2021 Mid Year Round Up

It’s July 1 and we’re half way through 2021 already! Katie and I decided to pick our fave reads of 2021 so far, though we’ve got a lot more to read before it’s over…

Jill

1.A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J Maas - SJM routinely leaves me at a loss for words and with a whole lot of feelings, A Court of Silver Flames was no different. Nesta’s story is jagged, powerful and sexy as hell. Read it now if you haven’t already.

2. Queen of Corvids (Raven Crawford #3) by J.C. McKenzie - The third book in the Raven Crawford series. I became obsessed with this urban fantasy series earlier this year. I fangirled so hard that I asked J.C. McKenzie to do an author Q&A with us. This series is a must read for fans of Ilona Andrew’ Hidden Legacy series and Queen of Corvids is where Raven really hits her stride in the Underworld.

3. The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Consider me obsessed with Poppy and Casteel. I loved the deep dive into the Blood & Ash world building, apparently JLA loved it too, so much so that she’s giving us a prequel series starting in October. The world building was also perfectly contrasted with the steamy Poppy/Casteel moments. 

4. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller - I can’t believe I missed this when it first came out. Slythryn inspired fantasy romance? Sign. Me. Up. It was the funniest feeling because there were multiple scenes where I thought, “these are definitely the villains in someone else’s story” but they were delightfully compelling characters with sizzling chemistry. 

5. Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn - I just finished this book, so haven’t posted the review yet (added July 14), but I have to say that it was amazing. It has such brilliant storytelling and world building as Tracy Deonn pulls the well known King Arthur legend into the present and turns it on it’s head

Katie

1.Million Dollar Demon (The Hollows #15) by Kim Harrison - Welcome back, Rachel Morgan!  Technically this came out last year, but I just got around to reading it in 2021 and I am so glad I did!  Despite a few wonly scenes where Harrison tries to play off the book #13 epilogue as a dream, I thought this was a fantastic return to the Hollows, with a refresh on Rachel's allies, enemies and lovers. I'm looking forward to another long run of this series to see how it all plays out.

2. Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1) by Ilona Andrew - Another fantastic return to a well-loved world.  Julie Lennart returns as Aurelia Ryder in this spin-off to the Kate Daniels world.  Enough has changed in the world that we have a new secret identity and a new enemy - but in the best "there's no place like home" scenario, she has returned to Atlanta and we get to witness the clashing of this new maybe, not-so-secret identity with old friends, allies and pack... and possibly something more? ;)

3. Bright of the Moon (The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom #2) by Miranda Honfleur - I've already fangirled about this new series from Miranda Honfleur, so I'll just say that she took every cliche I could have laughed at and turned it into a fantastic story with a kick-ass heroine and broody love interest. No cheesy unicorns here!

4. Magical Midlife Madness series by K.F. Breene - So, I'm cheating a bit because this is a series, and not one book. BUT they are quick, fun reads that flow together so well.  If you're tired of a young person making all the same mistakes, then try a 40 year old woman who knows what she wants out of life and won't put up with your shit.  Jessie likes to accidentally get over-served at the local town bar, by the hottest alpha bartender, and she's the sort of character you'd love to join for a good time. 

5. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix  - This book was not at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted rom-com style read about sexy, sparkly vampires. Instead, it was a gothic-era horror / psychological thriller about a woman losing her sanity, mind, family & friends when confronted with a modern day vampire. I don't gravitate towards books like these, but I couldn't put it down (especially when I started reading the very creepy parts at 1am...) And for that I recommend it!