I read a lot more in August than I realized. I guess that makes sense, though, since this month was five weeks. Still, with school starting back and all the homework I've been working on for my teacher certification program, I felt like I didn't have time to read this month. I completed fourteen books and DNF'ed six (that's a lot for me).

Let's dive in to this month's reading roundup.

Liar Witch and Pirate Witch (The Deadwood books 2-3)

Author: Marie Mistry

This is hands down one of the best series I've read this year. I loved Nilsa, I loved her mates, and I loved the story.

Nilsa is an assassin witch sworn to serve the Moon goddess. When the high priestesses of both the Lunar and Sun covens are killed, Nilsa is the prime suspect. Forced to flee her home, she seeks refuge aboard the pirate ship Deadwood, the crew of which are the mates she was told she'd never have. What starts as a journey to find the priestesses' killers turns into a much bigger quest to save an entire species from an evil queen.

Only The Lonely (A Death Gate Grim Reapers Thriller book 1)

Author: Amanda M. Lee

Have you ever read a book where the blurb was better than the actual book? Yeah, that was this book for me. It had so much promise, but it just fell flat overall and didn't leave me with that have to read the next book feeling.

Izzy grew up on Belle Isle in Detroit, where her parents guarded the gate separating the living and the dead. After her parents were killed in a breach of the gate, Izzy's grandfather took her to New Orleans where she was raised among the bruja. Now an adult, Izzy has worked her way up to gatekeeper and accepts a position on Belle Isle. Her first day on the job the gate is breached, and the local reaper council sends the Grimlocks, an entire family of reapers, as backup. Izzy and one of the brothers, Byron, have an instant connection, something she doesn't have time for, especially as she tries to keep her special magic hidden.

The Descendant series books 1-5

Author: M. Sinclair

I'm quickly becoming a fan of this author. Her female leads are so funny, and the men are just the right amount of psychotic (something I never thought I'd say). There's still one book left to go in this series, but I've found it to be even more interesting than the Red Masques series, which I enjoyed immensely.

Nova is not like the other witches in her coven. When a group of mages enrolls at her school, Nova steps up as the coven leader's daughter to set up some boundaries. After all, mages are dangerous and not to be trusted, according to her father. But Nova is inexplicably drawn to the mages, who are in town investigating her father who is not at all who he pretends to be. Once Nova knows the truth, the mages' mission becomes her own, which launches a journey of self-discovery and the uncovering of a secret that reaches all the way to the gods.

Captured by the Magi: Zodiac Magic Academy (Exemplar Hall book 1)

Author: J.L. Madore and Ruby Knight

For me, this book was just meh. It wasn't bad per se. The storyline is interesting, but the 'daddy issues' just didn't feel like they were executed well, and that detracted from the overall story. I'm undecided on whether I'll keep going with the series.

All her life, Jesse felt like there was something inside her trying to get out. Little does she know she has magic, something that's supposed to be impossible in the female descendants of Magi. It's also the reason her dad disappeared when she was a child, leaving Jesse and her twin bother, Wyatt, to fend for themselves against an increasingly neglectful and abusive mother. When Wyatt turns down the offer to go the Exemplar Hall, the Magi school, he's kidnapped and forced to enter the admission trials. Jesse, with the help of her summer fling and newly-returned father, disguises herself as a boy and enters the trials as well to save her brother.

Author: May Dawson

Five years ago, Amelia's mate was murdered, and she was forced to marry his killer. Now, she's doing all she can to keep the truth of her son's parentage from her abusive husband, while searching for a way to escape. Then, her dead mate's pack attacks hers in revenge for his death, taking Amelia and her son back with them. Now Amelia and her son find themselves living in the pack house with her mate's three brothers and sister.

This wasn't terrible, and I downloaded the second book in the series, but I haven't felt compelled to read it yet. There's a lot going on in this book from mate-like relationships to a brewing coup and lots of betrayal all the way around. The way the book ended is definitely a cliff-hanger, but not in a who's going to die sort of way. I am curious as to where Amelia and her son are going to end up but, at this point, not enough to find out.

Author: Eden Appiah-Kubi

If you love Pride and Prejudice, August's One Woman Book Club pick is for you. I love how modernized this story is - from the college setting to the all-inclusive cast of characters. I thought it was a nice nod to how modern the original book was for its time. If Jane Austen is your jam, I think you'll find Eden Appiah-Kubi does her work justice (and I'm not just saying that because she liked, commented, and shared my Instagram post!).

EJ is an RA at Bennet House, the only all-women dorm at Longbourn University, where she lives with her two best friends, Jamie and Tessa. EJ is a black woman pursuing a degree in engineering; Jamie is a trans woman pursuing a career in theater; and Tessa is an astronomy major with major guy troubles. When Jamie meets and falls for Lee, the son of a Hollywood producer, EJ is naturally and begrudgingly paired up with his best friend, Will, an actor who's fresh off a bad, very public break-up with an infamous singer. The two have a horrendous first meeting, but both agree to be civil for their besties. In case you haven't caught on yet, EJ and Will are our modern day Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Of course, there are quite a bit of bumps in the road for both EJ and Will, both as a couple and separately. While the story is a nice parallel to the original Pride and Prejudice, I think the author did a wonderful job of working in issues that could only be part of the modern world.

Jump (Lost Boys book 4)

Author: Emilia Finn

This book partially overlaps book three of this season. It focuses on Matteo Ruiz, the fire jumper who's girlfriend died in the hotel fire and who's been crashing at Axel's house, and Vivian, Axel's girlfriend, Hannah's, roommate and best friend. The two have an anonymous encounter at a masquerade birthday party for Axel's sister - no names, no information, no plans to ever meet again. When Hannah moves out of Vivian's apartment, she and Axel think Matt will be the perfect roommate to fill the empty room. What follows is a story not based on a ton of action or danger but one of healing. It was a truly good story, and I'm glad Matt finally got his happy ending.

In Deep (With the Pack)

Author: Hannah Haze

Y'all, I don't know why I keep trying these omegaverse books. They're not my thing. I know this, and yet I keep giving them a shot. That said, this was better than others of this genre I've read. It's still not enough to sell me completely on it since I still have issues with the fact they're wolves but never turn into wolves. I just don't understand that part of it. Anyway, this is a standalone but is part of a six-book collection.

Rosie is an omega attending university to become something more than an omega. She's determined not to become dependent on an alpha or a pack, but all that changes when she catches the attention of the Crew, the top rowing team on campus who have a real shot at the Olympics.

Guardians (Collectors Division book 1)

Author: Lexie Winston

Orphaned as an infant, Mina has worked hard to become the best Guardian the Collectors Division has ever seen. It's all come down to this: running the gauntlet at the culmination her school years and joining a team. She never expects to be chosen by Team Alpha, the elite of the elite teams, despite them telling her years ago they'd wait for her. She also doesn't expect the secret they've been keeping, the huge mission they've landed, or the secrets about her heritage that will be revealed.

I actually liked the plot of this story a lot, even though the big conflict wasn't revealed until almost the end of the book. The relationships were underdeveloped in my opinion. I feel like there's a lot I don't know about the main characters.

Author: Michelle V. Dionetti

Part of our bedtime routine with Alexis is reading. Last month, I pulled this old favorite out of my bookshelf. The Calico mice live in a fabric shop. Life is good until the owner of a nearby inn, Mr. Max, tries to run the shop's owners out of business so he can turn the shop into a parking lot. The Calicos decide they won't take this lying down and with the help of their neighbors at the inn come up with a plan to stop Mr. Max.