Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

October was a heavy reading month, but not necessarily with books. I opened for queries as an agent the first week of October, and have had the honor of reading so many fulls and queries. Also, as an author, I have had the chance to beta read a few wonderful stories. Needless to say, I am not sure my monthly reading recaps will continue to be too many books since my time is much more limited.

I also wrote most of my ROW WIP this month, which is severely underwritten, but “finished”, along with editing 9 DATES to send off to my agent. It was a busy month. No wonder I was sick for most of it…

Now to what you came for…. here is what I read this month.

I started off spooky month by reading WITCH OF WILD THINGS by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. I really enjoyed this read. It was the perfect fall read and perfect for plant lovers. I love how Gilliland mixed magic into the real world, and the story arc of sisterhood was touching. And obviously the romance. I always love romance.

I read SAGA, VOLUME 1, which I really enjoyed. It has great representation and I enjoy the what it’s narrated. This is a great read for romantasy lovers. I looked up when it was published and this is a reason I LOVE the book industry when it’s allowed to flourish. It was published in 2013, and has a mother breastfeed on the cover. To me, this is a big deal and I wish there were more out there like this, even outside the fantasy genre.

Next, I read FRIENDS DON’T FALL IN LOVE by Erin Hahn. I have been WAITING for this to come out. First, I really enjoy Erin Hahn’s voice and this one lived up to it. It was heavy interiority and it was still entertaining because of how clever her characters are. I’m also always a sucker for friends to lovers.

PENELOPE IN RETROGRADE , by Brooke Abrams was up next. This is on KU, which is how I read it. Talk about witty writing and clever characters- this had it! I also liked how it didn’t necessarily follow the typical formula for a romance book, and had a strong arc for the main character and her family. It was touching and made me laugh out loud.

The next story I read was TO HAVE AND TO HEIST, by Sara Desai. I read this as comp research for one of my clients and I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Again, this was another book that made me literally LOL. Though I wish there was more romance because I really liked the love interest, it still held me attention with the friendship arc.

Last, I read THE ART OF SCANDAL, by Regina Black. If you’re looking for a story in the world of politics, this has a touch of that. It doesn’t go too deep, but enough to satiate the need if you have it. If you’re also interested in messy rich families, while also wanting romance, this is for you. Not to mention forbidden love and age gap (but the female is older!). *There is cheating in this book. If that is something you don’t want to read, this is not the book for you, though it didn’t bother me.*

With NaNoRiMo starting tomorrow, I’m sure many people will be focusing on writing rather than reading, but if you need a break, a lot of what I read this month were book slump busters (especially, SAGA). If you are participating in NaNoRiMo, good luck! Remeber to take care of yourself too.