Summerween is a weeklong read-a-thon from July 2nd – July 8th, created and hosted by Olivia from OliviaReadsaLatte and Gabby from GabbyReads to inspire you to read mystery, thriller, paranormal, and horror stories all year long (or at least a week in summer) instead of putting them all off until October.
This was my first year participating in Summerween and I had a great time and I am definitely going to participate in the future!
The Challenges for the readathon were:
✔️1) bake or make a drink with your spooky read
✔️2) read a book in the dark
✔️3) read a paranormal book
4) read a horror book
✔️5) read a book with black or orange on the cover (or both)
I followed the prompts loosely, and honestly used the entire readathon moreso as inspiration to stop reading so many romance books in a row. But here are the books I read for Sumemrween!
Wolfsong by T.J. Klune | Paranormal
Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.
Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.
Ox was seventeen when he found out the boy’s secret, and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.
Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.
It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.
I’ve had this books on my TBR for 5 years and I cannot believe it took me this long to read it! If you’re looking for found family, pick this up now! It a wonderful story filled with hope, heart, and love.
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing | Psychological Thriller
Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.
We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.
We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.
Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.
This is one of my favorite thrillers I’ve ever read. I was gasping and screaming for the last 100 pages. The books reads so quickly and it was hard to put it down. The characters are fucked up but it was such a read reading experience.
The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John | Cozy Mystery
Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend’s yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating waitressing job, but once she’s aboard the luxurious Lion’s Den, it soon becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.
Belle’s dream vacation quickly devolves into a nightmare as she and the handful of other girls Summer invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their controlling host-and in one terrifying moment, Belle comes to see Summer for who she truly is: a vicious gold digger who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Belle realizes she’s going to have to keep her wits about her — and her own big secret closely hidden — if she wants to make it off the yacht alive.
I don’t know why opulence and murder go so good together but this story was great. It’s a perfect balance of mystery and extravagance that keeps you entertained and the stakes low enough to not give you a heart attack.
Layla by Colleen Hoover | Paranormal
When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.
Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
This is obviously a very different genre for Colleen Hoover, but having read a few of her romance books, I know I like her writing and I was intrigued. This is definitely a light paranormal story with romance, so it was really easy to read and I thought it was a good time. Leeds and Layla’s romance was a bit insta-infatuation, but they seem to actually care about each other so I’ll give it a pass.
I’m also currently about 100 pages in Gone Girl ( a modern classic) and once I started to audiobook along with the physical book, I’m really enjoying it! I’m loving the alternating POVs and timelines.
Did you participate in Summerween? Have you read any of these books? What are your favorite spooky books? Leave your recommendations for mysteries, thrillers, and paranormals below
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