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Happy December y’all!!! It’s been a while since I did one of these. Because…frankly I feel like I’ve been drowning. This deployment is kicking my BUTT! But I’m feeling more capable this month, so here we are!!
As always, you can follow me on Goodreads, check out my 4/5 star storefront on Amazon, and join my reading community on Facebook to keep up with my reading in real time.
It’s interesting. I thought I’d be DEVOURING books while J was gone. But honestly I haven’t been reading as much as I thought I would be. But it’s okay…all reading is magic!
I do notice I’ve been sticking with my comfort genres- contemporary romance and women’s literature. These books simply make me HAPPY, and that’s what I need right now.
So here’s what I read this month!
Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker – A sweet, nostalgic read that wasn’t earth shattering, but that’s okay! Sometimes I just need simple and entertaining. 3 stars
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay – This was a delightful and steamy read. I loved the sensitivity and enlightenment and feminism that the men in this book displayed. I have to be honest…Thea drove me NUTS. She was so unwilling to admit to her part in their marriage’s struggles and she was so damn mean to Gavin. Don’t even get me started on how ugly she allowed her sister to speak to her husband in their home. I just thought it was so disrespectful. That said, I adored the rest of this book so much that I forgave my frustrations with Thea. I can’t wait for book two. 4 stars
Passion on Park Avenue by Lauren Layne – I found the main characters too spoiled and shallow- so that made it unrelatable. But it was a fun, light-hearted romp and I’ll read the next book in the series. 3 stars
The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine – This book was a frustrating, hot mess disappointment. It was boring as well. I just found it far reached and ridiculous. 2 stars
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella – I think I’ve outgrown this series. I used to find Becky’s antics funny and endearing and now I just find them sad and somewhat selfish. I also feel like Kinsella is phoning it in as far as the series goes. Her writing was allllllllll over the place and unfocused and how many times can one use the word “tones”. And WHY did she say nee Bloomwood SO MANY TIMES. I feel like I grew up on this series so it breaks my heart but it’s just a fact that it’s not what it once was. 2.5 stars
Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey – I enjoyed this one although I found it far fetched and a bit ridiculous at times. I really disliked the way one of the main characters was described with regards to appearance and weight, but if you are looking for a easy, compelling read this one might be for you. 3 stars
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert – Easily the best romance I’ve read this year. I fell in love with both main characters. I love the diversity. I love the inclusion of a MC with chronic pain. I just thought it was lovely and romantic and STEAMY. 4.5 stars
Just One Kiss by Courtney Walsh – Tender and sweet and pure. This heartwarming, clean romance (with a touch of Christian fiction) was exactly what I needed. 4 stars
What was the best book you read this month?
Happy reading!
xoxo,
Stephanie
I really look forward to these posts, and I needed some new books, so this is great timing!
Hooray! You’ll have to let me know what you think !
I thank you for doing these posts also! I love to see what other people are reading & I get so many ideas from you. I definitely haven’t read as many books as I wanted to this year, but I have listened to more than normal which makes my hour long commute so much more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing all that you do ~ about life in Alaska, military life, life with 5 daughters (I have 4), etc. And thank you, your husband & your family for your service to our country. Merry Christmas!
Day made. Thank you! Sending you so much love and big Alaskan hugs!!
Thank you for sharing! Great synopsis. Your not so much reading is still way more than me! Ha ha! I really enjoyed Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys. So interesting and well written. I also enjoyed PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern which is an older book. I received an arc for her new book which is a sequel so I read this one quickly . Im still reading the sequel…Postscript. Hang in there!! You have lots of cheerleaders pulling for you!
I LOVE Ruta. I have that book but haven’t read it yet. And we must have similar taste because I adore Cecelia Ahern and PS is one of my all time faves!!
So glad to see your recap!!!
Thanks Kinsey! So glad to know it is appreciated!
I love your book recommendation posts! I checked out Not Her Daughter before, but didn’t get to read it. Thanks for reminding me! Looks good, will check it out next time I’m at the library. I am currently reading Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle and so far I like it. Next I am reading One Day in December! Thanks for sharing your book recommendations!
It wasn’t my favorite but I’m not mad I read it!!! I really enjoyed Dear Wife and LOVED One Day in December!
xoxo
Thank you so much. I enjoy your input. I read and really liked The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell this month. Enjoy your time in the great state of Texas. Thanks to your family for your service to our country. God bless and keep you!
Pat
I loved that one too. SO atmospheric! xoxo
I was really excited to see you enjoyed Courtney’s book! Your recaps are perfection, and I always add at least one new book to the pile! I’ve been mostly doing audiobooks the last few months, which also means I stick to thrillers to maintain my attention while driving. So my favorite was Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. Such an interesting premise and a super smooth telling of the story. Loved it.
Her books just make me *Happy* which I LOVE! Side note- One of my greatest joys of 2019 was watching you fall in love with reading!!! xoxo
Aw, I’m so glad you found joy in my joy! You certainly were the catalyst, the inspiration, and the fire that made it happen. For me, discovering a LOVE (I liked it before, but it’s next level now) for reading was my greatest joy of the year. Truly. So again, thank you.
I love reading your recaps. Before the reading group, your recaps were pretty much the only place that let me know about what was new in the reading world and would make me think about reading more diverse genres. I love the fact that you are so transparent about what was “meh” about a book or what made your heart go pitter-patter. Last November, I started thinking about getting back to focusing on reading. My girls have followed the example and have each read a TON of books. My youngest will occasionally watch me scroll through the posts on the reading book page and will say, “You read that” when she sees a cover to something she has seen me reading (I had no idea how much she was paying attention to what I was doing – they really do take their cues from us more than we know!). This year I will hit at least 40 books which is about a 33% increase in my annual total. I am constantly adding to my pile and excited to get to the next book. Keep on sharing – you are inspiring more people than you know!