost to read again for the first time some old friends, because I read way too fast, so audio is a whole new thing.
Books I read for the first time:
Priddy’s Tale by Harper Fox
I was really not sure about this book when I started it, and actually started it three times before it stuck. It has a very depressing opening and then kind of an odd lonely feeling after that, and I wasn’t really feeling it. But once I was in the right mood, it was oddly amazing. If you’re horrified by cross-species sex it’s probably not your thing, because there’s definite human/merman sex. Works for me tho :D It was one of those books that I loved most after I got to the end of it, which I prefer over liking it while I’m reading it and then the ending of it makes me :/ I am not sure I’d say it’s for everyone, but if the summary doesn’t put you off, give it a try.
The Deeper he Hurts by Lynda Aicher
I love this series and can’t wait for the next one to come out. The characters in this are both quite manly-manly, and it has that OMG tension where you want them to just admit how much they love each other already. I like the found family aspect, and the continuation of the story from the first book, and it has more of a depth of character than a lot of the books I read.
Starstruck by LA Witt
This is the original Bluewater Bay book, as far as I can tell. I liked the characters, and it has a good sense of the area (which I know because I read it just before my trip to the ocean near Forks)
How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles
I was NOT sure about one of the MCs in this at first, as when he was dating (or trying to date) women, he was a massive jerk. However, all his friends were like N O P E, and he fairly quickly understands the error of his ways. The sex is super hot, and I really liked the journeys the MCs took, both in themselves and with each other. Plus, I liked the writing style.
Hot Head by Damon Suede
This book was STUPIDLY hot to me. Such id fic. It’s got pining and BFFs (who grew up together from HS and are almost like brothers) to lovers, and firefighters moonlighting as camboys, and sooooooooooo much pining. It does have multiple references to 9/11 because the characters are NYFD, so be aware if that’s triggering or bothering to you. It’s also got some LOL words for male genitalia, in a very written-by-a-cis-dude stylie.
Pent Up by Damon Suede
I did my usual get more by the same author thing when Hot Head was so fire emoji, and from that standpoint was pretty disappointed by this. My ____-difference kink doesn’t really extend to wealth-difference, and I found the MCs kind of hard to relate to. It had a mystery at the core, with, imo, kind of a weird ending, and there was a fair amount of crime-genre appropriate violence. I can’t say it wasn’t a good book, but idt it was a particularly good book for me.
Caught Running by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
I wanted to like this so badly. I loved the military boys books they wrote together, and I’ve loved lots of Abigail Roux’s other books. But I couldn’t even finish it. I usually don’t count books I DNF, but I read 60+%, and I tried so hard. It’s about a history teacher and a HS coach who went to HS together themselves, and then get put together coaching baseball, and it’s PACKED with not only “the coach” and “the history teacher” instead of their names, the other characters are the dark haired one etc. The tension is a mess, and it meanders from POV to POV. Just say no.
Green but for a Season by CS Pacat
If you have not read the Captive Prince books, this is not the place to start, and if you have, you have probably already read this. As usual, MY HEART.
Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
This is a sweet f/f college story that I really enjoyed. It’s the third in a series, but I didn’t feel at all like I was missing things having skipped them. The m/f couples from the first two books are good friends of the girls in this book, and it works just fine that now they are happy couples. I don’t really care how they got there. The MCs are a lesbian from a conservative family, and a non-monogamous, pan(I think she id’d as pan anyway? It’s been a while) girl. I thought the author did a good job of exploring negotiating the different experiences and desires that came from that without shaming or looking down on any kind of way of living your life.
Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton
I loved this so much I read it way too fast because I couldn’t wait to get to what was going to happen next. I’m sure I missed loads that way. Childhood BFFs who haven’t seen each other in years and tiny Welsh village life, and lesbians and family and broken hearts mended and a;lsdkfjls;df. I desperately want an audiobook, but there isn’t one. I’ll have to work on reading it slowly all by myself. I also want the BBC series. And a movie. Give me all the lesbians, basically.
Where we Left Off by Roan Parrish
The third in the Middle of Somewhere books. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for it, even though it wasn’t that long. I loved living through Leo’s life as a college freshman in NYC having come from a tiny town where everyone knows everyone else, and his balancing that with his obsession with Will and Will’s determination to not try to be anyone’s boyfriend. There was a bit of Rex and Daniel, but mostly this is Leo’s story. I love Leo, and also college stories, so this was fine with me, as much as I’d read ten million more words about Daniel and Rex.
Knit Tight by Annabeth Albert
This is one of the Portland Heat books, number 4 apparently, though it is the first one I read as my library didn’t indicate there was an order so I’ve been reading them as they came off hold. That doesn’t seem to be a problem. It is interesting in that one of the MCs is bi, and the other is bi-phobic, and it actually deals with that. It has great family stuff, and found family and community, and the struggle of trying to raise your little siblings when you’re wanting to be young free and single. Warnings for parental death and cancer.
Books I listened to on audiobook:
A Fashionable Indulgence, A Seditious Affair, and A Gentleman’s Position by KJ Charles
I largely very much enjoyed the audio books of this series. The voice actor chose to give Ash a (to me) very strange and super off-putting lisp, and I found myself grateful there wasn’t more of Lord Gabriel. Which is not exactly my usual when reading these books. On the other hand, it was almost like getting to read the whole series again for the first time, which was WONDERFUL. It’s a power I always wish I had, and this isn’t an awful approximation of that power. I also very much loved getting to ‘read’ two books at once, one on my commutes and while doing chores, and the other all cozied up in my bed. My new plan is to do as many of my re-reads as possible on audio.
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
This again, was like getting to re-read the book for the first time. I really liked the voice actor, and I thought he did a good job of capturing both the vulnerability and the facade of brusqueness of Daniel. He also did a good job of reading the sex scenes, keeping the heat from the written word. I loved listening to this book, and look forward to listening to it again.
Books I read for the first time:
Priddy’s Tale by Harper Fox
I was really not sure about this book when I started it, and actually started it three times before it stuck. It has a very depressing opening and then kind of an odd lonely feeling after that, and I wasn’t really feeling it. But once I was in the right mood, it was oddly amazing. If you’re horrified by cross-species sex it’s probably not your thing, because there’s definite human/merman sex. Works for me tho :D It was one of those books that I loved most after I got to the end of it, which I prefer over liking it while I’m reading it and then the ending of it makes me :/ I am not sure I’d say it’s for everyone, but if the summary doesn’t put you off, give it a try.
The Deeper he Hurts by Lynda Aicher
I love this series and can’t wait for the next one to come out. The characters in this are both quite manly-manly, and it has that OMG tension where you want them to just admit how much they love each other already. I like the found family aspect, and the continuation of the story from the first book, and it has more of a depth of character than a lot of the books I read.
Starstruck by LA Witt
This is the original Bluewater Bay book, as far as I can tell. I liked the characters, and it has a good sense of the area (which I know because I read it just before my trip to the ocean near Forks)
How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles
I was NOT sure about one of the MCs in this at first, as when he was dating (or trying to date) women, he was a massive jerk. However, all his friends were like N O P E, and he fairly quickly understands the error of his ways. The sex is super hot, and I really liked the journeys the MCs took, both in themselves and with each other. Plus, I liked the writing style.
Hot Head by Damon Suede
This book was STUPIDLY hot to me. Such id fic. It’s got pining and BFFs (who grew up together from HS and are almost like brothers) to lovers, and firefighters moonlighting as camboys, and sooooooooooo much pining. It does have multiple references to 9/11 because the characters are NYFD, so be aware if that’s triggering or bothering to you. It’s also got some LOL words for male genitalia, in a very written-by-a-cis-dude stylie.
Pent Up by Damon Suede
I did my usual get more by the same author thing when Hot Head was so fire emoji, and from that standpoint was pretty disappointed by this. My ____-difference kink doesn’t really extend to wealth-difference, and I found the MCs kind of hard to relate to. It had a mystery at the core, with, imo, kind of a weird ending, and there was a fair amount of crime-genre appropriate violence. I can’t say it wasn’t a good book, but idt it was a particularly good book for me.
Caught Running by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
I wanted to like this so badly. I loved the military boys books they wrote together, and I’ve loved lots of Abigail Roux’s other books. But I couldn’t even finish it. I usually don’t count books I DNF, but I read 60+%, and I tried so hard. It’s about a history teacher and a HS coach who went to HS together themselves, and then get put together coaching baseball, and it’s PACKED with not only “the coach” and “the history teacher” instead of their names, the other characters are the dark haired one etc. The tension is a mess, and it meanders from POV to POV. Just say no.
Green but for a Season by CS Pacat
If you have not read the Captive Prince books, this is not the place to start, and if you have, you have probably already read this. As usual, MY HEART.
Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
This is a sweet f/f college story that I really enjoyed. It’s the third in a series, but I didn’t feel at all like I was missing things having skipped them. The m/f couples from the first two books are good friends of the girls in this book, and it works just fine that now they are happy couples. I don’t really care how they got there. The MCs are a lesbian from a conservative family, and a non-monogamous, pan(I think she id’d as pan anyway? It’s been a while) girl. I thought the author did a good job of exploring negotiating the different experiences and desires that came from that without shaming or looking down on any kind of way of living your life.
Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton
I loved this so much I read it way too fast because I couldn’t wait to get to what was going to happen next. I’m sure I missed loads that way. Childhood BFFs who haven’t seen each other in years and tiny Welsh village life, and lesbians and family and broken hearts mended and a;lsdkfjls;df. I desperately want an audiobook, but there isn’t one. I’ll have to work on reading it slowly all by myself. I also want the BBC series. And a movie. Give me all the lesbians, basically.
Where we Left Off by Roan Parrish
The third in the Middle of Somewhere books. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for it, even though it wasn’t that long. I loved living through Leo’s life as a college freshman in NYC having come from a tiny town where everyone knows everyone else, and his balancing that with his obsession with Will and Will’s determination to not try to be anyone’s boyfriend. There was a bit of Rex and Daniel, but mostly this is Leo’s story. I love Leo, and also college stories, so this was fine with me, as much as I’d read ten million more words about Daniel and Rex.
Knit Tight by Annabeth Albert
This is one of the Portland Heat books, number 4 apparently, though it is the first one I read as my library didn’t indicate there was an order so I’ve been reading them as they came off hold. That doesn’t seem to be a problem. It is interesting in that one of the MCs is bi, and the other is bi-phobic, and it actually deals with that. It has great family stuff, and found family and community, and the struggle of trying to raise your little siblings when you’re wanting to be young free and single. Warnings for parental death and cancer.
Books I listened to on audiobook:
A Fashionable Indulgence, A Seditious Affair, and A Gentleman’s Position by KJ Charles
I largely very much enjoyed the audio books of this series. The voice actor chose to give Ash a (to me) very strange and super off-putting lisp, and I found myself grateful there wasn’t more of Lord Gabriel. Which is not exactly my usual when reading these books. On the other hand, it was almost like getting to read the whole series again for the first time, which was WONDERFUL. It’s a power I always wish I had, and this isn’t an awful approximation of that power. I also very much loved getting to ‘read’ two books at once, one on my commutes and while doing chores, and the other all cozied up in my bed. My new plan is to do as many of my re-reads as possible on audio.
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish
This again, was like getting to re-read the book for the first time. I really liked the voice actor, and I thought he did a good job of capturing both the vulnerability and the facade of brusqueness of Daniel. He also did a good job of reading the sex scenes, keeping the heat from the written word. I loved listening to this book, and look forward to listening to it again.
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