Top 5 recent reads

Hello bookworms!! Welcome to Top 5 Tuesday!! This week’s topic is a FREEBIE!! But, I decided to be kind to myself (especially after posting the Jan-March 2022 topics) and am doing a top 5 recent reads post.

I’m secretly hoping this will kick my butt back into gear so I can start doing WWW Wednesday posts again… Because, apparently they dropped off my radar in… February. Oops?!

If you missed the October-December topics please see this link. Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted here @ Meeghan reads.

top 5 recent reads

Moving in a reverse chronological order, we’re starting with my most recent finish, and moving backwards. Amazingly, I did read all of these in the last week.

Aurora Burning — Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Look, while I might have fallen off my imposed TBR earlier, this was my attempt to bring it all back under control. Annnnd, it kind of worked. If I still gave half stars, this would have been a 3.5, but I rounded down. Now I just need to finish book 3 in this series before… oh, the end of today. Wish me luck!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb:

Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

Game On (Tempting Twenty-Eight) — Janet Evanovich

I have to say, I didn’t think I would be reading this series still at book 28. There’s not many series that went past 13 books that I haven’t called it quits on. Discworld, Southern Vampire Mysteries and Stephanie Plum excluded. I mean, I still buy the James Patterson Private books — but it’s been a while since I’ve read one. But, here we are. And I do still enjoy these books. There’s a comforting formula to them. It has been a while (since Plum Spooky — book 14.5) since we’ve seen Diesel though, so this was a real blast from the past. Another 3.5, but this one rounded down… ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb:

When Stephanie Plum is woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of footsteps in her apartment, she wishes she didn’t keep her gun in the cookie jar in her kitchen. And when she finds out the intruder is fellow apprehension agent Diesel, six feet of hard muscle and bad attitude whom she hasn’t seen in more than two years, she still thinks the gun might come in handy.

Turns out Diesel and Stephanie are on the trail of the same fugitive: Oswald Wednesday, an international computer hacker as brilliant as he is ruthless. Stephanie may not be the most technologically savvy sleuth, but she more than makes up for that with her dogged determination, her understanding of human nature, and her willingness to do just about anything to bring a fugitive to justice. Unsure if Diesel is her partner or her competition in this case, she’ll need to watch her back every step of the way as she sets the stage to draw Wednesday out from behind his computer and into the real world.

Lore Olympus: Volume 1 — Rachel Smythe

Lore Olympus is one of those webtoons that I always meant to read. Like Heartstopper. And Check Please. And Spells from Hell. But just like Heartstopper and Check Please, I didn’t even look at it until it was a graphic novel. And I LOVE it. It’s everything I didn’t even know I wanted out of a modern Persephone and Hades retelling. I don’t want to wait for Volume 2, but I’m also too lazy to read it online. (Can someone please make Spells from Hell into a graphic novel too??) Probably another 3.5, but I can tell the story is building so we went up… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb:

Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods.

When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld.

Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place – and her own power.

You Deserve Each Other — Sarah Hogle

Surprisingly, one of the BEST books I’ve read this year. I don’t think I could have loved this story any more, and now I wish I had bought it in the pretty paperback, rather than wait for the trade paperback to come out. (Partly because I now want to buy Twice Shy immediately and they won’t match!!) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Blurb:

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves — and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

Accidentally Engaged — Farah Heron

Honestly, this book was a gem of a find on Kindle. I can’t even remember how I saw it… It could have just been recommended to me by the app itself. Or maybe it was a cover buy?? Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It did make me consider how many “fake dating” and “reality tv chef contestant” books I’ve been reading lately. And the answer is probably more than you think… Would have given a 4.5 for this though. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb:

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall — with hopes that Reena will marry him.

But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.

As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine — secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

Please don’t forget to link to one of my posts (not my homepage or a category, as I won’t get the pingback), or comment your link below, and I will link back to all of your posts as soon as I can!!

PARTICIPANTS

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What are your top 5 most recent reads?