Happy October, my darlings! I'm looking forward to diving into some seasonably appropriate autumnal books this month, if I can get out of the reading slump that plagued me through September (and before that, really). I did a little rereading in audiobook on my walks in September, but I mostly started and stopped reading books that I really do want to read and hope I can get back into at some future point. I only read a few new to me books:

The King of Faerie by AJ Lancaster: I've been meaning to read this last book in the Stariel quartet for ages! And it was so good, so I wish I'd done it sooner. This books wrapped both the romance and the quartet-long plot up in a very satisfying way (and there is another book coming about a supporting character, which I am very pleased about). I did see a plot reveal coming early on, but it didn't ruin anything for me. If you enjoy quasi-historical, slightly steampunkish fantasy romance with fae, give these books a try. Meanwhile, I will be waiting impatiently for Marcus's story in a A Rake of His Own.

This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber: I borrowed this first book in the Verity Kent mystery series in audiobook from my local library. These books are set just post World War I. While her husband went to war (and died there), Verity Kent spent the time working for the secret service, something she wasn't allowed to tell anyone. But now she is receiving anonymous notes from someone who knows about her war work and says her husband was a traitor. They lead her to a house party on an isolated island, where people begin to turn up dead. I enjoyed the story (though I'd had a twist accidentally spoiled for me before I started) and the narration. I'm sure I'll continue with the series.

Wicked Autumn by GM Malliet: This another first book in a mystery series that I borrowed in audio from the library. Wicked Autumn begins the Max Tudor series, in which an ex-MI5 agent turned village vicar gets sucked into solving crimes. I was intrigued by the premise and enjoyed the English village mystery vibe, though for some reason this book felt like it should be historical but it's contemporary. I do wish there had been a little more autumnal atmosphere in the book—I'm in that mood! From the title, I was expecting it, but other than the murder happening at the Harvest Fair and a little description, it was missing that fall atmosphere.

What have you read lately?

Time continues to fly by this year, and I continue to have weird and frustrating reading slumps, which have me starting books and putting them aside for later and started others and repeating the whole cycle again. *Sigh.* But despite that, I did read a few books I enjoyed in August:

From Bad the Cursed by Lana Harper: This second book in the Witches of Thistle Grove series was just as delightful as the first. I loved Isadora and Rowan and their enemies to lovers romance. This book is a great witchy read with some supernatural mystery/suspense and a wonderful romance. And I love the world too—I think I'd like to be a Thistle Grove witch. You could probably read this without reading the first in the series (though events in that book are mentioned and characters from it find their way into this one), but Payback's a Witch is delightful too, so you might as well start there anyway. I'm very excited for the next book in the series and not at all happy to have to wait for it!

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson: In this YA fantasy, Artemesia is training to be a sister in an order that cleanses the bodies of the dead and helps their souls pass on—so they don't rise again as evil spirits to come after the living. When her convent is attacked by an army of possessed soldiers, a dying sister passes a saint's relic to Artemesia for her to use to save the convent. Which she does, but is almost possessed by the powerful revenant it contains in the process. I'm going to say here that I kind of adore the revenant and the bond that grows between the revenant and Artemesia as they come to work together. Their banter is just fantastic. I also love the world building and the twisty evil plot and Artemesia discovering that all she's been taught about saints and revenants and spirits and old magic isn't necessarily true. I feel like there are some Joan of Arc parallels that I hope I'm imagining because they have me a bit nervous—this book ended well, but there's supposed to be another in the series.

Fluke and the Fantastic Finale by Sam Burns: The Fantastic Fluke series has been such fun from the very beginning. I've loved getting to know Sage and his familiar, the delightful fox Fluke, and Gideon and the whole family built throughout the series. The paranormal world building and mystery/suspense aspects were great too and wrapped up well in this last installment, but it's the characters I've become attached to. And while I'm so happy with the way the series ended, I'm so sad there won't be more stories about them. Definitely start from the beginning with this series, as the books don't stand alone. And you'll want to read Sage's story from being alone and believing he had no power to speak of to becoming a powerful arcane mage with a close found family all around him—and lots of danger along the way.

What have you read and loved lately? (Or are you stuck in a strange reading slump like me?)

July disappeared when I wasn't paying attention and somehow it's August already (which is my birthday month, so I won't complain—but, really, where did July go???). I have the round-up of some books I enjoyed in July for you today.

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik: This is the second book in the Starlight's Shadow space opera romance series. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic between the main characters made for a fun romance, which had been set up in the first book, and the high stakes plot moved quickly, resolving some issues and leaving others open for the third book, which is due next year (*sobs about the wait*). I also continue to adore in all ways the found family in these books. Start with the first book, though, because though there's a new romance in each, the overarching plot carries over.

For the Throne by Hannah F. Whitten: I listened to this conclusion to the Wilderwood duology almost as soon as it came out and enjoyed it as much as the first (this is definitely another series you need to start at the first book!). I found this story darker than the first, but also beautiful, and you won't be able to miss the Snow White inspiration. The point of view switches between a few characters, but primarily Neve and Red, the sisters we meet in the first book. Red, though happy and lovely to see in her relationship (which I loved seeing—and also loved having more time with their found family), is desperate to save her sister after the events at the end of the first book. Neve, however, has her own journey to embark on—and something of an enemies to lovers romance with a characters I wanted to strangle in the first book but came to love here.

So This is Ever After by FT Lukens: My hold on this audiobook from the library came in at just the right time! So This is Ever After has the premise that Arek, the chosen one of a prophecy, and his band of friends/found family overthrow the evil sorcerer on the throne and save the kingdom. Arek's best friend Matt convinces him to take the throne until they can free the rightful heir from the tower, but the rightful heir is dead. And now Arek is stuck being king and also must get married both to stay king and to stay alive. The only person Arek wants is Matt, but he's convinced Matt doesn't want him, so he tries wooing his other friends to amusing effect. There's lots of mutual pining here, and the narrative is witty and light. 

In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland: The last book I want to mention is another fantasy romance, this one on the darker side. There's blood magic and death magic and death and violence and a creepy underworld and other stuff, but there's also wonderful characters (including an asexual nonbinary side character who is fantastic and I want to be friends with) and a delightful found family and two lovely romances (polyamorous rep) and a very interesting fantasy world. Rovan is a blood mage who has hidden what she is for years, but when it's finally discovered, she's bound to a ghostly guardian to keep her in line. She ends up falling in love with her hated ghostly guardian and a princess, as she finds out what's really going on in the city and stokes a rebellion in both the living world and the underworld.

​What have you read and loved lately?

I had lots of plans for my Pride Month reading, and then my brain decided not to cooperate. Ugh. It's been so frustrating the last couple of years when this happens—all I want to do is get lost in a book (and I have so many waiting for me!) and it just doesn't work. I did get a little reading done, though most of it wasn't the books I planned to read.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh: I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for this book (and I hadn't planned to read it in June) when my library hold on the audiobook came in. But, library holds must be read, of course, so I dove in on my morning walks. And this ended up being a wonderful listen. A retelling of a Korean tale, this story gives us a village that sacrifices a young woman every year, throwing her into the sea to be the Sea God's bride in the hope the god will stop the storms destroying the village. Mina isn't supposed to be the bride that year, but she jumps into the sea in the place of the woman her brother loves. She's carried away to the spirit world and the Sea God's city, where things are not as she might have imagined and the Sea God needs saving. The world building is lovely, and the story is a beautiful combination of adventure, romance, and fantasy with a focus on family (blood and chosen) and the power of storytelling.

Kinship and Kindness by Kara Jorgensen: This historical paranormal has been on my kindle for far too long. especially considering how much I ended up enjoying it! Fox shifter and transgender man Bennett has traveled to Louisiana at the beginning of a gathering of werewolves to see their leader and plead his case that a union for non-wolf shifters is needed for their protection. Only he finds that the man is away and his son Theo is standing in for his father. Theo doesn't feel he can fill his father's shoes because of his epilepsy, but he'll do anything he can to protect his family and those depending on them. (He also stress-bakes, which makes him instantly relatable to me.) I loved Bennett and Theo, and Bennett's fox who has his own fun personality. The relationship that developed between them was lovely. 

The Botanist's Apprentice by Adren Powell: This novella is quick, easy read. Set in an alternate 1920s where magic seems to be the norm (I say seems to be because there isn't a ton of world building in this short), the story introduces us to Eli who has graduated college and comes to a reclusive botanist in search of an apprenticeship. The romance between the two is sweet—there's an age gap and some mutual pining and ultimately sex pollen (sort of) leading to a steamy encounter. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series and learning more about the world.

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly: Love & Other Disasters was my only contemporary romance read last month. The premise—two competitors on an amateur cooking competition show falling for each other—sounded fun, and it was, though I had some moments of acute secondhand embarrassment at the beginning that almost had me putting the book down a couple of times! Recently divorced from the guy she'd been with since high school, Dahlia quits her job (though she can't afford to) to travel across the country to be on the show and figure out who she is and what she wants. Convinced while drunk by their twin sister to try out for the show, London is the first openly nonbinary contestant on, and they're determined to do their best and prove haters wrong. The book is fun and adorable and charming, as is the relationship between London and Dahlia. The relationship forms the bulk of the story. Issues with London's dad not accepting who they are and a bigoted competitor on the show are there in the background, but the focus is on London and Dahlia. (And there were definitely a few times this book made me want to cook/bake.)

​What have you read and loved lately?

Since the pandemic started, my reading habits (ability? attention span?) have been all over the place. I sometimes can't get into books at all or have trouble focusing on a particular format. It's incredibly frustrating for someone used to reading multiple books at a time and reading for escape and comfort. For the past month, audiobooks have been my savior again because I've had a hard time focusing on print books. I've had to put a few aside, but I know I'll get back to them once this spell passes. In the meantime, I did read some books I really enjoyed in May.

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten: I so enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast-esque fantasy romance. For centuries, the tradition has been that the first daughter of the monarch is for the throne and the second is sent to the Wolf of the Wilderwood as a sacrifice to bring back the old gods (of course, we find out that none of this is as straightforward as is believed). Second daughter Red is resigned to her fate (mostly because she wants to protect her sister from her magic), though her sister Neve is not. When Red arrives in the Wood, she finds things are very different than she believed. The fantasy aspects are engrossing as are the themes of sisterhood and sacrifice. And the slow burn romance between Red and the Wolf is wonderful. I'm looking forward to the second book, which just came out this week.

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley: This was an absolutely delightful queer Regency romance—really charming and fun. We have a slow burn romance that's marketed as f/f (but Tommy—Thomasina—comes across from the way the character presents herself as more nonbinary, maybe, and the cover, though gorgeous, doesn't really show us Tommy as she's described) alongside a fun caper in which Tommy's family and Philippa and friends are trying to keep a friend's uncle from stealing her work and calling it his own. Meanwhile, bluestocking Philippa's parents are trying to marry her off to a titled man for family advancement. I loved Philippa especially and thought Philippa and Tommy together were charming. I don't feel like I know Tommy or the background on Tommy's family as well as I know Philippa, but that could be because this is the second book in the series. Overall, I felt like it could stand alone fine, but I'm going to go back and read the first.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark: I read one of these novellas in ebook and the other in audio and enjoyed both immensely. There's a novel in this series as well, which I'm grateful for because I want more of the world these shorts gave me a taste of. The world is an early 20th century Cairo filled with magic and supernatural creatures and some steampunk elements. The emergence of djinn into the world has made Egypt a major global power, and the main characters of both novellas are detectives with a supernatural police force solving problems and potentially saving the world.

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik: I won an ARC of this sci-fi romance, um, a while ago, and I definitely feel bad it's taken me so long to get to it. But it was so good! I got pulled right the story. Tavi is a bounty hunter who takes a job from her sworn enemy because she and her crew desperately need the money. Since the stakes are high (and we find out just how high as the story progresses), he and his team insist on joining the hunt with Tavi and her crew. Tavi and Torran are enemies because there was a massive war between the humans and Torran's alien people. The romance aspect is well done, as trust is slowly built and feelings develop. If you like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, competence porn, and found family, there's a lot to love here. The plot is also fabulously twisty. I can't wait for the second book.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik: A Deadly Education is set at the Scholomance, a somewhat sentient magical school filled with monsters (but no teachers) where magical kids are sent to learn and hopefully survive their adolescence. Relationships in the school are less about friendship and more about strategic alliances for survival inside and the hope for better after. The narrator is El, a prickly, snarky outcast who, when she was a child, was predicted to destroy everything with her massive dark power. She is incredibly powerful, but she doesn't want to bring destruction—even though the school keeps giving her spells for just that. Her voice (and the narrator's performance of it) were wonderfully sarcastic and amusing. It's also delightful to watch her utter confusion as she makes actual friends and builds bonds and ends up with a love interest. There's also an excellent thread about wealth and privilege running through the book. I'm going to be annoyed when I listen the second book in the series and then have to wait for the third!

The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl: I had heard good things about this YA mystery/fantasy, so I grabbed it from the library. It took me a while to get through, but I think that was more my lack of reading attention span than anything about the book. The book starts in the aftermath of the death of a girl at an elite boarding school. The police rule it a suicide, but her three best friends don't agree. They, along with their new roommate who has her own agenda, decide to find out what really happened. What they discover is something twisty and magical that has been happening at the school for years and that involves students being the subject of the worst outcomes of fairy tales. By the end of the book, they discover what happened to their friend, but they have a ways to go in what to do about the curse (the second book is out later this year, so I assume all will be resolved there). Picking out the different fairy tales for each character was interesting, and I loved all the queer rep in this book: just among the main characters, two are lesbians, one is biromantic demisexual, and the other is aromantic asexual.

​What have you read and loved lately?

April was a chilly month here that sometimes felt more like winter than spring, but it still seemed to go by really quickly. I did some more rereading, including listening to the audio of The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles. The book is delightful, and the audio is excellent. Here are some new to me reads I enjoyed:

Twisted Pretty Things by Ariana Nash: Twisted Pretty Things is the first book in the Shadows of London urban fantasy series. The world building is intriguing and the plot appropriately twisty with secrets, lies, betrayals. I wouldn't say there is a romance in this book, though it feels like maybe a love triangle is being set up...? I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, if that's where this is going, but I'm going to give the next book a try.

What We May Be by Layla Reyne: Ten years ago, Sean, Charlotte, and Trevor were in love and planning a future together, but it all fell apart when Sean left. Now with the FBI, he's back in town helping Charlotte find a killer. I enjoyed this second chance romance/mystery, and I'm excited to hear that my favorite secondary character will be getting his own story.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: I grabbed Caraval in audio from the library because it seemed intriguing. It's YA fantasy romance and the first book in a trilogy. Scarlett has to navigate the world of Caraval, a game played over multiple nights with a fantastic prize at the end, in order to find her sister and try to keep them both safe from their abusive father—and decide if she can trust a budding romance with someone she meets along the way. The world is dreamy and dark and filled with lies and secrets, twists and turns. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: Another YA audiobook I borrowed from the library last month. I heard comparisons to Knives Out about this book, and I can absolutely see it. In this first book of a trilogy, a teenage girl inherits the estate of a billionaire she's never met. To fulfill the terms of the will, she has to move into his house (filled with secret passages and riddles), where his mostly disinherited family still lives. They see her as a con woman, or a last puzzle left by their deceased grandfather, in the case of the four grandsons, and she decides to play his games to figure out why she's there and stay alive. Despite the absolute presence of a love triangle, I have the second book on hold at the library.

Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal: I've been meaning to read more nonfiction, and I started with this book, which was fantastic. Constitutional Law always interested me in law school (though you absolutely do not have to be a lawyer/former lawyer to read and understand this book), and with the current state of politics/jurisprudence/everything, this is a very timely book. It's an unflinching and honest look at the history and interpretation of the constitution, but it's also witty and engaging.

What have you read and loved lately?

Was it only me or did March seem to go by quite quickly this year? I'm not sure what happened to March (or what I accomplished, but that's something else entirely...), but it's now April and I get to tell you all about the reading I did last month. I did a couple of KJ Charles audiobook rereads in March and also read some knew to me books I enjoyed:

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia: In this mystery, Black girls are being kidnapped and murdered in 1920s Harlem. Louise, who survived a kidnapping attempt several years earlier, is pushed into helping to solve the crimes. The mystery is good, and the details of time period and setting are excellent. Louise's established relationship with another woman in her boarding house is mostly in the background, but it's lovely. I'm sure I'll keep reading this series.

Fluke and the Frontier Farce by Sam Burns: I'm enjoying this series so much. And I'm so sad that there's only one book left after this one—and eagerly looking forward to it at the same time. This installment was one of my favorites in the series. The time travel element was fun, and I loved the characters that we meet in the past. Fox familiar Fluke continues to be delightful, of course. There's lots of magic, mystery, suspense, romance, and family in this series, and I'd recommend it (but start with book one).

All the Queen's Men by SJ Bennett: This is the second book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, in which Queen Elizabeth II is an amateur sleuth solving mysteries with the help of her assistant private secretary, Rozie. In this installment, there is a murder in the Buckingham Palace pool plus a lot of mysteriousness surrounding a painting. I found it utterly entertaining and delightful fun. 

A Walk in the Park by Rebekah Weatherspoon: This novella is an Audible Original, though I believe it will be released in ebook at some point. It's the adorable (and just a bit steamy) story of two people who are mistakenly promised the same dog (Zeus, also adorable) at the shelter and decide to coparent him rather than one of them having to give him up...and, of course, they fall in love along the way.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: The Chosen and the Beautiful is a retelling of The Great Gatsby and it's loyal to the original, only with the addition of mysterious, intriguing magic and a change of narrator to Jordan Baker, a queer, Asian American immigrant adopted and raised in high society by a rich white family. There's still a contemplation of wealth and status and the American dream, but through Jordan's eyes and with exploration of her identity as a Vietnamese American woman in that world. The reimagining is fascinating, and the writing is lush and beautiful.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater: I have no idea who recommended this series to me, but I'm so glad I finally started it! This is a fairy tale-like take on the Regency period with a young woman missing half her soul due to a pact with a fairy her mother entered into before her death and an extremely grumpy sorcerer who tries to help. The characters are engaging, and there's a lot of depth to discussion of issues relating to treatment of the poor. I listened to it and enjoyed the audio. I'll definitely continue the series.

​What have you read and loved lately?

I'm a bit later than I meant to getting this post written...but that seems to be normal for me lately! But putting aside my scattered self, let's talk books. I didn't read many new-to-me books in February, both a combination of having trouble getting into things and spending more time trying to write for the JeRoWriMo challenge. I reread some favorite books in audiobook during the month and read a few books for the first time:

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall: This book was described to me as a fun romp in which the woman Valentine is supposed to marry runs away and he and her brother chase after her and end up falling in love. A lot of it is fun, and I adored Valentine, and not only because it's great to see another well-written demisexual character. I did spend a lot of time wondering why he didn't just let her go and go back home where he could live happily on his own or with the love interest, mostly because the woman he's meant to marry spent a lot of the book actively trying to get him killed and turning people against him and faces no consequences for that at all. (The second book in the series will be about her, but I'm not sure I'll read it.) So, some mixed feelings about this one. I loved Valentine and Alexis Hall's writing is always lovely, but Valentine spends the whole book apologizing for being his quiet self while Belle throws a tantrum and tries to get him killed and her brother mostly sides with her, even as he falls in love with Valentine.

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson: This is an incredibly honest, powerful memoir about growing up Black and queer and the intersection of those identities. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author, something I think added to the impact.

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennet: In this cozy mystery, a body is found in a compromising position the morning after a dine and sleep at Windsor Castle. When the queen doesn't think the police and MI5 are looking in the right direction, she decides to investigate herself. This book was delightful and lots of fun, and the narration in the audiobook was excellent. I just grabbed the next in the series, which I hope will be just as amusing.

What have you read and loved lately?

The weather is dreary and nasty today—rain and ice and all sorts of unpleasantness—so it seems like a good day to talk about books (and curl up and read a book...). I read some wonderful books in January (and some that weren't so good or that just weren't the right book for me at that moment...I'll try those again some other time). I did some rereads of favorites in audio and read some new to me books I want to share:

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday: This contemporary royalty romance between a biracial American academic and a European baron was the first book I read this year and it was charming. I loved how their relationship became a solid and supportive friendship before it turned romantic. There were a few things at the end that I didn't care for, but overall, this was a delightful book.

The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian: I mostly just want to squee about this book—I loved it so much I'm not sure I can be coherent about it even weeks later. This is second (and long awaited, at least by me!) book in the Page & Sommers series of cozy, post-WWII mysteries with a romance between a semi-retired spy and a country doctor. I figured out bits of the mystery as I went along, but the part I loved so much was the relationship between Leo and James and how it continues to develop. The blend of mystery and romance in these books is wonderful—start with the first if you want to read the series, and let's all hope more are coming. 

A Marvellous Light by Freya Markse: This book was one of my Christmas presents, and I absolutely adored it. It's Edwardian fantasy romance—beautifully written with intriguing world building and a wonderful romance. Seriously, I love Robin and Edwin. I also loved the magic and the mystery, and I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until later this year.

The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waite: This is the final book in the Feminine Pursuits trilogy (though the three books work as standalones), and I've enjoyed each of them. They are all F/F historical romances with an emphasis on craft (music, embroidery, weaving, etc) and a focus on improving the community in which the characters live in some way. I loved Sophie and  Maddie's romance and Sophie's family and the resolution of the external plot as much as the romance. Another Christmas gift I'm quite pleased with and a series I would recommend. 

​What have you read and loved lately?

Happy New Year, my darlings! I'm not entirely sure where the end of 2021 went, but that's beside the point because we're now in 2022, a new year with hopefully lots of good things for us all and lots of good books to read. I did a 2021 wrap-up post last week in which I talked about some of my favorite reads from last year (you can find that here), and today, it's time for my monthly reading report. I read mostly holiday stories last month, as I often do in December—there's something about holiday romances that give me an extra fuzzy feeling on top of the usual one that comes with a HEA. I had a little trouble getting into some of them this year; I think because I've been having trouble reading contemporaries during the pandemic—I really want the extra escapism of fantasy/paranormal/historical reads. That all said, here are some books I enjoyed in December:

Strawberry Moon by Sam Burns and WM Fawkes: The only thing I read (other than an audio reread I finished) that wasn't a holiday book! I believe this is the last book in the Wolf Moon Rising series, and though I liked some books in the series more than others, I enjoyed this shifter series. Probably best read in order, since, though there is a new couple in each book, there is an overarching plot.

Only One Bed by Keira Andrews: A tropey (only one bed! friends to lovers!) Christmas novella with sweet, likable characters. This novella isn't my favorite holiday story by Keira Andrews, but it was enjoyable and it set up another story between two supporting characters that I'll be waiting for.

Hold Me Closer, Tony Danzig by Laura Henry: I listened to this short audiobook through Audible Plus (it's an Audible Original) on a whim. It's a cute f/f romance that includes the one night stand turns out to be a colleague trope, if you enjoy that one. There is a very big toxic ex-girlfriend plot in this one and some conflict between sisters that felt unnecessary to me, but it was a cute, short holiday listen.

The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert: Probably my favorite new Christmas read of the month. An opposites attract romance between two neighbors, one grumpy and the other sunshiney, as they fall for each other while decorating the grumpy guy's house for his brother's unexpected holiday visit. Full of so much sweet, fluffy Christmasy romance.

The Best Gift by Eli Easton: A quiet, lovely, emotional Christmas romance between two men dealing with loss and grief and finding each other maybe through fate. It's also set on a Christmas tree farm in snowy New England for extra Christmas vibes.

Checking It Twice by Lucy Bexley: I've never read anything by Lucy Bexley, but I saw this on twitter and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be so cute! An opposites attract romance between the hyper-organized wedding planner and the something-of-a-disaster maid of honor set at a Christmas Eve wedding that was funny and sweet.

Mr. Jingle Bells by Leta Blake: This is the third book in the Home for the Holidays series, but I think can be read on its own. I loved the characters in this book and loved them together, but I almost put it aside to read later because I was in the mood for fluffy Christmas stories and this one has much more angst than I was looking for at the time (I could see the big fall out coming and was dreading it!). Mr. Jingle Bells was good, just maybe not the right book for me at that time.

On a Midnight Clear by Lily Morton: Such a lovely, magical Christmas story! Literally magical, as it involves a statue brought to life by the Holly King as one of our main characters. A wonderful romance full of Christmas cheer and fanciful magic based in English folklore and a really perfect happily ever after. Loved it.

​What have you read and loved lately?