Lisa's June Reading Recap

Hello, everyone! How have you been?

It feels so long since my last post. In my defense, Eid was two weeks ago so naturally I did zero reading that week (plus I was out of town and didn't have access to the Internet), and I still had Eid withdrawals last week and still did zero reading.

This week was relatively better. I managed to finish some books so I consider that a feat.

Unrelated to reading news, I finished my Masters degree! I've submitted my thesis and now officially unemployed while waiting for my graduation ceremony in November. I should be job-hunting, but taking that first step is so scary! I've been in school for 10 years and it's been a comfort zone for me.

Anyway, I figured I'd do a June reading recap. I managed to finish 13 books this month, a small number for me, but eh. Hopefully my July will be better reading-wise. 

 ★★★★  to  ★★★★★

2018 is truly the year of Nalini Singh for me. Her Guild Hunter series has fast become one of my ultimate favourite series, and because I'm having trouble getting into the only book I have left unread in Guild Hunter, I decided to dive into Nalini's Psy-Changeling series because apparently that's the most logical solution, y/y

Slave to Sensation was phenomenal! I rated it a 5 because I just couldn't put it down once I started. It's sexy, addictive, and fast-paced, and I love how Nalini wrote the world of the Psy and Changelings. I like the concept of the Silence and PsyNet (scary as they are). I basically shipped Sascha and Lucas from the moment they met. I love the tension between them, and the sexy dreams (!!!). It got really emotional halfway towards the end because forbidden love and all that, and I was basically crying in the end. Visions of Heat was no less great; it featured another Psy-Changeling pairing that I would die for. Vaughn is a total hottie where can I get one?

Ainslie Paton is one of my current favs. Her latest book, One Night Wife, featured a Robin Hood-ish anti-hero that I love. There were cons in the story that kind of reminded me of Ally Carter's Heist Society and the tv show Leverage, and also fake relationship (!!!). I love that Cal, the hero, came from a family of conmen (it's a family business!); I hope that we get to see more families (because it was mentioned that the Sherwood family has alliance families as well) as the series progressed.

Sara Rider is a new-to-me author, and Real Kind of Love was a delight to read. Our heroine, Clementine, is an audiobook narrator who found herself in a block of a sort after she was asked to narrate her first romance novel. This book also had fake relationship, and I've recently reviewed it here.

When I first found out that Tessa Bailey and Eve Dangerfield were writing a book together, I completely freaked out. I just couldn't imagine the level of smut that book would bring, and Captivated totally exceeded my expectations in that area. This book was hot as hell! I love that I could tell Tessa's and Eve's writing styles apart, and the styles meshed together very well too. There's a bit of age gap, and also Beauty & the Beast vibe.

Mina V. Esguerra is a Filipino author I followed on Twitter and whose books I hoarded but never read, until this one. And boy, why didn't I read her sooner? What Kind of Day was just the kind of book I needed to get out of my reading slump. Our heroine, Naya, is a Manila tour guide, and our hero, Ben is a political speechwriter who's recently fired from his job. They met when Ben accidentally joined Naya's tour group after he was fired. I think the reason why I connected with these characters is because they are both in their thirties and still having doubts about their future (me, an almost-30 unemployed woman full of self-doubt: *wipes tear* I feel this so hard).

Also, this book made me bump up Manila on my Dream Cities to Visit list. Manila is just a 4 hour flight from KL and the tickets are fairly cheap, so I don't know why I haven't visited yet.

These books I enjoyed recently were both written by Australian authors. Kissing Games by Tara Eglington is a Young Adult romance and the second book in the series, and it's even better than the first! And look how cute the US cover is!

C.J. Duggan is the author of my favourite NA series called Summer, and I haven't read any of her newer works outside of that series because....I don't have a good reason but anyway, I bought New York Nights when I was in Sydney because the hero is a single dad (typical Lisa), but I ended loving the heroine more. This book is actually the second in the Heart of Cities series but can be read as a standalone. I actually have the first book on Kobo so I might read that one next (plus, it's set in Paris, one of my favourite cities!).

★★★

Honestly, I started Hold by Claire Kent for the smut and left feeling very emotional about the hero and heroine. I love unexpected surprises, they are the best. This novella is classified as sci-fi erotica. I really like Riana the heroine, and Cain is your typical silent and broody hero (my type, obviously). Plus, it's still FREE!

I requested Touch Wood by Jenika Snow on Netgalley because I've read the second book and really liked it. I love Carina Press' Dirty Bits precisely because of that; the stories are all short and dirty. I had one tiny issue about how the H/h took a long time to even talk to each other, but other than that it was a quick and fun read.

★★ to ★★★

I read V.C. Lancaster's The E.T. Guy a while ago and really loved it. It's also my first time reading romance with aliens in it, and it was WILD. The New Guy and The Security Guy are second and third books in the Office Aliens series, and while I enjoyed them both, I think they weren't as good as the first book, mostly because I have issues with the heroes' behaviors.

The Bashful Bride is my first book by Vanessa Riley. I really loved how it started, but my enjoyment fizzled out halfway because I was annoyed by the heroine and the things she did. I rated it a 2.5 because I didn't root for the romance in the end and I personally felt the hero was better off without the heroine.

What are your June gems?
Tell me in the comments!