July 2018 Recap

I know in my June recap I promised that things would return to normal around here in July but you might have noticed that hasn't happened! Nothing has gone wrong this month (my Mum & Dad are both doing brilliantly and my health has improved too!) but I think I'm still a little burned out in general. I've been running this blog since January 2010 and have rarely taken much of a break so I think this was probably long overdue and I've actually really enjoyed taking most of the month off.

I've been binge reading one of my all time favourite series (Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews) and it's been so nice to just devour those books one after the other without taking any breaks or having to stop to write reviews. The last book, Magic Triumphs, is published in August but I was lucky enough to get an arc so I've been able to read right through to the end and I loved every minute of it.

I am planning to get back into the swing of things blogging wise but I'm going to take it slowly throughout August and hopefully get things back to normal in September. Hopefully you'll bear with me until then (but to be honest you're probably pleased to get a break from me LOL). 

Books read in previous months but reviewed in July:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. The Queen's Gambit - Jessie Mihalik (Novella) (Read in March, review coming soon)
2. The Girl in the Tower - Katherine Arden (Read in April, review coming soon)
3. Steal the Day - Lexi Blake (Read in April, review coming soon)
4. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman (Read in April, review coming soon)
5. Recklessly Royal - Nichole Chase (Read in May, review coming soon)
6. Temeraire - Naomi Novik (Read in May, review coming soon)
7. Furyborn - Claire Legrand (Read in May, review coming soon)
8. Monstress, Vol 2: The Blood - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) (Read in May, review coming soon)
9. Iron and Magic - Ilona Andrews (Read 3 Times!) (Read in May & June, review coming soon)
10. Spellslinger - Sebastien de Castell (Read in June, review coming soon)
11. Theirs for the Night - Katee Robert (Novella) (Read in June, review coming soon)
12. Vengeance in Death - J.D. Robb (Read in June, review coming soon)
13. Barbarian's Prize - Ruby Dixon (Read in June, review coming soon)
14. City of Bastards - Andrew Shvarts (Read in June, review coming soon)
15. Her Cocky Doctors - Tara Crescent (Read in June, review coming soon)
16. The Mermaid - Christina Henry (Read in June, review coming soon)
17. The Bone Farm - Dean Koontz (Audiobook Novella) (Read in June, review coming soon)
18. Lifel1k3 - Jay Kristoff (Read in June, review coming soon)
19. Thunderhead - Neal Shusterman (Read in June, review coming soon)
20. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling (Read in June, review coming soon)
21. The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang (Read in June, review coming soon)
22. Okami - Renee Ahdieh (Short Story) (Read in June, review coming soon)
23. Yumi - Renee Ahdieh (Short Story) (Read in June, review coming soon)

Books read in July:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Make Me Crave - Katee Robert (Review coming soon)
2. No Mercy - Sherrilyn Kenyon (Review coming soon)
3. Archangel's Prophecy - Nalini Singh (Review coming soon)
4. Magic Triumphs - Ilona Andrews (Review coming soon)
5. A Questionable Client - Ilona Andrews (Short Story) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
6. Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
7. Magic Burns - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
8. Magic Strikes - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
9. Magic Mourns - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
10. Magic Bleeds - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
11. Siren Beloved - Lexi Blake
12. Magic Dreams - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
13. Magic Slays - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
14. Magic Tests - Ilona Andrews (Short Story) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
15. Magic Gifts - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
16. Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
17. Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
18. Magic Steals - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
19. Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
20. Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
21. Magic Stars - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
22. Magic Binds - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
23. Iron and Magic - Ilona Andrews (Read for the 4th time!) (Review coming soon)
24. Magic Triumphs - Ilona Andrews (Read for the 2nd time!) (Review coming soon)

Other July Posts

1. Blog Tour: Make Me Crave - Katee Robert (Excerpt & Giveaway)
2. Blog Tour: Empire of Silence - Christopher Ruocchio's Five Favourite Space Operas
3. Cover Reveal: The Darkest Heart - Juliette Cross
4. Cover Reveal: Infinite - Cecy Robson (Excerpt & Giveaway)
5. Cover Reveal: Cougar Creek Mates Series - Felicity Heaton
6. Blog Tour: Siren Beloved - Lexi Blake (Excerpt)
7. Cover Reveal: Fighting the Fire - Laura Kaye
8. Event Report: HQ Fiction Summer Showcase

July Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA read in July:

I didn't read any YA books in July

My top NA read in July:

I didn't read any NA books in July

My top adult read in July:

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (read my review here)

I don't normally count rereads for the book of the month but, like I already mentioned, this month was ALL about my Kate Daniels re-re-re-reread! Magic Bites isn't the strongest book in the series but it is the first book so you definitely need to start there if you're new to this world. It's one of my all time favourite series (I've read most of the books at least 5 times!) and each instalment just gets better and better. The series is full of so many wonderful characters, action, magic, all kinds of weird & interesting magical creatures and mythology from all around the world - there really is something for everyone in there and I just love every minute of it!

July Events:

I've been lucky enough to attend a couple of fab events this month. The first was the Orion Blogger Brunch where we got to find out about all the fabulous books they'll be publishing over the next few months and we had the chance to meet both Ed McDonald and Catriona Ward as well as listen to Candice Carty-Williams talk about her 2019 debut novel. I'm going to be doing a full write up soon but I added SO MANY books to my wish list that it's a little crazy LOL.

I was also invited to attend the Penguin YA Secret Society Party which was a fab event with Sally Green, Melissa Albert, Elizabeth Klehforth and Emily Barr. The venue was VERY hot but we got to drink cocktails, nibble chocolate, have glitter tattoos, pose for silly photos and chat with the authors so it was definitely worth it.

I'm going to do full write ups for both of these events soon but I want to say a massive thank you to Orion and Penguin for inviting me, I had such a brilliant time at both events!

My Challenge Updates:

Here are the 2018 challenges I've signed up for:
2018 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 112/200
2018 British Books Challenge - Read 9/20
2018 New Author Challenge - Read 12/20
2018 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - Read 62/100
2018 Contemporary Romance Challenge - Read 15/20