Friends... August was a weird month. 

I only read three books. One was a re-read, two of them I'd actually started in July and finished at the start of August. Then only one which I started and completed in August.

However- it was for a good reason.

I decided to participate in the writing contest PitchWars and it's a slightly long story but it basically ended with me needing to hide out in my writing cave for about a week and a half finishing the last quarter of my fairy-tale mash-up and doing any edits or revisions it needed by August 29 at 9pm North American Central Time.. It was exhausting- but it's done!

I can finally say that this draft of White Rose is completed and I'm really proud of myself. I even had a few hours to spare on August 29 after I hit the "submit" button. 

I won't know anything about if I got chosen until October, which is slightly nerve-wracking because it means 6 weeks of my agonizing over Twitter and thinking about every detail I could have changed or done with my novel. However, it also means that September I am officially taking a writing break. 

You all know how passionate I am about writing and telling stories, but we all need a rest sometimes even from things we love. My brain needs to relax a bit. 

Basically, all I'm going to do in September is read, watch  Netflix, and drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes because... I'm basic like that.

It's going to be amazing.

Anyway - onto the three books I read!

QUEEN OF SHADOWS* (THRONE OF GLASS #4) BY SARAH J MAAS

• Genre:  Young Adult Fantasy
• Format:  Hardcover
• Rating: 5 Stars

Quick Summary:  Our heroine returns to the empire to rescue her friends, family, and people, as well as for vengeance for all she's lost. 

The first time I read Queen of Shadows I was unsure of my feelings toward it. It took such a different turn than when the series started and it felt like I wasn't even reading the same books anymore.

The second time I read it, I understood it.

The third time - I LOVED IT. Now that I'm seeing where the series is going, everything else Maas did to build up to QoS my views have completely changed in regards to this book. I'm so bummed I wasn't able to get to the next one in August as planned, but I'm super excited to re-read Empire of Storms in September!

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  SJM's other books, epic fantasy, romance, assassins, political intrigue, fae, shifters, adventure, a lot of plot twists

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence, references to past emotional/physical/sexual abuse

LOVE OVER LATTES (DESERT MONSOON #1)* BY DIANA A. HICKS

• Genre:  Contemporary Romance
• Format:  ebook
• Rating:  3.5 Stars

Quick Summary:  A young mom and college graduate falls for the guy she's been eyeing at the coffee shop - who also happens to offer to be her landlord when she's in need of a place to live. 

This book has been sitting on my Kindle app (along with many others) for several months, and I needed something to occupy my time while sitting at the hair salon waiting for my hair to dry. So, I pulled out my phone and started this one.

It was really cute! My one complaint with some of these romances is that they happen so fast where I can only willingly suspend my disbelief for so long. Like... there's no way you fell in love that hard that fast. But... whatever. Everything else was fun. I loved that they met at a coffee shop, her kid was cute, and the twists with his ex-wife were interesting and different. 

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  single mom trying to find love and get back on her feet again, coffee shops, ex-wife drama, Arizona, steamy, 

Trigger Warnings: abandonment by a past love, divorce, single parenting

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons #3)* by Sarah J Maas

• Genre:  Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Superhero
• Format:  Hardcover
• Rating: 3.5 Stars

Quick Summary:  Selina returns to Gotham and the cat plays while the bat is away.

This is the third book in the DC Icons series - but each one stands completely alone and has nothing to do with the others so you can pick and choose as you please!

It was interesting to read something by Sarah J Maas that wasn't ACOTAR or TOG, as well as a stand alone book. It's also interesting to read when I literally know nothing about Cat Woman save for a couple of Batman movies I saw years and years ago and have hardly any memory of. 

From what I read in other reviews, Maas stuck pretty well to Batman cannon, particularly with the inclusivity of the characters, which was really great. (I had no clue Batwing was a person, and that Poison Ivy/Harley Quinn were bi/lesbian. I'm sorry.) In spite of my ignorance of DC Comics, I was able to follow the story fine.

It took me a bit to really get into the story, and while the keeping certain plot points a secret so there's a big reveal in the end is pretty classic SJM, it bothered me more in this book than her others. I had a lot of moments where I was like "OMG JUST TELL ME CAUSE I'M CONFUSED." I also felt like Selina was basically just another version of Celeana from ToG. Which, I love Celeana and she's one of my favorites. That doesn't mean I need a repeat of her. 

In spite of that though, I still really enjoyed this book. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down and I liked the different twist on Catwoman. I particularly liked her inclusion of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn and the bad girl squad the three of them became. 

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy: the other DC Icons books, DC comics, superheros, villain origin stories, assassins, girl squads, action, sisters, SJM's other books

Trigger Warnings: drug/alcohol abuse, abusive and negligent parents, abusive relationships, terminal illness, violence, mental illness

What did you all read in August? Any other writers out there who particiated in PitchWars? Are you exhausted as I am?

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