October 2021 Wrap-up!

*This post contains affiliate links which, if used, will grant me a small commission at no extra charge to you*

Do you ever have one of those months where you feel like you’re not going to be very productive on the reading front?

Well that’s what I expected going into October and now that I am looking at what I was able to read… I was able to finish 10 books!

So let’s chat about them, shall we?

We’re going to go a little out of order because I read 3 books from a series at various points in the month but I may as well kick off with those.

Murder at Half Moon Gate, Murder at Kensington Palace, and Murder at Queen’s Landing (Wrexford & Sloane #2, #3, & #4) by Andrea Penrose

I read book 1 in September and instantly fell in love with Wrexford and Sloane. Their dynamic is brilliant and I love to get glimpses into each of their thoughts while piecing together the mysteries as well as their feelings. The cast of characters are varied and manage to add extra interest but are also perfectly placed to move the plot along. This series has quickly become a comfort series for me because I know I am going to get a solid mystery, dynamic characters, and a good old fashioned slow burn romance.

Supernova (Light Years #2) by Kass Morgan

I had read Light Years back in 2018 and it has taken me a long time to finish off this duology. I was happy to find that even though it’s been a few years since I read book 1, I was able to get into book 2 without feeling like I forgot too much. Kass Morgan did a great job with refreshing the readers’ memory without feeling forced and I enjoyed discovering the fates of the cadets I grew attached to in book 1. I don’t read much sci-fi but this duology is extremely easy to digest and just a fun read with a very diverse and entertaining cast of characters.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

You can read my full thoughts in my review. Here’s the TLDR though - I enjoyed it immensely and can see why it’s been given so much hype. I’ve been wanted to read it for ages but as soon as other caught wind of it and I started hearing how much people loved it, I was immediately worried and delayed reading it. I shouldn’t have been worried though. While it wasn’t perfect, I would 100% recommend reading it because it touches on so many important social topics and it doesn’t hurt that the chemistry is * chefs kiss *.

Assassin’s Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy #1) by Robin Hobbs

Honestly, this book has been on my Goodreads TBR since I started on the platform many, many moons ago. It was one of the first books I added that I didn’t want to forget about. The delay was solely based on the cover. The North American covers are awful and I refused to read this series until I could get my hands on the beautiful UK editions. Thankfully I discovered Book Depository in the last 2 years and decided to get the whole trilogy. While this books was not what I was expecting and was a much quieter fantasy story, I still enjoyed watching Fitz grow and am eager to see where his journey will take us. This book is a small prelude to a much bigger series of stories and I am excited to follow along.

A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

I’m so happy that I discovered the Proper Romance publishing imprint in the last couple of years. Each book I pick up from them is a delight filled with thoughtful characters, adventure and swoony, swoony romance. This was no exception. I thought Caroline as a character was really well done and I appreciated her pragmatism but also the hope that she was still willing to have. The relationship was also balanced and the back and forth between them was spot on.

The Three Muskateers (The d’Artagnan Romances #1) by Alexandre Dumas

This was a re-read for me which I did partially through physical reading and audiobook. I still love this story and hope it won’t take me another 20 years to read it again.

The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth

I have been wanting to read this one all year and am so happy I finally got to it. This was a perfect steampunk style book with a dash of multi-dimensional world building. With assassins, spies, mysteries, aristocracy and romance, this book pretty much had it all! I had a great time delving into this world and am desperately hoping Chatsworth returns to it for a sequel because I did not want to leave these characters or their world.

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly

This was an eARC that I was provided by the publisher and Netgalley which is set to release next year. I had such high hopes for this one but, alas, it did not hit me in the same way it seems to have hit many other early reviewers. I have my full review up on Goodreads and am debating on including it on the blog as well but there weren’t any aspects of it I enjoyed. I wish it did more than what I got but if you want a simple introduction to the end of the debutante era with some family drama, you may enjoy this one.

Thankfully my last read was one of the Wrexford & Sloane books which ended the month on a happy note.

While I surprised myself with how much I ended up reading in October, I know November will be a slow reading month. NaNoWriMo has started and I try to participate as much as I can each year so, between all of my various projects and work and school, I won’t be able to read as much as usual.

I still have a few books I know I want to get to and one of them is another ARC that releases in December so I definitely need to read that one at the very least haha.

But, until next time, keep reading!