June was another month of solid reads and I also aimed to read a bunch of queer books too! Which, let’s do that all year long of course, but amp it up a little for Pride, yeah?
Anyway, below is my breakdown as always, which includes my rating, what I liked, and where to read. I also will earn commissions if you make any purchases from links below, and I thank you earnestly for doing so. It allows me to keep putting together these recaps for you!
Let’s get into this June reading breakdown:
Veiled Court
📖 Book 1 of incomplete Legacy of Avalon romantasy trilogy
📚 Same world as Fey Academy for Spies trilogy
❤️ No spice yet
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
My Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: CN Crawford is just the queen of writing bingeable, popcorn romantasy and I’m genuinely going to eat it up every time. This one is SUPER fun and my favorite aspect of it was the fake dating element DURING the trials. Because it was giving Katniss-and-Peeta-“performance dating”-for-the-upper-echelon. And also I think like in the Fey Academy for Spies trilogy book 2 is going to go off the rails in the absolute best way and I’m THRILLED.
This book has: assassin FMC in her 30s, humans, fey, & demi-fey, deadly trials, love triangle-ish, hot slutty MMC but also an enemy MMC
Where to Read:
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards
📖 Book 1 of a series of interconnected standalones
🏳️🌈 Queer romantic fantasy
❤️🔥 Spicy
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Solo-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (full review here)
My Thoughts: This was as sweet as it was sexy and that to be honest kind of surprised me! I expected this to be this hot little Heated Rivalry with wizards and that sort of be the extent of the depth, but we got really deep into some stuff and I really loved it. Great on audio too!
This book has: queer romance, urban/paranormal fantasy setting, rivals to lovers, trauma
Where to Read:
Light Wielder
📚 Book 2 of the Fire & Metal romantasy duet
📖 3rd book coming in this world though from a different POV & a new romance
❤️🔥 Lower spice
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Duet-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW there is a time jump! I think people expect going into book 2 that it’s going to pick up just where it lets off in book 1 and that’s not the case, and with the passing of time comes the passing of certain emotions. And also there will be a final book in the world, so we aren’t done with the overall story. But this is the conclusion of our first romance! And I really enjoyed it, there’s just something in this relationship/world for me that I really enjoy.
This book has: politics and war, lots of different types of magic, longing and groveling, another spicy scene think the whiskey glass scene from book 1 but even more
Where to Read:
Destiny’s Edge
📘 Romantic fantasy standalone
🏳️🌈 Sapphic
🐉 Acts as a prequel to an unpublished fantasy duology
📧 Not published, only available via ML Wang’s email newsletter
My Rating: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: YOU NEED to know going into this, this is a free download acting as a prequel for an unpublished duology and it acts like that. Prequels tend to expect the reader already knows about the world/etc., so it sort of throws you into the fire. HOWEVER, I loved this book so much. I rated it with that in mind, but this world has me EXTREMELY excited for the duology it is prequel-ing. The relationship dynamic was kind of hilarious and I didn’t expect it to be so light and whimsical. I ate this up.
This book has: sapphic romance, unique politics and magic, bodyguard trope, really fun banter
Where to Read:
Bored Gay Werewolf
📗 Paranormal fantasy standalone
🏳️🌈 Queer
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Solo-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (full review here)
My Thoughts: I definitely liked this it just wasn’t anything particularly special for me. I giggled a few times and the found family was fun, but the plot line was sort of “ashamed secret werewolf joins man MLM” and I just think that wasn’t something I much cared for? But it was a perfectly fine book, I think just not my jam.
This book has: queer and trans rep, werewolves, coming into-one’s-self, humor
Where to Read:
The River Has Roots
📕 Romantic fantasy standalone
🏳️🌈 Queer
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Solo-narrated audiobook (REALLY beautifully done)
My Rating: 3.75 -4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: I liked this so much but I actually think I wanted it to be longer. Like, I know it was a novella, but with how much was happening with the world and relationships I just wanted more. This is beautifully written and the prose is quite lovely but it took a hot second to get into. I would definitely recommend this audiobook though!
This book has: queer and trans rep, faerie and humans, singing in the audiobook
Where to Read:
Kissed by the Gods
📖 Book 1 in The Eternal Wars series (1.5 books of 4)
🐉 Romantic fantasy
❤️🔥 Spicy
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Duet-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (full review here)
My Thoughts: This was super fun and I quite liked the forbidden romance of it! I will say I don’t think this is necessarily all that unique in premise (which I think I had heard it was going in) so just go in expecting a fun romantasy and have a great time. Also there’s PEGASUS! They have different names but they’re super rad.
This book has: trainer/trainee, chosen one, forbidden romance, feisty FMC, interesting world, military training
Where to Read:
Unwritten by the Gods
📖 Prequel (book 0.5) in The Eternal Wars series (1.5 books of 4)
🐉 Romantic fantasy
❤️🔥 Spicy
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Duet-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: OKAY I LOVED THIS. I liked this better than book 1 actually! It features some characters from book 1 and occurs right before it, so you can really read it before or after. If you like chronological, read it first. But know it sort of relies on some world-building from Kissed.
This book has: second chance romance, “fuck the fates” vibe, longinggggggggg
Where to Read:
The Fox and the Devil
📕 Romantic historical fantasy standalone
🏳️🌈 Sapphic
🎧 Full cast audiobook
My Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (full review here)
My Thoughts: This is basically if Sherlock Holmes was Van Helsing and on the hunt for the monster she things is hot but also is doing a lot of murders, including her father. So this was faaascinating and a super fun story. I think it meandered a little sometines unnecessarily, but if you love fantasy and crime procedurals and also monsters and sapphic romance, you’ll love this.
This book has: monster/monster hunter, Sherlock Holmes x Van Helsing
Where to Read:
One Small Echo
📖 Book 1 in the Shadowsong romantasy series
🐉 Romantic fantasy
❤️🔥 Low spice
🎧 Solo-narrated audiobook audiobook
My Rating: 4.5 – 4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (full review here)
My Thoughts: This book is DEFINITELY a character journey vs. a super intricate plot but let me tell you what the character journey is a blast because our main girly pop is actually hilarious. She’s also bonded to a cutie little funny monster and it’s just entertaining as shit. The end had me VERY pumped for political maneuvering that’s about to occur in the next book.
This book has: monster familiars, slowwwww burn, enemies to lovers maybeeee, FUN found family, political maneuvering, A BLIND FMC AND A MUTE MMC, potential love triangle?
Where to Read:
Vows of Blood and Deception
📖 Book 2 in the Hirathean Path romantasy series
❤️🔥 Spicy
☑️ On Kindle Unlimited
🎧 Duet-narrated audiobook
My Rating: 4.5 – 4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (full review here)
My Thoughts: This is JUUUUUUST what you want from a romantasy sequel and I will stand on that. Like this is just so much fun and it is becoming just a perfect, romantasy classic. So much fun, it’s constantly running meaning you’re constantly on the edge of your seat a little bit and I just loved it. I also just love the characters in this, it’s just romantasy done RIGHT.
This book has: suuuch yearning, EXCELLENT found family and side characters, direwolves and monsters, ANOTHER love triangle??
Where to Read:
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