I started this month with only 4 March hopefuls to read. Three were book club picks and one was a middle grade (perfect for middle grade March) from my spring tbr.
I wanted to leave some room for bookish spontaneity and mood reading this month.
So far I’ve read 5 books this month. Three of these were March hopefuls.
One of the books, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, was for my monthly romance book club over on Fable – A Dose of Romance. That was my first Sarah MacLean and I promptly devoured the rest of the series!
My deep dive into historical romance this month was a surprise and a trend in my reading life that may continue.
With the exception of one book, my reading month has been pretty great! The others are 4-stars and up.
Here’s what I read in the first half of March.
Mid March Reading Recap:
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Rating: 4 stars
After hearing rave reviews of Amari and the Night Brothers (mostly on the Currently Reading Podcast), I gave it a spot on my spring tbr. Middle grade was also one of the categories I wanted to read this year from my Reading Life Bucket List.
This month with “Middle Grade March”, it seemed the perfect time to read this book!
Thirteen-year-old Amari Peters is having a rough time of it. Not only has her older brother, golden boy Quinton, gone missing but she just lost her scholarship to an elite albeit snooty private school.
When she discovers Quinton left her a nomination for the opportunity to tryout for the mysterious Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, a whole new world opens to her!
If Amari can just get used to the idea of a magical world existing within the real one and catch up to her peers who were born into it, she might have a chance of uncovering what really happened to her big brother.
My Thoughts
I listened to this book on audio and it was so fun!
Reading middle grade is a bit outside my comfort zone so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this read.
The supernatural world Alston brings to life is so immersive and super creative! I wish there were more books in the series already.
Originally I wondered if there would be six books since Amari has so many years of school left to go, but it sounds like it will be a trilogy. Book 3 is expected to publish later this year. I immediately put the second book, Amari and the Great Game, on hold with my library!
Since completing this book, I have recommended it to many of my family members (especially those with school aged kids). One day I hope to reread it with Mr. O!
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Rating: 2.5 stars
Daniel is a soul who has been reborn countless times over the past 1500 years. He has the ability to remember his past lives and recognize souls he’s known before in their current bodies.
He has fallen in love over and over with someone he calls Sophia. In each lifetime he searches for her but they are always torn apart never getting to enjoy a lifetime of love together. Their epic love story is further complicated by the fact that “Sophia” has no memory of Daniel every time she is reborn.
Now in the present Sophia, known as Lucy in this life, is trying to understand why she feels so draw to Daniel, even as an old enemy fights to keep them apart.
My Thoughts
My Name is Memory was this month’s pick for the Reading Through Life Podcast’s Patron Book Club.
After this one, I think I’m ready to pull the plug. I’ve read 4 of their picks and haven’t really enjoyed any. The books tend to be really sad with unresolved endings. This one in particular made me want to throw the book against a wall! There are just too many new books out there and too little time to keep making myself read books I’m not likely to enjoy.
This book actually started out pretty strong in the beginning. It was really out there and the historical aspect of Daniel’s past lives could have been more richly explored but with a premise of epic lovers torn apart by fate, I was interested!
My issue comes with the pacing of this story. A villain is very slowly introduced. After the halfway mark, the reader gets more and more information about this person until they become a pretty huge part of the main conflict.
When I realized I only had 15 minutes left in the audiobook, I had an inkling that the story would not wrap up in a way that was satisfying to me. I was worried it would end sad which rarely pays off for me as a reader.
It doesn’t end sad. Even worse, it ends with new information and questions! Like it’s a series! WTF?! What a complete waste of my reading time!!!
It’s been brought to my attention that a few years ago, Brashares shared she was working on a sequel, but since then there’s been nothing. No second book for going on 13 years now?!? I don’t have much hope that a sequel will be published. Even if there is, it’s unlikely that I’ll care to go back and reread this one to then read that one.
This right here is a prime example of why I don’t pick up series that aren’t complete. If I won’t do it for Game of Thrones, I certainly don’t appreciate being tricked into doing it for this one!
Love by the Numbers from Sarah MacLean
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Rating: 5 stars
Steam Level: 3
Lady Calpurnia “Callie” Hartwell is tired of doing what everyone expects of her. All it’s gotten her is a spot in the Spinster club and the label “passive”. One night she decides she’s had enough and makes a list of nine adventures she would love to have that are anything but proper and plain. First up is kissing and she knows just the man for the task.
Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston, has a well earned reputation as a rake. One day a half-sister shows up unexpectedly on his doorstep and he finds that reputation a bit of a problem when it comes to getting society to accept his newest family member. He needs help and it comes in the form of Callie, a wallflower with a spotless past.
As the two strike up a partnership to help one another’s causes, sparks fly between them and soon rules, lines, and wagers all get blurred.
My Thoughts
Once I was a few chapters into this book, I could not put it down!
Sarah MacLean can write a romance! And not just the steam scenes (spicier than expected), swoonie moments, and witty banter. Her characters were strong, layered, and felt real! She wrote a flawed hero who becomes compassionate and quiet heroine who grows into herself by embracing daring adventures.
I fell hard for the amazing families she created! I adored the sibling relationships and strong friendships in this world. Shout out to Mariana especially!
Some scenes gave me such strong Bridgerton vibes (the adaptation that is) if that’s a series you love.
Everyone knows I love an author’s note and the one here did not disappoint. MacLean really did write all of my favorite historical tropes into this one – ladies in breeches, rake/wallflower, unconventional adventures, even a duel!
I love the list of reading recommendations she includes in the back of this book too. There are many authors I haven’t read before and can’t wait to check out.
I’m joining the rest of the world in crossing my fingers for Benedict’s story one day!
Upon finishing this book, I couldn’t wait to read the rest of the series and promptly did! It delivered! Historical romance isn’t usually my jam but I’m continuing down Sarah MacLean’s extensive backlist while it’s working for me.
Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
Rating: 4 stars
Steam Level: 2
When Nicholas St. John finds he’s named London’s “Lord to Land” this season, he’s eager to take any opportunity to get out of the city. That opportunity brings him to the countryside of Yorkshire and into Lady Isabel Townsend’s home.
Isabel, daughter of a wastrel, is hiding many secrets as she fights to hold her family home together for her younger brother, James, to one day inherit. At least one of her secrets is what Nick is searching for.
A major storm creates forced proximity and all kinds of shenanigans ensue as these two hide things from one another including their growing feelings!
My Thoughts
I didn’t love this one as much as the first book but it was still a great read!
The middle felt a bit long for me. I didn’t enjoy the country setting as much as the first one with London during the season.
The story really picked up at the end though and I loved the last several chapters. Isabel grew on me. The love between her and Nick became more believable. It began a bit too much like instalove.
I enjoyed some of the new characters that are introduced like Nick’s friend, Rock, all the girls in Isabel’s home, and the sense of found family present there. Something I really missed though was the sibling and family interactions that were so present in the first book.
I enjoyed my time with Nick and Isabel but I didn’t fall for them the same way I did Callie and Ralston.
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean
Rating: 5 stars
Steam Level: 2
Juliana Fiori is the Italian half-sister of the St. John brothers and she is making quite a splash with London society. Trouble seems to follow the bold and passionate young woman wherever she goes. She cares nothing about what the ton thinks of her, except for perhaps one member.
Simon Pearson, the Duke of Leighton, puts reputation above all other things and he’s under pressure to secure a marriage with a proper and powerful family. So when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage one night after a ball, he’s furious that his honor is at risk.
Enter a bet between the two. Simon wants to teach Juliana the importance of propriety while she is determined to make him admit even he can be affected by passion!
My Thoughts
This was a delightful conclusion to this series!
I read it as a hybrid read and the audiobook narrator was different than the previous book – Barrie Kreinik instead of Mary Jane Wells. I loved the previous one but this one wound up being pretty great too.
It opens with an amazing first chapter! I was so happy to be back in London with everyone I fell in love with in the first book. Plus who doesn’t adore a heroine who can throw a punch?!
This book had enemies to lovers, amazing chemistry, witty banter, and several hilarious circumstances that the hero and heroine find themselves in.
It was a fun role reversal too with Juliana being the more openly passionate one and Simon being more reserved. I can’t help but root for a heroine who is a badass from the very beginning!
Stay Tuned!
I’m currently reading Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy for my nonfiction fable book club – Pearls of Wisdom. I’ve been doing a slow and steady read to absorb the information better. It’s been full of many supportive words, helpful ideas, and encouraging mindset shifts!
This month I still have one buddy read planned with a bookish friend, Alisha. We’re reading The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell together. Lisa Jewell was one of my authors to read again this year on my Reading Life Bucket List. We enjoy reading thrillers together and I can’t wait to share this one!
I’m continuing on my Sarah MacLean path with her next (in publication order) series. A Rogue by Any Other Name is the first book in The Rules of Scoundrels series. I’m hybrid reading this one and really enjoying it so far. It’s been hard to put her books down for my other reading!
What’s on your mid March reading recap?
2 responses to “Mid March Reading Recap”
Dang! Other than the one dud, looks like you’ve had a great month. I’ll have to check out Amari to see if Clare would be interested. So far my March faves are The Measure and Running Wild.
I hope she gives it a try! I couldn’t remember if she was into fantasy. Yay!!! Those two titles were loves for me too. I’m glad you enjoyed them!