Buckle up, this is a long one!

Stats

I’m bring back the stats! Just not the pie charts – they’re a pain to make every month 😅

Books Read: 26
Pages Read: 7320 (+ a novella without a page count)

Romance: 18
Fantasy: 1
Science Fiction: 1
Historical/Mystery: 3
Contemporary: 3

Adult/NA: 19
YA: 7

Physical: 11
Audio: 5
Kindle/E-ARC: 10

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Just a note before I get into the INSANE number of books I read. I had an absolutely ridiculous reading month (obviously). Here’s the thing

1. I participated in like a dozen readathons so that really kept my motivation up
2. I haven’t left my house in literal weeks. So it’s not like I have anything else going on
3. The vast majority of these are romances and novellas so that made it even easier to fly through books
4. Reading is literally all I’ve done. I haven’t watched a single show, movie, game, etc. Just read.
5. Will I ever manage to read this much again? Probably not.

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1. Escaping From Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3) by Kerri Maniscalco ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I started this in March but finished it first thing in April. I absolutely loved this 3rd book and think this might be my favorite of the series so far! I absolutely adore Audrey Rose and Creswell and am so sad to be almost done with this series. My copy of the final book doesn’t come until August thought so I have awhile to come to terms with the loss.

2-4. Heartstopper Vol 1-3 by Alice Oseman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  

These graphic novels were the first things I binged for the OWLs readathon! I’m not a big graphic novel fan, so I never planned on picking this series up. But all the hype eventually got to me and I caved. Holy cow this was the most precious thing I’ve ever read. My heart soared.

5. Every Little Promise (Orchid Valley #0.5) by Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was lucky enough to get this novella sent to me by Social Butterfly PR! I absolutely love Lexi Ryan’s and this was no exception. This is a short (steamy) prequel novella to her new Orchid Valley series that is releasing in May. It’s the one night stand that leads to the events in book 1 – and I’m already so obsessed and invested in these characters.

6. Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

April was really on a roll with another 5 star read. This is another paranormal romance series by Nalini Singh (because I’m wholly obsessed with her books). And this one followed the romance between an alpha changeling and Psy(chic). This book had me. I never wanted to put this down and immediately purchased the first 5 books in this series so I can continue immediately.

7. Becoming the Dark Prince (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3.5) by Kerri Maniscalco ⭐⭐⭐

This is a super short novella that directly follows Escaping From Houdini. It essentially rehashes what happens at the very end of that book but from Creswell’s POV and then a few scenes right after. It was… fine. Nothing new was really gained from this short story though.

8. Straight Up Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor #2) by Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐.5

I finally continued on with the Boys of Jackson Harbor series!! I absolutely loved being back with these characters, even if I didn’t love this one quite as much as book 1. This was a friends to lovers romance about a woman who desperately wants to have a baby and enlists her best friend Jake to help. This was really fun and steamy, but didn’t handle the friends to lovers trope quite the way I prefer.

9. The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte ⭐⭐.5

This was a massive let down. Honestly this 2.5 star rating was generous and part of me takes it back. This book had no plot, no logic, and no character depth or development. It boring and aimless.

10. A Dangerous Collaboration (Veronica Speedwell #4) by Deanna Raybourn ⭐⭐⭐⭐

OMG I love Veronica and Stoker so much! Stoker confessing his love and diving into treacherous waters to save Veronica will be the only thing carrying me through until I can read book 5. I hope this series never ends.

11. Manhattan (Becker Brothers #3) by Kandi Steiner ⭐⭐⭐.5

This followed the youngest Becker brother Mickey and that’s exactly why I didn’t love this one as much as the others… I have a really hard time getting behind a HEA for an 18 year old. But this was sweet and I’m itching to pick up book 4 now.

12. Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin ⭐⭐.5

Another disappointment… What even was this book? I finished this book like 2 weeks ago and I’m already forgetting details. I didn’t like this guys. The romance in here was a massive letdown because there was literally no build up or reason behind it. It was just like – “weeks pass and OH! they like each other now!”. Then they bang.

Also do not listen to this on audio. This male narrator is absolutely atrocious.

13. Beach Read by Emily Henry ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Luckily I followed up that massive bummer with this absolute gem of a book. All the hype is real!! This book had me all in my feelings. I laughed (out loud (a lot)), I swooned, I sobbed. This book has it all. It follows romance authors who spend the summer at their beach houses swapping genres – but it’s SO much more than that. Please read this!

14. A Slice of Love (Slice #4) by Teagan Hunter ⭐⭐⭐

This is the next book/novella in the Slice series and follows 2 new characters – Frankie & Jonas. This is their second chance romance and it was sweet. But this heavily relied on the fact that these characters were already in love and I really missed the build up. But this definitely has Teagan Hunter’s classic banter and humor!

15. The Right Swipe (Modern Love #1) by Alisha Rai ⭐⭐⭐.5

I finally did it! I’ve had this book on easily a dozen TBRs but I finally finished this. It was cute but I have some mixed feelings about it overall. I love Alisha Rai’s writing and think her romance scenes are absolute perfection. But the heroine bugged me to no end. She was constantly reminding the reader that she was so strong, so independent, and didn’t need love. It was too in your face and she annoyed me. But this had some good messages and the audiobook was really well narrated.

16. Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels #2) by Lisa Kleypas ⭐⭐⭐

Okay so this one wasn’t quite as good as book 1 but it was still a good time. I had some issues with the pacing because the romance in this one is essentially set and wrapped up by like like 30% mark. So there’s a big lull where nothing happens in the middle then the end is a soap opera of outrageous proportions. But I was definitely wholly entertained the entire time!

17. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Omg I loved this!! This is a true nemesis to lovers situation and I was all for it. This follows an engaged couple that can no longer stand to be around each other. This was laugh out loud funny and strangely relatable. It’s definitely an exaggerated/extreme case to make it entertaining, but I think a lot of couples who know what it’s like to move in together, will be able to relate to this. If you’re looking for a really funny rom-com with a sweet ending, definitely check this one out.

18. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa ⭐⭐⭐

Meh… I wanted to love this one so badly. But it just didn’t quite hit the mark. This is a rom-com about a woman who is left at the alter and blames the best man/brother of the groom for the disaster. Which is actually what bugged me about this. She harbors so much resentment for the brother – he’s not the one who left you cut him some slack! The romance scenes were awkward and not at all sexy. And side note – don’t listen to this on audio, the male narrator is terrible, especially while doing female voices. He sounded like a damn South Park character….

19. Theirs for the Night (The Thalanian Dynasty #1) by Katee Robert ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was the group read for Smutathon but I read it a day early because I just couldn’t wait any longer 😅 Holy moly this was good. This is a super short novella about the night Meg meets Theo and Galen. It gives a little teaser of their relationship and history but it’s mostly just their crazy one night together and cliffhanger for the rest of the series. So I obviously had to continue on immediately…

20. Unforgettable (Cloverleigh Farms #5) by Melanie Harlow ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the 5th and final book in the Cloverleigh Farms series and I’m so sad to see it end!! 😭 I absolutely love this super wholesome and sweet series and this book was no exception. This is a second chance romance between a star baseball player who has fallen from grace and the girl he’s been crazy about since high school. I definitely teared up near the end!

21. Forever Theirs (The Thalanian Dynasty #1) by Katee Robert ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the first book in this series so I picked this up right away! Guuuuuys! If you love smutty romance, please for all that is holy pick 👏🏻 up 👏🏻 this 👏🏻 series. It is flipping fantastic. I swear Katee Robert is some sort of sorceress because this is the most balance poly relationship imaginable. I’m in love with all of these characters.

22. The Babysitter by Jack Harbon ⭐⭐⭐

Chelsea Dolling Reads has been raving about this author recently so I knew I wanted to pick up something by them for this readathon. This is a super short, super smutty romance novella. And it’s about (obviously) a babysitter who has a romance with the dad. It was cute and I really enjoyed Jack Harbon’s writing, but it was so short that I didn’t get much out of it.

23. Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert ⭐⭐⭐

Okay so… if I was rating this purely on enjoyment, it would be more like a 2 star read… I read this for the romance, and unfortunately the romance itself didn’t do anything for me. I was just really frustrated with these characters for not talking! They kept weaving around their actually feelings and I just wanted to shake them.

However, I gave this 3 stars because Talia Hibbert has such a knack for incorporating so much commentary and substance into even the shortest romances. This book covers race, bullying, politics, etc. I have no idea how she packed so much into only 120 pages.

24. Theirs Ever After (The Thalanian Dynasty #3) by Katee Robert ⭐⭐⭐

I was seriously obsessed with this series at the end of the month! This final book was good but didn’t quite live up to the other 2. This was essentially what came after the HEA which I thought was really interesting. You get to see the 3 main characters trying to handle court lives they weren’t prepared for and struggling. However the main conflict/villain was lackluster and oddly paced. Katee Robert can write one hell of a sex scene though… wowza.

25. You Dad Will Do (A Touch of Taboo #1) by Katee Robert ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Katee Robert binge continued with this… and holy mother forking shirt balls. This was hands down the filthiest thing I’ve ever read. If you’re in the market for some dad kink – look no further. Wow. Just wow.

26. Dirty, Reckeless Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor #3) by Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐

The last book I finished this month! Sadly it wasn’t everything I hope it would be. It’s definitely my least favorite in the series so far… this was just sooo over the top. And I just wasn’t the biggest fan of how some of the plot lines and relationships panned out. I have high hopes about loving the next one more though!

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I hope you all had a great April! What was your favorite book this month??

♥♥♥♥