Spell the Month in Books: August

Hi there! Time for another Spell the Month in Books! I saw this on several blogs, including Carla Loves to Read, Bookworm Blogger, and Secret Library Book Blog and thought it looked like fun! It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.

For August, the focus is on books that you want to read in the rest of 2021.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

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A: All the Feels by Olivia Dade

Series: Spoiler Alert #2

Page Length: 320

Publication Date: Oct. 26, 2021

Publisher: Avon

Synopsis: Following Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade returns with another utterly charming romantic comedy about a devil-may-care actor—who actually cares more than anyone knows—and the no-nonsense woman hired to keep him in line.

Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.

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U: Unraveling Eleven by Jerri Chisholm

Series: Eleven Trilogy #2

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: Nov. 16, 2021

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Synopsis: If Eve Hamilton cannot contain the monster inside, she’ll lose everyone who is important to her in this thrilling follow-up to the 2020 dystopian Escaping Eleven.

At long last, Eve Hamilton has realized true freedom. It is electrifying, intoxicating, divine. But much too quickly, it is wrenched from her grasp. And this time, the awaiting corridors of Compound Eleven are even less friendly than before. This time her list of enemies has grown exponentially, and her survival is far from a given—even with Wren Edelman by her side.

Yet her brief taste of freedom has left her with something useful, something powerful, something that terrifies the leaders of Compound Eleven: knowledge. Together Eve and Wren use it to uncover secret after secret, ones so twisted that everything they have ever known is thrown into doubt. Secrets that are so dangerous to wield that mere awareness can spell certain death.

But Eve soon discovers that despite a long list of enemies, despite uncovering secrets worth killing for, her greatest adversary lies deep within. And if she can’t contain the monster inside, if she can’t stop committing unspeakable acts of cruelty—ones she never thought she was capable of—she will lose everything that is important to her and everyone she holds dear.

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G: Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Page Length: 512

Publication Date: Nov. 2, 2021

Publisher: Synopsis: Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever. 

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U: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: Sept. 21, 2021

Publisher: Tor Books

Synopsis: Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy with TJ Klune’s signature “quirk and charm” (PW) about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune’s signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy.

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S: Steelstriker by Marie Lu

Series: Skyhunter #2

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: Sept. 28, 2021

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Synopsis: Explosive action and swoon-worthy suspense collide in this riveting conclusion to the Skyhunter duet from #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marie Lu

As a Striker, Talin was taught loyalty is life. Loyalty to the Shield who watches your back, to the Strikers who risk their lives on the battlefield, and most of all, to Mara, which was once the last nation free from the Karensa Federation’s tyranny.

But Mara has fallen. And its destruction has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmare.

With her friends scattered by combat and her mother held captive by the Premier, Talin is forced to betray her fellow Strikers and her adopted homeland. She has no choice but to become the Federation’s most deadly war machine as their newest Skyhunter.

Red is no stranger to the cruelty of the Federation or the torture within its Skyhunter labs, but he knows this isn’t the end for Mara – or Talin. The link between them may be weak, but it could be Talin and Red’s only hope to salvage their past and safeguard their future.

While the fate of a broken world hangs in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to each other in this smoldering sequel to Marie Lu’s Skyhunter.

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T: Thronebreakers by Rebecca Coffindaffer

Series: Crownchasers #2

Page Length: 384

Publication Date: Oct. 12, 2021

Publisher: Harper Teen

Synopsis: Perfect for fans of Aurora Rising, The Hunger Games, and Three Dark Crowns, this electrifying duology closer is jam-packed with tension and thrills that will hook readers from its first page.

Alyssa Farshot never wanted to rule the empire. But to honor her uncle’s dying wish, she participated in the crownchase, a race across the empire’s 1,001 planets to find the royal seal and win the throne. Alyssa tried to help her friend, Coy, win the crownchase, but just as victory was within their grasp, Edgar Voles killed Coy—and claimed the seal for himself.

Broken-hearted over her friend’s death, Alyssa is hell-bent on revenge. But Edgar is well protected in the kingship. Alyssa will have to rally rivals, friends, and foes from across the empire to take him down and change the course of the galaxy.

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Are any of these on your TBR? Which books are you looking forward to? Comment below!