Hello Friends! I hope you had a wonderful September. I am so sad to see it go already but am so looking forward to a new month. October and November are my two favorite months of the year. October because of Halloween and November because of my birthday. This is honestly the best time of year and strangely, the time of year that I feel like my reading picks up! Not sure, if it is a rush to get things read prior to the year ending, or just because it is such cozy time..

I read quite a bit this September, so let’s get into what I finished.

September crept in and my reading mood immediately went into cozy mystery mode! Over the course of a few month’s time, I have managed to haul quite a few cozy mystery series that I found sounded interesting, and I have intentionally saved for this time of year. The first series I started with is the Hat Shop Series by Jenn McKinlay and book one is Cloche and Dagger.

I won’t say too much about the cozy mysteries I read in September in this post, because I will have posts highlighting them coming up in a few weeks, but I really enjoyed this one. If you are looking for a good cozy I definitely recommend it.

Immediately after finishing Cloche and Dagger, I jumped right into book two in the series, which is Death of a Mad Hatter.  I will talk about this one in a future post, but where I thought the first book checked all h boxes for the first in a series, I felt this one really stepped up to the plate. It was super intense, and I had no ideas as to the “who done it?”

Still in the cozy mystery mood, I picked up the next book in the Book Retreat series, Murder in the Paperback Parlor. I loved this second book in the series so much! In true Book Retreat series fashion, the guests at Storyton Hall are all there for a themed get away and whereas the last crew were mystery lovers, this crew are romance lovers. Be on the lookout for my thoughts so far on this series in an upcoming post.

I finished The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick which I really enjoyed. I have a full review coming for this novel, but I recommend it if historical fiction is your thing–especially if you enjoy time travel.

Following The Phantom Tree, I read Family Tree by Susan Wiggs. Back at the end of August I read Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs which I adored so I thought what the heck, let me start the next book on my shelf by her. I literally read this in less than two days. I listened to it on audio while following along with the narrator and could not get enough. It was wonderful. I have a review coming for this one in October so be on the look out for that.

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower was my next read, and another cozy mystery. This is book one in the Magical Bookshop series and oh my goodness, I love this series so much. There are currently only two books out, so I am patiently waiting for the release of the third one. I immediately jumped into the second book, Prose and Cons and loved it, I think a tad more than book one. I am currently torn! If I was asked what type of cozy mystery do I prefer, I thought I’d always say the ones involving food but I am finding I love cozies which take place in bookshops. This series not only taking place in a bookshop, but a magical one, just makes it more special. Be on the lookout for a post dedicated to the first two mysteries in this series coming up soon.

Next, I read the second book in Sarah Morgan’s From Manhattan With Love series, Sunset in Central Park. In book one you meet Paige, Frankie and Eva. The first book was Paige’s romance and this book is Frankie’s. I was super interested in Frankie in book one. She is super against love and romance due to the way she saw her parents’ split take place and everything after. So I was excited to get a book from her perspective. I will admit though, the first few chapters, she frustrated me. Frankie can be a pretty negative person in comparison to Paige and Eva although you understand where she’s coming from. Her story eventually grew on me though. Up next is Eva’s story and hers is, after meeting the girls in book one, the story I’ve looked forward to the most.

I read my first Candace Osmond novel, Devil’s Heart, which is book one in her Dark Tides trilogy.  This story was gripping. It held me captive until the very ending, and oh don’t get me started on the ending. I highly recommend hauling the first two books at the least, at the same time. I’d be going insane right now if I didn’t have the next book on deck!

The next read was a re-read for me, and that was Mariana by Susanna Kearsley. I have been hyping this novel up since I read it years ago, so I was bit nervous to re-read it. I had this fear of, “what if it isn’t as good as the first time?”  Never fear however when it comes to Susanna Kearsley. I loved this just as much this go around as I did the first time.

Next I read a poetry collection written by two new to me romance authors, A Love Letter from the Girls Who Feel Everything by Brittainy C. Cherry and Kandi Steiner. This was a short, beautiful collection. It has some beautiful artwork and I could just tell the authors poured their hearts and souls into it. I loved it.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was my next read and I have absolutely no idea why it took me so long to read this book. It is fantastic. It deserves all the hype surrounding it and more. I loved Evelyn. I loved her core group of people she chose to surround herself with and damn, Taylor Jenkins Reid can write a story. This was amazing.

I finished The Cottages on Silver Beach by Raeanne Thayne next, which is book 8 in her Haven Point series! I can’t believe I have read 8 books in a series! I made it through this one pretty quickly. I was able to get the audiobook from Scribd and once I started listening, was hooked. Raeanne Thaye does a fantastic job of creating characters who are interested in each other but everything besides that just makes things so damn complicated! I loved this one. This series is so near and dear to my heart and I am happy to say the next one up for me, is her new release, Season of Wonder which released on September 25th.

Next, I finished another cozy mystery and that is, Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood. I have been making my way in and out of this one since early summer, and being that I hauled the entire series in the matter of two trips to the bookstore, I figured I need to start making my way through it. Unlike the other cozies I read this month, this first in the series didn’t leave me with the urge to jump immediately into the next book. I didn’t feel that connection to the story as I did with prior reads but my fingers are crossed that the second book pulls me in.

My next read was sort of a let down for me, and that Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill. I love poetry and am a fan of short stories and I find it brave when an author decides to put a body of work into the world consisting of both. A lot of readers haven’t found their niche with poetry and short stories don’t work for everyone. I had high hopes for this one though, because I read a previously written poetry collection by Nikita Gill and loved it. This one missed the mark for me though. She hits some very important themes which I appreciate her for not shying away from, but I found myself preferring the poetry over the short stories and after a while, it felt as though I was reading the same thing over and over. It became super repetitive.

 

A fun read towards the end of the month was Miracle on 5’th Avenue by Sarah Morgan. I will be posting my thoughts on this one in a review to come, but I will leave you with, I LOVED it! Sarah Morgan’s books are so much fun and so sexy.

 

Lastly, I finished I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel. I prefer not to give star ratings to essays, memoirs or any other nonfiction depicting anything personal or based off the author’s life, so although there isn’t a star rating, just know I loved this gem. If you haven’t hauled it, do so. Keep it on your nightstand and just casually read one or two stories here until you’ve finished it. It is one of those books best consumed in bits and pieces. I loved it.

So Friends, those are the books I read in September. It turned out to be a really good reading month for me.

Let me know what you read in September and if you have any new favorites.