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Hello sassy people!
Today I’m gonna tell you guys about the books I read in August 2021, and introduce you guys to my new “system” for reviewing.
Before I used to just write down a small text with what I liked about a book, but since I’m an architecture college student, I normally don’t have time or energy to write down my opinions as soon as I finish a book, so when I finally sit to write my reviews I don’t really remember everything from the book. So here is my new system, which is basically the most important information about a book. I’ll make a post detailing it later on, but for now, I’m really happy with the outcome and I believe it is going to make writing easier for me!
But let’s talk about my reads this month! I spent two months reading Penny Reid, and apparently, I don’t want to stop, so I read 5 more books by her.
Engagement and Espionage
(Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1)
by Penny Reid
Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged!
But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most “fowl” need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.
Sabotage!
Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Cipher-Naught
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 351
Goodreads rate: 4,21
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Romance Family, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Animal Cruelty, Animal Death, Domestic Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Content
Main characters: Jenn and Cletus
Main conflict: A series of mysteries stall their relationship and its progress
Plot or character-driven: Mix
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 5/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 (The development of Jenn as a strong woman is the main plot point and Cletus is an amazing, very respectful guy)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Lovely mysterious
Recommend this to People who love mystery and slow burn
Marriage and Murder
(Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #2)
by Penny Reid
The Devil is in the details . . .
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Cipher-Naught
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 374
Goodreads rate: 4,40
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Romance Family, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Murder, Sexual Content
Main characters: Jenn and Cletus
Main conflict: A murder happens and Cletus + Jenn need to solve it, again derailing their plans for their relationship.
Plot or character-driven: Mix
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 5/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 (Again, the main plot is Jenn, setting boundaries, becoming more and more independent, and dealing with the abusive relationship with her parents.)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Lovely mysterious
Recommend this to People who love mystery
A Beardy Bonus: Bonus and deleted scenes from the Winston Brothers Series
(Winston Brothers #8)
by Penny Reid
All the Winston Brothers bonus scenes and deleted excerpts all in one place! This collection includes:
Extra Scene: Billy and Scarlet
A Winston Christmas
Beauty and the Beard
Deleted Scene: Truth or Beard
Deleted Scene: Grin and Beard It
Deleted Scene: Beard in Mind
Duane’s Letter to Beau
Cletus’s Letter to Santa
Duane’s Letter to Jess
Billy’s Letter to Scarlet
Pie in the Beard
Beard in Waiting
A Very Beardy Christmas
Beard and Hen
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Cipher-Naught
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 141
Goodreads rate: 3,98
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Romance Family, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: No smut
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: The Winston Brothers and their partners
Main conflict: No conflict, just a lot of cute extra scenes
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Multiple P.O.V.
Character development: Relays on other books
Diverse Cast: Yes (Latinx)
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 4/5 (Nothing Remarkable, but nothing bad)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Cute
Recommend this to People who love extra scenes
Just Folking Around
(Good Folk: Modern Folktales #0.5)
by Penny Reid
One night? No strings? A sexy game of chess? No problem.
If you’ve never read a Penny Reid book before, this is the place to start! An all new series starter snack from the author of the WINSTON BROTHERS and KNITTING IN THE CITY series. . .
Raquel Ezra loves to fish. With so many fish in the sea, she’s never had a problem baiting the hook or reeling them in. Raquel is a good actress, she can be anyone’s fantasy for a single night as long as they agree to be hers. Which is why she doesn’t think twice about spending an evening in nowhere Tennessee with a smokin’ hot, well-mannered, and intriguing sheriff’s deputy by the name of Jackson James.
Except, when the time comes, Raquel discovers that reality might just be better than any fantasy, and maybe she’s not ready to release this catch.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Cipher-Naught
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 68
Goodreads rate: 4,24
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Cop Romance, Movie Star/Actress-Actor Romance, Romance Family, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Sexual Content
Main characters: Raquel and Jackson
Main conflict: Raquel is afraid of commitment and Jackson needs it, he is tired of the single life and wants to settle down.
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Good
Diverse Cast: Yes (Latinx)
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 (Raquel is strong and forward and funny, while Jackson is a cinnamon roll, and both of them have struggles, so I loved it)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Fun and sweet, but also deep. This book is a prequel to Totally Folked, so my thoughts about them are exactly the same
Recommend this to People who love book series
Totally Folked
(Good Folk: Modern Folktales #1)
by Penny Reid
One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee…
Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?
Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.
When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Cipher-Naught
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 444
Goodreads rate: 4,26
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Cop Romance, Movie Star/Actress-Actor Romance, Romance Family, Small Town Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 3/5 (sex on the page)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Abandonment, Homophobia, Sexual Content, Toxic Friendship
Main characters: Raquel and Jackson
Main conflict: Raquel is afraid of commitment and Jackson needs it, he is tired of the single life and wants to settle down.
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Deep
Diverse Cast: Yes (Latinx)
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 5/5 (Raquel is strong and forward and funny, while Jackson is a cinnamon roll, and both of them have struggles, so I loved it, also in this book, we get a scene of Jethro and Cletus helping Jackson in a time of need, and forming a friendship that is hard to see in books and society, because of toxic masculinity and the notion that men can’t talk about their feelings, and last but not least, as a Latina, I love seeing other Latinx characters in page)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Fun and sweet, but also deep
Recommend this to People who love deep romances
Then I was scrolling through bookstagram and saw the blurb of this book and an awesome photo, and I decided to check out…
But I DNFed.
Stripped Down
(Sonoma #1)
by Mae Harden
Olive
Baking is my thing. Bachelorette parties are not. Surprise strippers even less so. But I’m almost positive this guy isn’t really a stripper, and if he is, he’s pretty bad at it.
On the other hand, he’s very, very good at kissing. And maybe I shouldn’t have goaded him into doing it, but it’s not like I’ll ever see him again. At least I’ll have something to fantasize about when I’m baking muffins tomorrow morning.
Brooks
Contractor. Loner. Stripper? Not usually, but I’ll do anything to get the Bachelorette party in the room next door to settle down. All I wanted was a good night’s sleep. I never expected my entire world to shift when she opened the hotel door with her wide green eyes and sweet vanilla scent. Now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t let her go. I just have to find a way to break down her walls.
Genre: Romance
Year: 2020
Nº of pages: 162
Goodreads rate: 4,14
Tropes: Contemporary Romance
Smut factor: Don’t know (DNF)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: Olive and Brooks
Main conflict: Almost a one night stand (who stripped in front of you) is now your contractor
Plot or character-driven: Have no idea
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: None
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 2/5 DNF
Feminist rate: Don’t have one
Adjectives and general thoughts: Poor writing and no development. This is an insta story, insta love, insta hate, insta lust, no development, and poor writing.
Recommend this to People who love insta love
Since Stripped Down didn’t work and I was seeing Max Monroe all over the place I decided to read a book with the same plot, but by two authors that I trusted to write a better book.
The Bet
(Winslow Brothers #1)
by Max Monroe
When it comes to life’s fun and games, always know: The rules. What’s at stake. When to quit.
Wise words from…well…my fortune cookie. But wise words, nonetheless. I just wish the Fortune Cookie People had considered how hard the whole “knowing when to quit” would be to carry out when a woman like me is gambling with her feelings.
Heart-palpitating, vageen-tingling, butterflies-in-my-belly feelings for a noncommittal, hot-as-sin player by the name of Jude Winslow. After a crazy night where we were both pretending to be someone else, I’ve found myself immersed in the fun of the fling. The thrill. The irresistible charm. The pleasure of being with a man like him.
Problem is, I’m positive he’s the exact opposite of husband material, and that is a serious issue for someone who is fixated on finding her happily ever after. I know the rules and I know the stakes, oh wise Fortune Cookie. Now I’d just like to know how close to self-destruction I have to get before I find the will to quit Jude Winslow.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Max Monroe LLC
Year: 2021
Nº of pages: 386
Goodreads rate: 4,33
Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Twins in Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: Jude and Sophie
Main conflict: Jude is a player (that’s pretty much it)
Plot or character-driven: Character Driven
P.O.V.: Double P.O.V.
Character development: Shallow
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 3/5
Feminist rate:
Adjectives and general thoughts: Fun and light
Recommend this to People who love Playboys
I discovered this series during a reading challenge and the theme was political romance, and since this was one of the only KU books recently added to my TBR, I decided to give it a shot.
Off the Record
(Record #1)
by K.A. Linde
Liz Dougherty has no idea a single question is about to change her life.
Her first big reporting assignment for her North Carolina college newspaper has her covering a state senator’s impromptu press conference. Brady Maxwell may have everything it takes to be a politician—a winning pedigree, devastating good looks, a body made to wear suits—but his politics rub Liz the wrong way. When Liz’s hard-hitting question catches the upstart senator off-guard, it impresses Hayden Lane, Liz’s editor who feels she’s headed for a promising career as a reporter.
But Liz is also headed into a secret romance with Brady that could destroy both their ambitions. Though he’s a bachelor, potential voters might frown on Brady cozying up to a reporter. And Liz isn’t sure sneaking around is enough for her—especially when things between her and Hayden might be less platonic than she thought.
Sleek, sexy, and smart, Off the Record ventures into a high-stakes campaign and an even higher-stakes affair to answer the question: When politics and love collide, can there ever be a winner?
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Year: 2014
Nº of pages: 445
Goodreads rate: 4,04
Tropes: Age Gap Romance, Contemporary Romance, Love Triangle, Political Romance, Reporter Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): No content Warnings According to StoryGraph
Main characters: Liz and Brady
Main conflict: Brady is a politician, Liz is a college paper reporter in the political division, so their relationship is not the most ethical and it can endanger both of their careers.
Plot or character-driven: Mix
P.O.V.: Single P.O.V.
Character development: Shallow
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 4/5
Feminist rate: 3/5 (This relationship has some dangerous power dynamics, no communication, close to a toxic relationship for a minute, but then it gets a bit better, and SPOILER, by the end she finally has a spine to take action into her own hands)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Really interesting
Recommend this to People who love Secret Relationship
On the Record
(Record #2)
by K.A. Linde
For political reporter Liz Dougherty, election day—a day of looking toward the future and saying goodbye to the past—seems like a fitting time to start a new relationship. But feelings for her former flame still linger…
The sexy second book in bestselling author K.A. Linde’s Record series decides whether it’s better to pick up the pieces and move on…or to pick up right where you left off.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Year: 2014
Nº of pages: 384
Goodreads rate: 4,15
Tropes: Age Gap Romance, Contemporary Romance, Love Triangle, Political Romance, Reporter Romance
Smut factor: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 4/5 (steamy)
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Based on StoryGraphs): Sexual Abuse/Rape on the page
Main characters: Liz, Brady, and Hayden
Main conflict: Brady is a politician, Liz is a college paper reporter in the political division, so their relationship is not the most ethical and it can endanger both of their careers. Liz is now in another relationship, but she is not over Brady
Plot or character-driven: Mix
P.O.V.: Single P.O.V.
Character development: Shallow
Diverse Cast: No
Read in: August 2021
My Rate: 3/5
Feminist rate: 3/5 (The man in Liz’s life are ridiculous, on many levels, and there is rape on the page)
Adjectives and general thoughts: Slow, but still interesting
Recommend this to People who love Love triangles
These were all the books I read in August! I was really happy with the number of books I read this month, since classes are back, and I believe overall it was a really good month, bookwise! Have you read any of them? Did you like them? Do you agree with me? If not you can tell me so too!
Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time!
Bye sassy people!
- I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories.
- I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing, and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content.
Find Me In
Meet Me
Brazilian architecture student and book lover
One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.
Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020
I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!
