I guess it was the month of romance books but my absolute favorite read of the month isn’t even included in the reviews below. To see all the books I read this month plus my top choice head to my “Book Picks” highlight on my Instagram profile.

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Butcher & Blackbird

Read the trigger warnings!! Butcher & Blackbird is not for prudes or those with weak stomachs but if that doesn’t describe you then you might like this book.

It’s a dark romance between two killers who only murder horrible men. A contest between the two over a few years leads to a slow-burn romance eventually turning into a hot and spicy relationship (it was a bit much for me to handle at times and that’s saying a lot).

The audio version is recommended for the butcher’s accent is lovely. I think I will read the next book in the trilogy but I need some palate cleaners in between. There are some serious yuck moments wrapped around a sweet love story. 

You Should Be So Lucky

 You Should Be So Lucky is a 1960 historical fiction gay romance. I enjoyed the story a lot for a straight woman who is not that into baseball. It’s a sweet romance with a little spice.

Eddie was a promising MLB rookie but got traded to a new team far away from his home and friends. Now he can’t hit a single pitch.

Mark is a newspaper reporter who hasn’t written much this past year because he’s grieving the death of his long-term partner.

Now Mark has an assignment to write a diary of Eddie for the paper. The two have chemistry but it’s a dangerous time for homosexuals to be out in public. It’s especially important that Eddie doesn’t get outed and Mark doesn’t want to go back to a life of total secrecy.

Will Eddie’s game improve? What if he gets traded? Will Mark be persuaded to take a chance on Eddie? Will Eddie’s new team finish last in the league?

Summer Romance

I love a more realistic book (no billionaires, fake marriages, etc). In Summer Romance, a mom of three is separated from her husband and about to go through mediation for divorce.

She’s finally realizing everything she gave up for her marriage while her husband compromised nothing. The woman is also a little resentful of her mother who recently passed away. Her mother essentially became her co-parent making it easy to stay in a marriage that wasn’t good for her.

Now a random encounter at the dog park leads to a fun date. But the man turns out to be the younger brother of her good friend. She thinks this could be a fun summer romance, but relationships are rarely that easy when feelings are involved.  

This is a story about a woman getting her life back on track as a woman, as a mother, and in her career.

The Paradise Problem

I very much liked The Paradise Problem despite its ridiculous premise.

A number of years ago two college students married to take advantage of married student housing but they never really saw each other. Cut to now and Anna is recently unemployed down to her last dime because of her father’s medical bills.

Liam needs Anna to go to a family wedding on a private island to prove they are actually married to meet a requirement of his inheritance. Then they can divorce and she will get a tidy sum after the wedding.

But this plan is not as easy as it sounds. Anna has to pretend she is a doctor and wealthy. Also, they don’t know each other and must convince his family they’ve been happily married for the last 5 years. Plus, his family (specifically his father) is horrible. Liam hasn’t spoken to his father for many years because of a business scandal.

The book has some good spice. I like the island wedding setting. The different personalities between Anna and Liam make the relationship fun. The end was great and not too quick.

For more book reviews check out my July Book Reviews!