🏵 What I Read In June 2026

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Spring and Summer are turning out to be awesome reading seasons for me. June has been the month of revisiting book series I started but didn't return to, as well as discovering new books and authors. 

I started two new series that I can't wait to continue (The Book of Azrael and The Knight and the Moth), and I'm continuing one series (Island Calling). I also got to indulge in some more immersive reads, which I have totally fallen in love with over the past number of months. If you haven't tried immersive reads before (reading the ebook/physical book while listening to the audiobook) then I can't recommend it enough. It can really give books an extra level of amazingness. 

 

The Whispering Shroud, Written by M.J. McMuncle

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜

Thanks to Book Sirens for allowing me access to the ARC for this book. 

This was a fun read. I loved the FMC, Kori, but my favourite character is her supernatural familiar, Scrabs. Walt is a very interesting character, and I love how well-known characters such as Oscar Wilde and Jack the Ripper became a part of the story. 

If you enjoy supernatural tales with a strong FMC and a talking doggy, you might enjoy this story. 

 

Island Calling, Written By Francesca Segal

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

Thank you, Vintage, for giving me the ARC paperback for this book. 

I have had the paperback for this book for far too long, and finally decided to jump in. 

This is such a beautiful, well-written masterpiece of a book. It's the second book in a trilogy, and I can't wait for the third book in the series. You need to read the first book in the series - Welcome to Glorious Tuga- before starting this one. 

In this book, Charlotte is living and loving life on Tuga. She has started a new relationship, and the island's inhabitants have taken her to their hearts, not just as the local vet. 

But then things take a turn in her life when her narcissistic mother arrives on the island, wanting her to return to London. When her relationship becomes difficult, she starts to re-evaluate her life and thinks that her time on Tuga has come to an end. Will she leave? As the boats do not visit regularly, she has time to think about it. What will she eventually decide?

This is such a sumptuously written book that makes you feel as if you really are on the gorgeous island of Tuga with Charlotte and the other islanders. It makes you laugh, cry, and smile. 

If you love books written with a fantastic FMC that has the ability to make you laugh and cry within minutes of each other, I can't recommend this book series highly enough. 

 

The Knight and the Moth, Written By Rachel Gillig

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

This book has been on my tbr list since it came out, so when my Chapter 25 Chapter-A-Day Readalong group announced that this would be our book of the month, I knew I had to grab the opportunity to finally read it. 

This book is amazing. I went through all the emotions with this book, from shock and joy to love, fear, and sadness. 

In this book, we meet Six. She lives with five other Diviners in Aisling Cathedral, along with the Abbess, whom they treat as a mother. They all have to live there for ten years in their role as Diviner. When called upon, they must essentially drown themselves to dream of the future of the person who has paid for their services with the help of six unearthly figures known as the Omens. Their time is coming to an end, and they have all started to make plans for when they can leave. 

The new king pays a visit, asking for her help on what type of King he is going to be. She becomes acquainted with some of his knights, particularly one handsome Knight named Rory. 

But then, the other five Diviners start to disappear. Determined to find out what happened to her five friends, and not getting any help from the abbess, she finds herself in the company of the new King and his knights, who vow to help her. Tagging along is one of the gargoyles who also live at the castle. They conclude that the only way to find out what happened to the missing Diviners is to track down each of the six omens and get answers from them. Each one becomes like a trial for Six, the knights and the King.

Prepare yourself for tears at the end of the journey when Six and the others find out the truth. 

This is such a beautifully written book. Each character is well-detailed and fleshed out, although my favourite is definitely the gargoyle. I immersive read this book with the ebook and the audiobook, and the narrator of the audiobook, Samantha Hydeson, does a sensational job, especially with the voice she chose for the gargoyle. 

This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and so I can't wait to dive into the second book: The Knave and the Moon, which is due to be published in September 2026.

 

The Mistral, Written By Felix Mosse

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. 

This is a very enjoyable fantasy book. The world-building is great, and the two FMCs are amazing. I love that they are both strong, capable women living in difficult, challenging worlds, yet they are similar. The side characters are also great, especially Thom. 

If you love high fantasy books with fantastic FMCs, great world-building, and so much potential moving into the rest of the series, then I think you will love this book. 

 

The Ending Writes Itself, Written By Evelyn Clarke, Audiobook Read By Fiona Hardingham

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜

This is such a fun read, and the audiobook narrator did a wonderful job with the different voices and accents. 

Evelyn Clarke is the pen name for established authors VE Schwab and Cat Clarke. The only one I am familiar with is VE Schwab, who wrote one of my favourite books of 2025 (Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil), and so with her on board, I knew I was in for a heck of a ride. 

This is a very imaginative and page-turning locked room mystery, although in this case, it's an isolated island in Scotland. Six authors are invited to the island by the highly successful author Arthur Fletch, only to be told that he has passed away and his final book is unfinished. They are given a challenge - finish Fletch's final book as a ghost writer, and get a life changing sum of money and the opportunity to boost their own flagging writing career. The only catch is they have 72 hours to do it. Their phones, laptops and devices are locked away in the safe, meaning they only have the use of typewriters to finish the book before the deadline expires. 

But then, things start to change between the six authors. They don't know who they can trust in the group, and as the clock clicks, tempers rise and blood is soon spilt. Who will get to the end of the deadline?

This book really keeps up the tension, making it hard to put down. The characters are all very distinct, and as you go along, you try to work out who could be responsible for all the chilling and deadly acts that are taking place on the island. Each character has their own motive for wanting to succeed, and many will do whatever it takes to get to the final post. 

If you love page turning mysteries that keep you guessing to the final end, then this is the book for you. I really hope these authors get together again soon to create more wonderful stories.

Best Offer Wins, Written By Marisa Kashino, Audiobook Read By Cia Court

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK/Transworld Publishers/Doubleday, for providing me with an ARC of this book. 

This book was impossible to put down. It has one of the most despicable lead characters I have read, but I just couldn't stop reading. I could never tell what horrible thing she was going to do next, and that made it such a fantastic read. 

Margo is a young woman who is planning a future with her husband. They are trying for a baby but are not having any success. They want to move out of the small apartment and into their forever home, but they are being piped at the post by other house hunters. 

Everything changes when Margo finds the perfect home. She is determined to make this her family home and will stop at nothing to make sure it's hers. She befriends the current owners, stalks people online, and goes above and beyond to learn everything she can to get the buyers to sell to her. 

Margo is horrible and won't listen to anyone else's advice, not even her husband. But, she is hysterical. Some of the quips she comes up with had me laughing out loud. How far will she go to make this house her own?

There were times reading this book when my chin was bouncing on the floor. I just couldn't believe what she was capable of doing.

If you love reading about unhinged, diabolical, tunnel-vision people, then I think you will love this book. I also listened to the audiobook, and the narrator does a fabulous job. 

The Book of Azrael, Written By Amber V Nicole

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜 💜

I have had this book on my tbr for a long time, but have never picked it up. Then I decided to join in the romantasy readalong hosted by Stacia Stark, and this was one of the book choices for the first week. I was focused on books that I could find on Kindle Unlimited or Libby, and so this seemed like the perfect time to pick it up. 

Wow, am I glad I picked this book. I really upped my reading by immersive reading the book with the dramatised audiobook. I did not know that these graphic dramatisations were a thing, and now I'm obsessed. It's almost like listening to a movie with the sound effects in the background and the music playing. 

This is a series of books known as the Gods and Monsters. There are currently four books out, and the last one is due on 24th November 2026. Hoping to get through the other books, then I can dive into the fifth and final book when it is published. 

In this book, we meet Dianna, who made a deal with the evil Kaden to save her sister's life. He makes her track down an elusive artefact known as the Book of Azrael that is in the hands of Samkiel, the World Ender. He has hidden himself away from the world, but when his greatest enemy starts to make dangerous waves, he is forced to come back. Samkiel, or Liam as he prefers to be called, and Dianna are forced to work together to stop the world from ending.

On their way, Dianna and Liam start to form a bond that will have repercussions down the line. 

This book has everything you could want from a dark fantasy book - the banter between the characters, particularly Dianna and Liam, is amazing. I laughed out loud so many times. There is also a bit of spice, along with lots of fights and battles.

It ends on a huge cliffhanger, and so I can't wait to dive into the next book asap.

 

The Trial of Patty Hearst - The Captive Mind - Published on 26th August 2026

Written By Celine Fitzmaurice, Audiobook Read By A Cast of Actors

My Rating: 💜 💜 💜 💜

Thank you, NetGalley, and Classic Crime/Trials of the Century Audiobooks got giving the ARC for this audiobook.

These courtroom re-enactment audiobooks are so much fun and exciting to listen to. This is the third one I have listened to, and I always learn a lot from them. 

This audiobook is the case of Patty Hearst, a member of the well-known and wealthy Hearst family. She was kidnapped and became involved in illegal activity with the group of individuals who had kidnapped her. But was she guilty of committing these crimes, or was she under the control of her kidnappers?

The audiobook is fantastically narrated by a large cast of actors, each taking on a separate person in the case, from Patty herself to her lawyers, the prosecutors, the judge and the witnesses. It allows you to feel as though you are really sitting in the courtroom, hearing the case for yourself, and making your own decision about guilt or innocence. I also like that they tell you what happened after the case. 

If you love true crime done well, I think this audiobook and the others in the collection are for you.

Plans for July 2026:

I have so many books I want to read in July, but I will have to see how I get on. Guaranteed book is Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, as it is one of my book club picks for July. I also want to start the How to Kill Men and Get Away With It series by Katy Brent. I have the third book in the series as an ARC, so I need to get started, and I also have The Second Death of Locke by VL Bovalino, since I know the second book in the series is coming out later this year. I also want to read The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno Garcia. I started reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke and Willie, Willie, Harry and Stee by Charloe Higson, and I want to finish both og those early in July. 

What are you planning to read in July? Let me know in the comments.