August 2022 Reading Recap

September 1, 2022September 1, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Ahh, summer. We barely knew ya! I just got back from a beach vacation down in North Carolina, which accounts for my silence here the last week or so. While I wasn’t reviewing books, I was actively reading them as I love sitting and reading on the beach (as well as going into the ocean).

Thanks to time off of work and vacation, I managed to read 10 books this month – not too shabby if I do say so myself. I’ve surpassed 70 books for the whole year and am ahead of my reading goals for 2022, which always makes me feel happy!

August was also Read a Romance and Romance Awareness Month so my reading revolved around romances, which honestly is not a change of pace for me as I pretty much read romances every single day.

Anyways, here’s what I read this month:

ARC Review: Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews

August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Ruby Fever
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Series or Standalone: Hidden Legacy #6
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

CW: Murder; blood; warfare; emotional/financial abuse; reference to the murder of a pregnant woman

I don’t even know where to start or how to summarize my thoughts on this book. I was literally speechless after reading it and feeling so many things. This book destroyed me in the best possible way. I’m just sitting here, days after finishing it, in awe of Ilona Andrews’ talents.

Review: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

August 16, 2022August 17, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Emerald Blaze
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
Series or Standalone:Hidden Legacy #5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Gore; murder; violence; blood; gun violence; panic attacks

As much as I adore the Hidden Legacy series, Emerald Blaze is probably my least favorite of all the books. This is still a solid story and an important addition to the series, but it didn’t blow me away like the other books.

Review: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

August 14, 2022August 17, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Sapphire Flames
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: August 27, 2019
Series or Standalone: Hidden Legacy #4
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: suicide attempt; murder; gun violence; gore; kidnapping; death of a parent

Sapphire Flames kicks off Catalina’s books in the second half of the Hidden Legacy series. While Catalina is different from Nevada in many ways, these books still feel familiar with the signature action, mystery, adventure and romance we’ve come to love from Ilona Andrews.

Review: Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

August 10, 2022August 9, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Diamond Fire
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Series or Standalone: Hidden Legacy #3.5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

If you are the type of person who skips novellas (which I normally am), please don’t skip out on Diamond Fire. This novella, though short, plays a critical role in passing the baton for the Hidden Legacy series from Nevada to Catalina.

Review: Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

August 9, 2022August 8, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Wildfire
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Series or Standalone:Hidden Legacy #3
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Kidnapping; Torture; Gun Violence; Death; Gore

Wildfire wraps up Nevada’s arc of the Hidden Legacy series, and what a satisfying conclusion it is! This book does a great job wrapping up some of the overarching plot points from the first half of the series while leaving the door open for Catalina to take over the reins in the second half.

Review: White Hot by Ilona Andrews

August 4, 2022August 3, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

White Hot
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: May 30, 2017
Series or Standalone:Hidden Legacy #2
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Murder; violence; gun violence; death of a parent; kidnapping; torture; grief; panic attacks/PTSD

Is it cliche to say White Hot is white hot? Because it’s the truth. When I think of the Hidden Legacy series as a whole, this is one book that always standouts in my head as it packs an emotional punch in so many ways.

July 2022 Reading Recap

August 1, 2022August 15, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Another month, come and gone! After a rough couple of reading month, I feel like I feel found my groove again with reading. July was my best reading month since January of this year as I ended up reading 12 books. That’s helped me get a bit of a lead on my reading goal of 100 books in 2022, which we love to see.

Additionally, I also feel like I have started to find the space to get back to my regular cadence of review. There is definitely some work to be done to get back to consistently reviewing 2-3 books per week, but I’ve got a schedule planned out for August that I’m hoping I can stick to as I am SO FAR behind in reviews. Seriously, there are books I read literally months ago on my to-be-reviewed list that I haven’t touched yet.

Anyways, let’s see what I read in July, shall we?

Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

July 29, 2022July 28, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Burn for Me
Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Series or Standalone: Hidden Legacy #1
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Murder; violence; fire/fire injury; gun violence; cancer; death of a parent

No one does urban fantasy romance quite like Ilona Andrews. When I first read Burn for Me back in 2019, I was immediately hooked. I’ve since reread the series multiple times, so pardon me if I get a bit gushy.

The Hidden Legacy series is one of my absolute favorites series and does not get talked about enough. The cover of this book does not do the story justice. Not only does this book have a swoon-worthy romance, but you also get fantastic world-building, a unique magic system, an action-packed plot and unforgettable secondary characters all in one book.

June 2022 Reading Recap

July 3, 2022July 6, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Oh wow did June fly by! I cannot believe we’re already past the halfway mark of the year now.

June was a tough reading month for me, and an even tougher month for reviewing. I only read 7 books and reviewed 3. Lots of travel and then some personal things popped up. I had a scare with the health of my cat that really threw me for a loop (she’s okay now but needs IV fluids every day so it’s been an adjustment).

For the first time ever, I read more audiobooks than physical books as I just did not have the time to sit down and read as much as I would have liked. Reading more audiobooks was a goal of mine this year and I can say, I’m fully smashing that.

As June is the mid-point of the year, I’d also thought I do a little check-in on some of my other reading goals. My biggest reading goal is to read 100 books this year. At the end of June, I’ve read 48 books this year, just shy of where I need to be on track to read 100. Luckily, I’ve already finished one book in July and have three more I’m currently reading (I’m all over the place right now) so I’m feeling optimistic still about hitting my goal for the year!

Now, on to what I read in June: