August 2013 Recap: Books Read & Minis

August was a bit of a crazy month for me. I ended up rereading a few favorite books, and if you look below at some point just went a bit nuts reading M/M Romance -- some new releases and many from my TBR pile -- during the time that I was injured and bedridden. But, I also read a few new releases by favorite authors. None of those were disappointments. So for me, that means a good reading month. Check it out.

From the new releases, my favorite books of the month were: Guardian Demon (Guardian Series #8) by Meljean Brook, Omens (Omens #1) by Kelley Armstrong, and Welcome Home, Captain Harding (Captain Harding #3) by Elliott Mackle.

Total Books Read, August 2013: 25
Contemporary Romance: 4
Paranormal Romance: 1
Urban Fantasy: 6
Literary Historical Fiction: 1
LGBT Total: 13 (Poetry: 1,  Historical Fiction/Suspense: 1, M/M Romance: 11)

Guardian Demon (Guardian Series #8) by Meljean Brook: B+
Omens (Cainsville #1) by Kelley Armstrong: (Review to come)
Welcome Home, Captain Harding (Captain Harding #3) by Elliott Mackle: B+
Mañana Means Heaven by Tim Z. Hernandez: (Review to come)
Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton: B+
Summer Lovin' JL Merrow, Chrissy Munder, Clare London, Josephine Myles, & Lou Harper: B
Aftermath by Cara Dee: B
Crow Blue, Crow Black by Chip Livingston: B-
Home on the Range (Caribou Crossings #2) by Susan Fox: B-
Left on St. Truth-be-Well by Amy Lane: B-
In A Cowboy's Bed with Cat Johnson, Vonna Harper, Lynn LaFleur: C+
Sharing Hailey by (Friends & Lovers #1) Samantha Ann King: C+
By the Numbers by Chris Owen: C
Cut & Run by Abigail Roux and Madeline Urban: C-
Waiting for Ty by (Friends & Lovers #2) Samantha Ann King: C-
Some Like It Hot by Susan Andersen: D+
Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton: D
A to Z by Marie Sexton: DNF

REREADS:
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, Book #1
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews, Book #2
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews, Book #3
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews, Book #4
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews, Book #5
Promises by Marie Sexton
Caught Running by Abigail Roux and Madeline Urban
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MINIS:

KATE DANIELS SERIES (Books 1 to 5 Reread) by Ilona Andrews
General Comments: After reading that last fantastic Kate Daniels installment, Magic Rises, I decided to go back and reread the whole series. It was a wonderful experience to read the evolution of Kate and the rest of the characters that way. It also gave me a better perspective of the overall storyarc, which I believe is going to be ramped up in the next four books of the series. What hit me the hardest, however is Kate herself. She is so aggressive in the first book, and doesn't really give anyone much of a chance to prove themselves before she jumps on them. Her loner status, paranoia, the pain and rage come right through in Magic Bites. The change from that Kate to the one found in Magic Rises is astounding. But, rereading the whole series just reiterates why I love this series! I was pulled in this time just as quickly and deeply as I was the first time around. This is such a fabulous urban fantasy series that it gave me the impetus I needed to go searching for more of the same -- outstanding UF.

CODA SERIES by Marie Sexton
Promises by Marie Sexton (Reread) -- Grade: B
Promises is the first book of Marie Sexton's Coda series. This was a reread and was better the second time around. I enjoyed the characters and the relationship much more than the first time, and although my initial niggles were still there, they didn't bother me as much. Promises went from a B- to a B in the grade scale for me.

A to Z by Marie Sexton -- Grade: DNF
Because I enjoyed my reread of Promises more than expected, I decided to read the second book of Marie Sexton's Coda series. Unfortunately, I couldn't get through this book and did not finish it! I couldn't stand the characters, Zach in particular, and just gave up. This one is not for me.

Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton -- Grade B+
But, although I gave up on the second book of the Coda series by Sexton, I didn't give up on the series. I decided to read the third book instead, particularly since I'd heard so many good things about it and it was already in my TBR. Good move! Cole and Jon? A fantastic pairing and a great romance. The characters in this book are wonderful. Cole is a bit of a mystery throughout and even to the end. He's one of those controlling femme characters that are vulnerable but mask it so well everyone has trouble seeing the real person behind the mask. And Jon, also controlling, is so busy trying to conform to how he thinks a man, particularly a gay man, should behave that he can't see the forest for the trees. The conflict between these two men is fantastic and I think Sexton addressed it quite well. In this case, I believe that Strawberries for Dessert deserved the hype.

Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton -- Grade: D
After reading Strawberries for Dessert, Paris A to Z was a disappointment. This piece is a novella covering Jon and Cole's wedding in Paris, but the novella is narrated from Zach ( A to Z) and Max (Promises) points of view. I enjoyed Max's point of view but there wasn't enough of that, instead most of the novella is narrated by Zach and even with other favorite characters I previously enjoyed making an appearance, I couldn't stand his voice, rationalizations, or characterization.

Mini Impressions: May Reads 2011

Here are some of those mini-impressions I usually include with my monthly recap. I decided to post them separately for my May 2011 reads because my post changed, and it turned out to be too long. As you can see they're mainly LGBT and contemporary romance reads.
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Homecoming by Rick R. Reed

Homecoming is a story of loss, grief and finally a second chance at love as life goes on. This was not an easy ride, but rather Reed takes the reader for an emotional roller coaster ride. After Toby dies in an accident, his partner Chase is left devastated by loss and grief. Chase's journey to recovery from that grief begins when the couple's friend Mike invites him to visit their old haunts in Chicago with hopes that Chase will snap out of his depression.

There are two love stories in this book, the central one is Chase and Toby's and then there's a more subdued one that develops as Chase finds his second chance at love. I loved Chase and Toby's love story, told through Chase's memories as he both grieves and is haunted by his lost love. I also enjoyed the hopeful ending, but most of all the journey that took Chase to that end. (LGBT) Grade B

Promises (Coda Books #1) by Marie Sexton

I enjoyed this story, the two main characters and the slow building friends-to-lovers trope. It does have a "gay for you" feel to it, although it might be argued that the one character is basically buried in the closet. However, I found the writing lacking in detail and rushed throughout with more "telling" than "showing." As an example, issues and problems between the two main characters are introduced, but the reader never experiences the resolution with the characters, instead they are "told" in a paragraph what that resolution was and the story moves on at a pretty quick pace to next scene. Having said that, Sexton's main characters are likable and the story has enough good moments that I enjoyed it to the end. (LGBT) Grade C+

The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon

A good whodunit with a rather distant protagonist and a rushed and dissatisfying ending. That's what I thought of The Dark Farewell by Josh Lanyon. This is one of those novellas that would have benefited from more character development for those secondary characters and fine details, although again the historical atmosphere and particularly the whodunit were well-done. (LGBT) Grade C

Still the One (The Educators, #1) by Kathryn Shay

This was an average contemporary romance read for me. It's a self-published story by Shay that deals with a teacher who falls in love with one of his senior female students, leaves, and years later returns to town to apply for a position as principal of the high school. The young woman, who also had feelings for the teacher, reacts radically when he leaves and basically ruins her immediate future. In the present she is a widow with two boys and a teacher at the school.

Shay takes on the sensitive subject of attraction between teacher and student and deals with it quite well. I also liked the high school student and teacher atmosphere she developed in this series. There's definite chemistry between the two main characters and that's a plus. I had a few problems with the story though, the teacher was 24 years old when he fell for 18 year-old Annie in senior year, however he "had been there for her" ever since she was a freshman. How old was Dylan when he began teaching, 20? When did he have time to get his BA and his teaching degree? I don't know... just one of the little niggles. The bottom line for me is that although there is chemistry between the characters, the romance just doesn't feel well developed and for some reason, I had a tough time connecting with Annie. The fact that even as an adult she blamed Dylan for her downward spiral bothered me to the end. This is a self-published book/series, so expect a few errors throughout the text. (Contemporary Romance) Grade C

Someone Like You (The Educators, #2) by Kathryn Shay

In the second book of The Educators series, Shay goes back to Crystal Corners High School and features another teacher and war widow, Brie Gorman, as she falls in love with her dead husband's best friend and hot coach, Nick Corelli. As with the first book, Shay also makes the students part of the romance and in this one she highlights Matt, a young man with severe issues at home who has turned to cutting as an avenue of escape.

I enjoyed this story a bit more than the first one. The initial dislike and slow-building attraction between the two main characters kept me reading. The teacher/student relationships and school atmosphere were also well rendered by Shay. However, the story takes a few turns where the reader must suspend disbelief in order to finish it. The resolution to Matt's story is one of them. A good read that fizzled toward the end. (Contemporary Romance) Grade: C

Maybe This Time (The Educators, #3) by Kathryn Shay

In this, the conclusion of The Educators trilogy, one of Shay's teachers again confronts tough issues while finding love. This time it's the cool, young teacher who gets her turn. While stuck at Atlanta's airport on her way home, Delaney meets a man and proceeds to have a hot and sizzling one-night stand, that both feel might turn into more. Later, she finds out that this man is non other than her favorite student's father, Gage. Stephanie is not just a favorite student, but a troubled and psychologically fragile teenager who trusts Delaney as an adult. A relationship with Stephanie's father is out of the question, but as the parent and teacher have more contact with each other the mutual attraction becomes a frustrating, losing battle for the couple.

This contemporary romance had good moments with a couple that had chemistry and again, that good high school atmosphere with teachers that care. However, I had just one too many problems with it, including the amount of issues that were thrown into the simmering pot for Gage and Delaney. Stephanie's psychological rebelliousness, the school situation, the way over-the-top drama with Stephanie's friends, Stephanie's mother and how her bipolar illness was handled within the story. Most of all the unplanned pregnancy, which is not one of my favorite devices, and how that affected the romance between the two main characters. So, not a favorite read for me. (Contemporary Romance) Grade: C-

His Hearth (Warder Series #1) by Mary Calmes

An M/M romance that basically, like its characters, couldn't make up its mind which way to go: a contemporary romance through 80% of the story and a paranormal for the last 10%.

This story had one main character who didn't sleep around unless he was in a committed relationship, yet did, and another one who was begging, and I mean begging and pitiful, throughout most of the story. He comes off as weak and manipulative yet later, during the paranormal part of the story, we are supposed to believe this character is somehow a macho, killing machine. I didn't buy any of it. Nothing made real sense, neither the contemporary part of the story, nor the paranormal. A real disappointment for me. (LGBT) Grade: D-