Mini Book Reviews – August 2023
Mini Book Reviews – August 2023: What To Read & What To Skip
Welcome to my regular round up of mini book reviews for August 2023! I have a slew of romance novels to review, so I know you’ll find one you’ll love! There’s a sports romance, a holiday romance, a few small-town charming options and more!
In my list of mini book reviews, I include everything I’ve read recently that I finished. I like to share both my five star reads and any misses to help you get a better idea of what you should read or might want to skip.
As always, I love to hear if you agree or disagree with my ratings! Let me know in the comments what you thought of my August 2023 mini book reviews.
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Mini Book Reviews – August 2023
Physical Books:
Lovelight Farms
by B.K. Borison
Meet my newest obsession! I was so utterly charmed by this book that I literally drove to Target after I finished the last page and bought the next two in the series!
With her Christmas tree farm literally falling down around her, Stella makes a last ditch effort for a much needed influx of cash by attempting to win a social media contest. Unfortunately, that means finding a pretend boyfriend since she mayyyy have lied on the application.
Enter Luka – Stella’s best (and very platonic) friend. She’s been in love with him for years, but couldn’t survive losing his friendship so she’ll take a week of pretending instead. Luka has other ideas, though. He’s finally given a chance to explore his feelings for Stella and she has to decide if love is worth the risk! | 5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target for $10!
The Summer Skies
by Jenny Colgan
Once again, Jenny Colgan has made me want to drop everything and move to a remote, Scottish island. She gets me every time! The Summer Skies tells the story of a female pilot who returns to her hometown to help the family business and winds up stranded on an island inhabited by only one other soul.
Morag knows she’s destined to fly enormous aircrafts, but after a harrowing incident she’s struggling to get her confidence back. A short stint with her family’s island plane service will be just what she needs before she’s on her way again. Until a storm forces her down and she’s stuck with a grumpy ornithologist for two days.
Despite the constant clashing, he inadvertently reminds her of what she loves about her islands, the people who live there, and the tiny plane that connects them all. 5 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
Two To Tango
by Kathleen Fuller
I feel like Kathleen Fuller’s novels are hidden gems and I have no idea why! She has the perfect touch of small town charm, sweet romance, and lovable characters. Two To Tango is the 4th book in the Maple Falls series but can easily be read as a standalone.
The local librarian, Olivia, is perfectly happy with her structured life. Even more so after she took a chance on Kingston, one of her friend’s brothers, and he completely ghosted her. Solo movie nights, weekly chats with her friends, and her book boyfriends can’t hurt her.
The busybodies of Maple Falls have other ideas though. A ballroom dancing class pushes her and Kingston together again, but they’ll both need to change if they want to give this spark a real chance. | 4 Stars | Buy At Amazon | Buy At Target
AudioBooks:
As always, I recommend using Libro.fm if you’re an audiobook listener!! Libro.fm directly supports indie bookstores, but costs the same as Amazon’s Audible! You can get 2 audiobooks for only $15 with my link and code CHOOSEINDIE.
The Honeymoon Crashers
by Christina Lauren
This dynamic romance duo wrote this story specifically for audio! It’s performed by a full cast and is absolutely incredible. It’s less than 5 hours long, so it’s a quick listen for anyone who wants a sweet, rom-com to cap off their summer.
Ami surprises her sister in Hawaii and offers to plan her wedding rather than letting Olive get married in a simple, private ceremony. Olive is thrilled, but asks her to include the best man, Brody, in the planning. Brody is the polar opposite of Ami’s carefully curated lists and schedules. But, his carefree attitude is rubbing off on her in the best ways… 4.5 Stars | Listen On Amazon | Listen On Libro.fm
Spells For Forgetting
by Adrienne Young
I’m going to caveat this review by saying my expectations of the plot didn’t match reality, which probably led to only a 3 star rating. With a title like Spells For Forgetting, I was expecting a heavy dose of magic and was looking forward to all the witchy vibes. Instead, this was essentially a slow burn murder mystery.
This is a full cast audio, though, which is always SO cool to listen to. One fateful night changed the course of the lives of four teens on a mystical island. Years later, the boy accused of murdering one of the girls is returning to the island and long buried secrets about what happened that night are uncovered. 3 Stars | Listen On Amazon | Listen On Libro.fm
eBooks:
Things We Never Got Over
by Lucy Score
Lucy Score is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite authors! As I work my way through her extensive backlist, I’m finding more and more to love! Knox is the solitary hero of your dreams! He is perfectly happy living alone, but just can’t help assisting a literal damsel in distress when her life blows up in front of him.
Naomi is left with nothing…except an unexpected 11 year old niece to take care of…when her twin takes her car and all her money. She’s in an unfamiliar town with new responsibilities and no help, until Knox steps in. He doesn’t do drama or high maintenance, but Naomi is getting under his skin in a way he can’t ignore! 5 Stars | Free On Kindle Unlimited | Buy At Target for $11
Kulti
by Mariana Zapata
Sal has idolized Reiner Kulti since she started playing soccer and spent years imagining their happily-after-ever, something I’m sure most teenage girls like me used to do with celebrities! That illusion is shattered when he becomes her coach decades later.
The man he’s become is so different that Sal is forced to redefine everything she thought she knew about him. This version may be exactly what she’s looking for… The slow burn in this is INTENSE. I was dying for these two to get together!! Zapata is a tension-building genius.
As a bonus, this is also included for free on Kindle Unlimited!! You can get a full month free or pay less than $5 for 2 months. | 5 Stars | Buy From Amazon
For more mini book reviews, check out What I Read in July 2023!