Welcome to my first reading wrap-up! This will be a monthly thing going forward, but I’m glad I’m starting now, because July was an excellent reading month for me. I really enjoyed all the books I read, and gave them all between four and five stars.
Half of the books I read were set, at least partially, in Italy. I’d already been planning to read these three together (I like to read books by themes, especially by geographical setting), but I decided to make them a priority now because one of my Italian books is one my mother-in-law just read. She’s coming to visit my husband and me soon, so I figured I could read it and we’d have something to talk about while she’s here. Alas, that particular book is still in progress – but I will finish within the next week, before my in-laws arrive! – but nonetheless, the other Italian books were fun this month.
The other three books were a bit more varied – contemporary and historical; realistic and fantasy; romance and drama. Though they didn’t fit into any theme, I enjoyed having different moods and settings to dive into and keep things fresh.
Check out my full wrap-up video below (my first on my brand new YouTube channel! Subscribe there if you like!), and after that, you can see links to each of my written out book reviews here on ABC.
All My July Book Reviews:
The Ancestor
In spring 2020, one of my most anticipated books was The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni, a horror set in the Italian Alps. I’m always down for a spooky story set in an isolated location, and even better if there’s a European mansion – or castle! – involved. Though I’ve had The Ancestor on my shelves for several months, I’m reading a few books set in Italy this month, and I was excited to start here. The Ancestor by Danielle TrussoniAudienceAdultGenreGothic;…
What the Hex
Last September I read (and adored) You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. It’s the first in her Primas of Power series, and I’m eagerly awaiting its second installment, A Lot Like Adiós, due out in two months. Luckily, the countdown was made a bit easier with the release of her new novella, What the Hex, currently available exclusively as an audiobook on Audible. It just came out on July 1st, so I dove in this weekend. It’s a quick…
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
When The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman was selected as a November pick for Book of the Month last year, I had never heard of it. But its summary – and especially its setting – instantly drew me in. It was a bit of an impulse buy, the kind that you never regret. And after hearing only good things about it in the past six months, I was excited to finally read it for myself. The Star-Crossed…
The Woman in Red
A full year ago, The Woman in Red by Diana Giovinazzo was one of my most anticipated books of summer 2020. Though it came out last August and is now due for release in paperback, I’m just finally getting to it now. Following a few books set in Italy – The Ancestor and The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany, with Beneath a Scarlet Sky currently in process, too – I thought now would be the perfect time dive in. Although The…
We Are the Brennans
We Are the Brennans, the debut novel by Tracey Lange, is one of my most anticipated books of next month. Luckily for me, Book of the Month offered it as a selection this month – a full month early! Because of an online book club I sometimes participate in, I bumped it to the top of my list and started reading it as soon as it arrived. Trust me when I say that you need to get this once it’s…
The Devil and the Heiress
Six months ago, I finished reading The Heiress Gets a Duke, the first in Harper St. George’s Gilded Age Heiresses series. I really enjoyed it, and I was thrilled to learn that the second book in the series, The Devil and the Heiress, would be published so soon after. This followup has been one of my most anticipated books this year, and I excitedly dove in as soon as it arrived. The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. GeorgeSeriesThe…
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments below!
Amanda's Book Corner 
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