Time for my December books to brawl for coveted position of best read of the month! Since there were nine books reviewed this month, I did not include The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, partly because it wouldn’t make for an even bracket but mostly because I didn’t think it was right to have a person’s life story go up against fiction. That said, let’s get on to the bracket!
Bracket positions generated at random:
Quarterfinals
Ruthless Idols by Michelle Hercules - vs - Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Well this just seems pretty unfair on first glance. We’ve got a book two in a paranormal romance going up against a book one in a magic realism series. Both Ruthless Idols and Middlegame were just shy of getting a perfect 5 star rating this month. Despite really enjoying Ruthless Idols, and it being possibly my favorite in the series so far, Middlegame by Seanan McGuire was on a completely different level. Where Ruthless Idols lost a star for a recycled plot, Middlegame lost only half a star and that was simply because I was being a jerk. Middlegame advances!
The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori - vs - King of Wrath by Ana Huang
Now this is a juicy battle! We’ve got mafia romance The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori going up against billionaire romance King of Wrath by Ana Huang. Both are equally rated at three stars. Both had side characters that I absolutely adored. However, there is a big difference for me that really makes the winner of this bracket stand out. King of Wrath took time to build the romance between protagonists, and the problems between them felt real. The Sweetest Oblivion just was a little too rushed and messy in comparison. King of Wrath moves forward!
The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard - vs - Wicked Gods by Michelle Hercules
Another unfair bracket! The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard is a YA paranormal book two that I was highly anticipating, while Wicked Gods by Michelle Hercules a book one in paranormal series Gifted Academy. The Hunting Moon, surprisingly, was the only book to receive five stars this month, but Wicked Gods is close behind with four. Despite the spice obviously being a much stronger factor in Wicked Gods, the longing and yearning and angst in The Hunting Moon just completely unravels me even thinking about it. Easy peasy choice, Hunting Moon moves ahead!
Hurtful Heroes by Michelle Hercules - vs - Twisted Love by Ana Huang
It feels kinda bad to have three books in the same series here and not have a single one advance. Hurtful Heroes by Michelle Hercules is the weakest of her series so far and a struggle for me to finish. Twisted Love on the other hand had me falling in love with Alex Volkov. Both had spice but Hurtful Heroes struggled to find a balance. Twisted Love gave me a romance with spice and desperation. Ana Huang just continues knocking dark romance out of the park! Twisted Love pulls through to the next round!