What I Read in August 2024

August 31, 2024

This month I was surprised by how much I read! Some books I devoured in a few days. I wasn’t really in the mood for nonfiction, I just wanted to escape. I finished 2 series: “Uptown Girls” and “Scott Pilgrim” and started two more that I want to keep reading. Great month!

The Spymaster’s Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne, 384p: When I first read this book 9 years ago I gave it 3 stars. I heard about it again in 2024 and decided to read it again because it sounded really good but I couldn’t remember much about it. And I enjoyed it a lot more this second time around! It’s a historical romance spy story set during the Napoleonic Wars between France and England in the 1700s. The main character, Annique Villiers, is a badass French spy; she has seen Napoleon’s plans to invade England and spies from far and wide are after her to get that information. She meets British spies and the characters travel from France to England. The book is full of delicious plot twists with the enemies-become-lovers trope, I can’t say too much about the story because of spoilers. It was cool to see how the author used a slightly different writing style for each character depending on the language they spoke and their native language. The book is written in English, but the characters speak English in different dialects and accents, and they also use French words here and there. It’s super interesting! The prose is beautiful, the plot twists were well done, the heroine is smart. I’m looking forward to the other books in this series.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, 379p: Rue and Eli are layered and complex characters. I love how Ali Hazelwood can express deep emotions with her writing. The business/biotech background was interesting with plot twists. It did the enemies-with-benefits-to-lovers trope in a way that I liked. There are professional high stakes and the main characters have personal issues that are believable. I liked the touch of the hockey player + figure skater couple. This is a little different from her previous books, the relationship is grittier and more complex, and I loved it for that reason!
The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by SA Chakraborty, 569p: Interesting folklore inspiration from Islamic mythology, djinns and magic in Egypt. There was a lot of djinn politics and I got lost between all the different djinn factions/groups. I didn’t click with any of the characters and had a hard time knowing who was who and what their relationships were to each other. Another thing that bothered me was the romance. Why would a 1500 year old djinn fall in love with Nahri? The romance was very unbelievable and not well developed. Nahri starts off as a strong independent female character and then becomes the passive damsel in distress halfway through the story. The world building is great though and it could be a good fit for people who aren’t so into character development.
The Devil of Downtown (Uptown Girls #3) by Joanna Shupe, 346p: This series is unique in that it is set in New York City during the Gilded Age (a change from the English Victorian romances out there). And I love it! This final third book follows the youngest daughter, Justine. She is so sweet and strong at the same time. Justine is a do-gooder who doesn’t care what others think of her. I was worried that the male protagonist would be one of those alpha male, violent mafia guys, but that’s not really the case. The hero, Jack Mulligan, is a criminal kingpin, but he is a good criminal. He has a deep respect for women and becomes more of a do-gooder and helps his community. There was good chemistry between the characters and I loved how Justine helped women who were abandoned by their husbands and how she fought to end cruel child labor laws. Great series!
Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 401p: The story is set in the 1730s and I loved the ‘noir’ feel of this book. There is a murder mystery that changes the storyline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the end. It is a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs an orphanage with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally stifled by problems. He offers to find her a new patron for the house if she goes with him to St. Giles (a kind of slum?) and helps him discover who murdered his mistress, Marie. Despite the characters being deeply religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and remorse), I liked the story. It is a beautifully crafted slow burn romance. It has a kind of bleakness to it that I liked. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.
Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour (Scott Pilgrim #6) by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 234p: It was a fun ride! I liked the metaphor of “living in your head” and how everyone got closure from their past traumas and fears. The final boss fight scene was cool. It’s full of cute art and funny dialogue. I loved the happy ending and the message of “Maybe we should just hold on.”