Everything I Read in October 2024
I reached my 2024 reading goal this month! My goal was to read 110 books, regardless of format, and The Celtic Blood Series by Melanie Karsak tipped me over that goal. I haven’t tracked what portion of that 110 were regular books versus audiobooks, but I’m guessing it’s a roughly even split. Other than that accomplishment, October was a big reading month for me because I got to listen to the Lost and Lassoed audiobook early, and I loved it. Beyond that, I dabbled in some paranormal romance books and a lot of historical fiction. All in all, a well-rounded reading month for me!
Of the 10 books I read this month, here are my top favorites:
- Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Rebel Blue Ranch Book 3)
- The Pretender by Jo Harkin
- The Celtic Blood Series by Melanie Karsak
Table of Contents
October 2024 In Books
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Rebel Blue Ranch Book 3)
5/5 Stars
I cannot tell you how excited I was to get Lost and Lassoed as an advanced reader audiobook! I have loved the first two books in Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series and was eager to delve into the third chapter of her small town romance series. This book focuses on Teddy Anderson, the best friend of the main character in the first book in the series, and her relationship with Gus Ryder, said best friend’s brother. A total opposites attract romance, I kept finding reasons to do chores around the house, go for walks, or run errands, just so I could keep listening to the audiobook. If you loved the first two books in the series, this one will not disappoint.
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage is available from Amazon here.
Check out my reviews of the first two books in the Rebel Blue Ranch series:
– Done and Dusted
– Swift and Saddled
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
5/5 Stars
For fans of rom coms who also love the paranormal, Haunted Ever After is the perfect read. I knew I would enjoy the book since the protagonist is from Orlando (my home town) and there are lots of great native Floridian references that made me laugh. Beyond that, though, I genuinely enjoyed the story and found the audiobook’s narration to be very engaging. Set in a small coastal town of the paranormal persuasion, aptly called Boneyard Key, there are plenty of great Florida-based Easter eggs that appear while the main character navigates (unknowingly) moving into a haunted house. Rom com cuteness ensues.
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca is available from Amazon here.
The Pretender by Jo Harkin
5/5 Stars
A very different book compared to the first two listed in this reading journal, The Pretender by Jo Harkin is a robust work of historical fiction, in the same vein as the late great Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series (more on that fantastic series here). Telling the confounding story of Lambert Simnel, one of two famous pretenders to the crown of King Henry VII, Jo Harkin manages to weave a fascinating drama about lost identities and political power plays in the years following the Wars of the Roses. This book comes out in April 2025 and is well worth a pre-order!
The Pretender by Jo Harkin is available from Amazon here.
Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine
5/5 Stars
If you enjoy mythological retellings, then Daughters of Bronze is going to be right up your alley. This novel rotates between four points of view with Andromache, Rhea, Helen, and Cassandra It took me a little while to get oriented in the story (it’s technically book two of a duology, which I am only now realizing while I write this; here is book one), but once I got ahold of who was who, the drama unfolded quickly. It was well written and engaging.
Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine is available from Amazon here.
Interested in more mythological retellings? Click here for some of my favorite books in the genre!
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So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
3/5 Stars
There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed, but the whole thing wound up falling flat for me. The protagonist is unhappy with her life and with aging, and is swept into a dark and twisted vampire party by her troublemaker friend. Between some overly gory descriptions and what felt like an overly rushed ending, I have to say that it just wasn’t for me. Plus, the audiobook was narrated by the same narrator as the American Royals series and I just kept picturing those characters in this book.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison is available from Amazon here.
The Celtic Blood Series by Melanie Karsak
5/5 Stars
I read these four books in quick succession, so I’m grouping them together for a review as a series here. Highland Raven had caught my eye a while back and it came up on Kindle Unlimited so I decided to try it out. I quickly fell into the story and couldn’t put it down. A dramatic retelling of the story of Lady Macbeth, this series has magic, highland lore, and all the historical fiction tropes we know and love. The series reads quickly and the characters and plot were robust. My only issue is that Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) tends to say “okay” which really takes you out of the 1026 Scotland mindset, but that was the only real issue I had and I know I’m being nit picky there (if anyone’s interested, “okay” is probably from the 19th century, as you can read here; I went down a rabbit hole). Definitely give the series a shot while it is on KU!
The Celtic Blood Series by Melanie Karsak is available from Amazon here.
If you’re interested in more historical fiction about Lady Macbeth, check out Ava Reid’s interpretation of the story in Lady Macbeth. I reviewed this book in my August reading journal here.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
3/5 Stars
I was pulled in by this book’s cover and the fact that there was a cat on it, but it really wasn’t for me. This is not the first time I’ve been burned by this strategy for picking books, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. This book was fine; it is described as a “cozy fantasy” and I guess it lives up to that because it’s about a traveling fortune teller who goes on an adventure with a bulky mercenary looking for his abducted daughter, a reformed thief, and a baker. I’m really just not a big “cozy” book fan, I’m realizing. There were a number of points during this book that I thought it was YA (like….early YA, like for middle schoolers), but it’s not. Not that I was looking for more adult themes, it just felt like the story just lacked any real depth. Maybe if there was more world building, I would have liked it more. Anyway, the cat was cute.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong is available from Amazon here.
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What have you been reading lately?
Share your favorites in the comments so I can add them to my TBR pile!
Still searching for your next favorite read?
Check out my September reading journal for more great titles for your TBR!
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*Some of the novels featured here were gifted to me as part of various book review programs that Cats & Coffee is a part
