July Book Review {08.03.25}

Hello and happy Sunday friends! I hope your weekend is going well and you're looking forward to a fun week ahead. For this post, I am sharing all the books that I read in the month July. This month was a lot quieter when it comes to reading and I finished a total of three books all month. Honestly, I am quite okay with three in one month especially considering how much I was busy with work or travel during the month of July. 

If you want to get any of these books for yourself, click on the picture or the name of the book below and it will take you to Amazon where you can buy the book for yourself. Heads up: I am an Amazon Associate so if you purchase with my link I could make a small commission.

So without further adieu...here's my July 2025 book review.

Book #1: Beach House Rules 

Synopsis: 

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Desperate and cut off from her bank accounts, Charlotte moves to a former beachfront bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever.

My Thoughts:

This is a cute and fun summer read that I would recommend to anyone. At first I thought the book was going to have a mysterious twist - and to a certain degree it did - but ultimately the book focused on the power of friendship and support. Left the book feeling good and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good feel-good read. 

 

Book #2: A Fate Inked in Blood

Synopsis:

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

My Thoughts: 

I love this. I love this. I love this. Such a great book and I cannot wait to read the second one. Thankfully, I already have it on my shelf and can start it immediately. 5 stars.

Book #3: With a Vengeance

Synopsis:

One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of thirteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.

But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.

With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.

My Thoughts: 

This was my first Riley Sager book and to be honest I wasn't super impressed. I appreciated the though process behind the book and liked how everything was set up, but I was honestly disappointed. I had heard so many great things about his books that this one was just not it for me. That being said, I will be picking up more of his books and reading those because I know he has to have some good books out there. 

 

Well that's all for today's book review! I hope you found a new book to add to your reading list for the future.

Okay what should I read next? I'm always on the hunt for book recommendations and am fairly open to all stories.

 

Have a wonderful day,
Jackie

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