Hi everyone! I can’t believe we’re already into November! Where has this year gone? September was another great reading month for me! I started out the month with a new romance release by one of my favorite authors, then continued to read a lot of romance books, and ended the month with a fantasy read that I had heard great things about! Also, I didn’t end up listening to any playlists while reading this month. I hope you enjoy my September Mini Review!

Synopsis: “The third in the New York Times bestselling Maple Hills series follows fan-favorite Henry and a bookish fellow student who come up with a plan to help them both overcome their respective challenges in a difficult year. When his procrastination lands him in a difficult class with his least favorite professor, Henry Turner knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new title of captain for the hockey team—which he didn’t even want—Henry absolutely cannot fail. Enter Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who finds herself befriended by Henry when he accidentally crashes her book club. Halle may not have the romantic pursuits of her favorite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and as soon as she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. Too bad being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job, book club, and the novel she’s trying to write. But new experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her. They just need to stick to their rule book. Oh, and not fall in love.” (goodreads.com)

Omg Henry!!!! This is my favorite of the three Maple Hills books! This book had me smiling so much! I loved Halle and Henry’s connection and how their romance developed through their friendship. This is one of my favorite friends-to-lovers stories that I’ve read recently! Also, I felt very seen by Halle and her character development. If you’re looking for a spicy, emotional, wholesome, friends-to-lovers romance, I highly recommend reading Daydream!

Synopsis: “The Kingsley family is practically American royalty, beloved for their military heroics, political service, and unmatched elegance. When Joseph S. Kingsley III is born in 1960, he inherits the weight of that legacy. Growing up with all the Kingsley looks and charisma, Joe should have no problem taking up the mantle after his father’s untimely death. But he is also a little bit reckless, and can’t seem to figure out how to channel the expectations of an entire country. No one ever expected anything of Cate, on the other hand. She, too, grew up in a single-parent household—just her and her mom scraping by in their small apartment. As a teenager, though, Cate is discovered for her looks. Modeling may be her only ticket out of the cycle of disappointment that her mother has always inhabited. Before too long, her face is everywhere, though she is always aware that she’d be a pariah in her social circles if anyone knew her true story. When Joe and Cate’s paths cross, their connection is instant. What remains to be seen is whether their relationship will survive the glare of the spotlight that follows Joe everywhere. And just as they find themselves in the make-or-break moment, the tragedy that seems to run in Joe’s family right alongside all that privilege will repeat itself. In a beautifully written novel that recaptures a gilded moment in American history, Emily Giffin tells a story of a love that may or may not have the power to transcend circumstances that seem arrayed against it… and the difficulty of finding your way to the place you belong.” (goodreads.com)

This book wasn’t what I was expecting and I enjoyed the storyline. It was a great summer read. I really enjoyed the romance, the family drama, and the American royalty aspects. Plus, after finishing the book I found out this storyline is loosely based on JKF Jr. and Carolyn Bassette, which I know nothing about, so it was interesting to look up their romance and compare it to the book.

Synopsis: “When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees. Archer’s Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.” (goodreads.com)

Omg this book!! I’m going to continue to think about! I could not put it down and this will definitely be one of my favorites of 2024! I loved the connection between Bree and Archer and how their story developed! Plus, Archer is just one of my favorite characters! This was so much more than a romance, it was truly a love story. I highly, highly recommend!

Synopsis: “Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix up their own marriage. There’s a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world. Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next. Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.” (goodreads.com)

I really enjoyed this! The storyline was so interesting with how it weaved together and I liked how it turned out in the end. I really enjoy how Fredrik Backman writes his stories. He does multiple POVs so well, and I can’t wait to read more of his books!

Synopsis: “Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university’s library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn’t hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories. But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she’s falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.” (goodreads.com)

I enjoyed this, but I wish I knew more about the characters! In my opinion, it was more smut than plot, but I’m not complaining, it was a fun easy read! Except there was so much miscommunication, which is my least favorite trope!!

Synopsis: “When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend’s struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn’t easy. Bell River’s literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat. And in Maggie’s world, book rules are made to be broken. To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything. Maggie will have to decide what’s more important: the books that formed a small town’s history, or the stories poised to change it all.” (goodreads.com)

I really enjoyed the overall storyline! I love reading books about books! Plus, I loved the cute romance between Maggie and Malcolm. (Spoiler alert) However, my biggest issue was that Maggie was making all of these changes to her friend’s bookstore without telling her at all! I get that Maggie didn’t want to bother her, but I couldn’t imagine doing that. However, I loved the book events and thought they were such a fun concept!

Synopsis: “The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons. They certainly did not expect them to fall. As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free. Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands. The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time. However. There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths … They’re too poisonous to swallow.” (goodreads.com)

I loved the world-building and the fact that there is a glossary!! It was a bit hard to get through the beginning because of how much world-building and backstories I had to learn, but the last half of the book pulled me in! I was not expecting the twist in the epilogue! Plus I loved that the story was told through multiple POV’s and diary entries. I can’t wait for the next book!!

I hope you enjoyed my September Mini Review! What was your favorite read from this month? Check out the Books category on my home page for more book reviews and recommendations. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! I’ve been making a lot of fun reels on Instagram, so check it out! I’ve loved engaging with the Bookstagram community, so it would be great to have you join! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée