Mini Book Reviews – August 2025
Mini Book Reviews – August 2025: What To Read & What To Skip
Welcome to my regular round up of mini book reviews of what I’ve read this past month! My reading has slowed down a bit over the summer, but I still have some great books to share! I also realized a bunch of books on my list have gorgeous sprayed edges – I’m such a sucker for those!
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 2025 mini book reviews.
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Mini Book Reviews – August 2025
Physical Books:
Rose In Chains by Julie Soto
Easily one of my favorite books of 2025 so far! This is a darker romantasy novel that was originally a Draco/Hermione fanfic!! Plus, you can still get this gorgeous Deluxe Edition from Amazon!
In Rose in Chains, our main female character is Briony, who’s just survived a horrific war but is facing the end of life as she knew it. Evil has won this time and now Briony and the other survivors are being captured and sold off. She’s been stripped of her magic and her title and was bought by Toven Hearst, who’s part of a family known for their cruelty. Are you seeing where the Malfoy family vibes are coming in??
This has the most delicious slow burn as Toven and Briony start to trust each other and Briony sees how his family isn’t what she expected. I adored both the present day situation and the flashbacks to their memories growing up and going to school together. Toven is the ultimate villain with a soft heart. This is an absolute must read!! 5 Stars | Buy From Amazon
Beautiful Things by Emily Rath
I don’t usually read historical romance but I’m so glad I took a chance on this one! It’s a spicy, why choose romance but it’s also an incredible slow burn! Most of the story was spent ratcheting up the tension between Rosalie and her three men. I loved every bit of it and can’t wait for the next book to see where the story goes!
At 22, Rosalie Harrow is unmarried and near destitute. But when she receives an invitation to Alcott Hall, she believes she’s there to meet the Dowager Duchess of Norland, the mysterious childhood friend of her late mother. Instead, Rosalie is thrust in the middle of a house party of eligible high society ladies all desperate to win the hand of the new, conveniently single duke.
The more Rosalie tries to avoid the high society husband hunt, the more she finds herself charmed by three very different men. There’s Lord James, the duke’s younger brother, who is the secret duke in all but name. Lieutenant Renley, recently returned from the West Indies, and begrudgingly looking for a wife of his own. And the tempestuous Mr. Burke, who irks Rosalie to no end. Marriage is a trap though and Rosalie will not be easily snared…but that doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy the chase while it lasts. 4.5 Stars | Buy From Amazon
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 TWO audiobooks for only $15 with my link and code CHOOSEINDIE.
Left Of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
Tarah’s other book that I read, Savor It, had me hooked and this was another hit from her! It picks up with some of the characters we met in Savor It, so it probably would be best to read them in order. Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in their small town. They were made for one another . . . until they fell apart. Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.
When Ellis and Wren move Sam into college, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back home to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous California coastline and the intimacy they have missed for years, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But can the past truly be left behind? When words fail and old wounds resurface, it’s a soul-baring letter that could finally reveal the truth―or close the door on them forever. | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
eBooks:
Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q Sutano
This is part of the Disney Meant To Be series, where popular romance authors put a contemporary spin on classic Disney princess stories. Worth Fighting For is the Mulan edition of this series and it’s incredible!
Fa Mulan knows what it takes to succeed as a woman in a man’s world: work twice as hard and be twice as smart So when her father unexpectedly falls ill in the middle of a critical acquisition, she is determined to see it through. There’s just one hitch: the family company in question is known for its ultra masculine whiskey brand, and the brood of old-fashioned aunts, uncles, and cousins who run it—lead by the dedicated but overworked Shang—will only trust Mulan’s father, Fa Zhou, with the future of their business.
Rather than fail the deal and her father, Mulan pretends she’s Fa Zhou. Since they’ve only corresponded over email, how hard could it be to keep things moving in his absence? The email leads to a face-to-face meeting, which leads to an invitation to a week long retreat at Shang’s family ranch. She tries to prove she’s just one of the guys, but she’s also finding it harder and harder to ignore the undeniable spark between her and Shang. Can she keep her head in the game and make her father proud, all while trying not to fall into a trough, or in love with Shang? 4.5 Stars | Buy From Amazon
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
Sarah is always a solid thriller author and I can count on her for twisty stories that will keep me hooked. This was another hit from her, with enough intrigue that I read through quickly.
Georgia wakes up and finds herself locked in the mental ward of a hospital. She’s out of options and her only defense is insanity after she was accused of murdering her adopted sister. The only person who might be able to help is the twin sister she only discovered recently, who was raised by a different family. Amanda agrees to meet with Georgia, but the revelation is shocking and she has no idea whether or not Georgia is actually a killer.
Growing up as the black sheep of a powerful Southern family meant Georgia was constantly belittled and rejected. And she knows asking Amanda to dig for the truth may even put her in danger. As Amanda attempts to discover what actually happened that night and who else had reasons for murder, the stakes keep raising. At times creepy and with a sense of growing desperation and danger, this thriller constantly kept me on my toes! 4 Stars | Buy From Amazon | Buy From Target
For more mini book reviews, check out What I Read in July 2025!