My June Reading wrap-up was filled with only LGBTQ+ reads to celebrate Pride Month (as if I don’t mostly read queer books anyway). I didn’t plan out this month as much as I could have, but instead skipped any books that weren’t queer centered, whether it was a romance plot or a main character’s identity.
The first half of my month was so busy I didn’t find myself reading much, bringing me to a low reading count like May. I also worried I wouldn’t find myself blown out of the water by any of them, until the end. The rest of the reads were good, but more fun than anything. My final book was heart wrenching in the best of ways, but you have to get to the bottom to find out why.
If anything, I was surprised to discover a new beloved, cozy series which kicked me into gear in the last week of the month. It might have helped that I was stuck at the mechanic for almost five hours on a random Friday, allowing me to finish an entire book. My number one book was addictive enough for me to finish it on the final day of June, too!
Happy Pride!
6. Love Immortal by Kit Vincent
Published October 22, 2024
Rating: 3.5-4 stars
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Vampires, Dark Academia, LGBTQ+, MLM, Adult
Summary: Jonathan Green dreams of a future in book conservation, hence why he’s in a prestigious small college in Vermont. Disowned by his family for being gay, he has no help or connections to get him through the financial struggle of college. He struggles with past heartbreak and grief and only has one friend on campus. His only ally on faculty disappears and is replaced by a young, enigmatic professor named Dacian Bathory. Their deep, intense connection doesn’t goes unexplained for long. Amidst their growing connection, bodies start appearing on campus and a group of legacies start acting strange. Jonathan wonders, how is Dacian involved?
I was immediately drawn to this book because of it’s potential “gay Twilight” vibes. While I can see the inspiration from that series plainly, I loved the differences too. The inclusion of more history and Dracula lore and rules was very interesting. Making Dacian truly terrifying, but Jonathan wanting him anyway, is the correct way to write a vampire! However, some parts of the book felt unfinished or had potential for more exploration. The beginning was slow and the ending was fast, leaving the middle as my favorite because of the build up with Jonathan and Dacian. Yet, I feel like Dacian remains a huge mystery for readers, which made me struggle to fully be involved in the world. As for Vincent’s writing, he has lovely moments with great descriptive language that I loved. I’m happy to have read it in general.
5. Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
Published May 13, 2025
Rating: 4 stars
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: Blake is back with a new series, this time in Clover Lake. The first of its kind, Dream On, Ramona Riley follows a small-town waitress and a Hollywood actress. When Ramona had to quit her college dreams of become a costumer designer to help raise her sister, she never thought she’d have another chance. Now that her sister is eighteen and off to college, she’s looking towards the future. Her big break comes when a big sapphic romance comedy comes to film in Clover Lake. Except, there’s one problem: Dylan Monroe. The “wild” Hollywood star was Ramona’s first kiss when they were teenagers and suddenly she’s Dylan’s guide in Clover Lake. Both of them have to decide if the chemistry between them can go beyond the small town.
Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series is what got me hooked on sapphic romance, so I expected big things out of her new series. And dang, I wanted to love this, but it didn’t hit the same. The first half of the book was too slow, with not a lot of action and too much info-dumping. I’m not usually one for drama, but if Blake had moved up some of that middle-book-action sooner with more fleshed out conversations between characters, it would’ve improved my read. This book had the tendency to just say important conversations happened instead of showing. I also don’t really care for either Ramona or Dylan. I didn’t relate to their specific situations, which is fine. Their intimacy scenes were super good (as they usually are with this author) and definitely a nice mix up. Of course, though, they were stinking cute and there’s a happy ending. I could clearly see the setup for the next book in the series, too. I’m holding it steady at four stars, but after two reads that didn’t blow me away for June, I was starting to get a little disappointed.
4. Roses are Red, Violet is Dead by Morgan Spellman
Published January 30, 2024
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: In the second installment of the Abby Spector series, the amateur paranormal investigator gets her first case for her new agency. Her cousin, Sam, needs someone to come to a quaint bed and breakfast to help a resident ghost, Violet Lovelace, move on. What Abby thought was going to be a straight forward case, complete with time to spend with her best friend Lucas and her budding romance with Mina, turns out to be more complicated. Spooky messages, a few ghosts, and employees with secrets is the perfect recipe for a quick wrap-up, right?
Going into this book, I was already mentally placing it behind the first and Camp Spirits. The atmosphere wasn’t as exciting to me and frankly, I didn’t feel like I got enough ghosts. Of course, Spellman had good reason for less ghostly activities, but I won’t spoil that. The twist was interesting at least, though I figured it out almost in its entirety. The investigation was a little slower than the others too. I enjoyed watching Abby’s continuing adventures, as well as the general evolution of the characters and relationships. Lucas was much more tolerable in this book than in the first, which didn’t leave much to complain about. Plus, huge bonus to learning more of the “ghost rules” of this universe. It’s the subtle world building that makes this series so good.
3. Camp Spirits by Morgan Spellman
Publishing July 22, 2025
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: Abby Spector’s new paranormal investigation agency needs a boost, prompting her to return to her childhood summer camp in search of a legendary ghost story. Instead of Sobbing Molly and the father’s treasure, she’s met with the ghost of a camp counselor who disappeared a decade ago. The ghost demands Abby find out who killed her before she can move on. Instead of chasing down a story, she’s suddenly questioning the friendly camp staff that were all there when the counselor went missing. With her best friend Lucas and her new-ish relationship with Mina, Abby has plenty of help to sparse through the clues.
I was happy to give this ARC by Morgan Spellman a try, lured in by a cozy mystery and sapphic relationship. I was skeptical of this read at first; it took me around 50 or so pages to find myself falling into the flow of the writing and characters. By page 70, I was getting hooked on the mystery and racking my brain for what the truth could be. The book has a great pace, with enough dropped clues and back-and-forth to keep readers hooked. The climax felt appropriately huge, with a satisfying explanation. The call-backs were perfect and a surprise at the end alongside the main mystery. My only dislike of the book was the age of the characters. They read much younger than they are. Also, though it can be read as a standalone, I think it’d be much more enjoyable if the first two in Abby Spector Ghost Mystery were read. Honestly, I’m intent to read them now that I’ve read #3!
This is one to look out for when it publishes next month (plenty of time to read the first two books, too).
2. Say I Boo by Morgan Spellman
Published September 10, 2023
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Cozy, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Adult
Summary: Abby Spector gets caught in a possible mansion murder by ghost when this day-job-magician is snowed into the setting for her best friend sister’s wedding. This ghost has a vengeance against someone in the house and tries everything to take them down. Abby is suddenly armed with ancient paranormal investigation equipment from an elusive old man, and alongside her best friend Lucas, and some new allies, they must figure out which ghost is behind the attempts. She has to send the ghost on before the wedding, while facing her own traumatic past.
I’m happy I got introduced to this author and the Abby Spector series through book 3. I was right that reading from the beginning would sweeten up the characters and bring more understanding. I love the pacing of this novel. It has enough drama to keep me hooked, and the mystery was entertaining. For this one, I will say I did figure out who the would-be-murderous-ghost was, but I was happy to have the motive explained. I love Abby with her persistent positivity and youthful spirit. The only reason I took off half a star was my wish for a better resolution between Abby and Lucas. It felt too easy. Lucas is weird for most of the book, but they never talk about what’s going on with their friendship. It’s just odd to me that all the other relationships had this great depth and emotional growth (mothers and their daughters in particular), but the best friend duo was mostly built on past experiences readers don’t see. Getting the characters from the beginning bumped this one above Camp Spirits.
1. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Published September 5, 2023
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Transgender, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Summary: In London, 1883, violet-eyed people have been gifted with the ability to help the world against the thinning Veil, which separates the living and the dead. The Royal Speaker Society controls it all, upholding the rules. Sixteen-year-old Silas Bell does not want to become an obedient Speaker wife. He wants to live as himself, trans and autistic, and performing surgeries. After a botched attempt to escape an arranged marriage, he finds himself at Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School, diagnosed with Veil sickness. What follows is terrible and harrowing, ghosts of the school gasping for Silas to save them. He’s the only one that can dissect the building to it’s very bones.
At the end of the school year, one of my trans students gifted me this book. I knew I wanted to read it during Pride Month, but I worried I wouldn’t finish it in time. Luckily, it was addictive in the best way and I didn’t want to put it down. It is an incredibly triggering book; I implore people to look up the triggers before reading. The writing is gorgeous, the imagery so visceral I had to keep putting it down to remind myself I wasn’t there. It is haunting, terrifying, sickening, but beautiful and healing somehow, too. The characters have so much depth, even in short instances, like with the girls. The way they are characterized to be all types of reactions to their “treatment,” wow. I was cheering Silas on every second of the way. The LGBTQ+ and autism representation was everything I wanted from the book. If you want to read my full (not that much longer than this) review, check out Goodreads.
Check out my other monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May
Follow my Goodreads here!
