Wow, I can’t believe we’re already halfway through November! Time is flying by and holiday preparations are in full swing around here, both for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’ll get to the books in a second, but first I want to address the age-old debate about the proper time for Christmas decorations to appear. I know many are you are in the camp that thinks it’s never too early to start putting up wreathes, trees, lights, etc. Personally, I prefer to give Thanksgiving it’s due and not just drive by it on my way to Christmas, so we always put our decorations out on Black Friday because I’m not a big shopper.
Speaking of shopping, have you started buying gifts yet? I think I am nearly done, including purchasing perhaps just a few more books than I originally intended to for both myself and my daughters. I try very hard to stick to a budget, but if there’s something I’m going to go over on it shouldn’t surprise anyone here to know it’s either food or books. Those two categories are my weakness.
One last holiday related piece of business. Starting on December 2nd, I will be sending out a new holiday themed short story every Friday up until Christmas to my newsletter subscribers. These are rom-com style stories intended to make you chuckle and help keep you holly-jolly through the stress that sometimes accompanies the most wonderful time of the year. If you aren’t already subscribed, I hope you’ll click here and sign up now so you won’t miss any of these fun stories!
Now, without further delay, here are the books I’ve been enjoying lately (minus the Christmas books because I don’t want there to be any spoilers before my final list goes live in a couple weeks!).
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might make some extra coffee money at no extra expense to you if you buy something through one of my links. Read more about that here.
Just Finished:
Eloise and the Grump Next Door
Who doesn’t love a good enemies to more story? Eloise turns twenty-one on the eve of her grandmother’s funeral and decides to have her first ever drink. One glass of wine later, a handsome stranger carefully deposits her in her room, and she never expects to see him again. Turns out, that stranger is her grandmother’s lawyer and will be her neighbor until further notice as Eloise renovates her Grandmother’s home. Sparks fly and hijinks ensue in the most delightful way as Jake does his best to stay prickly and resist the pull he feels towards Eloise. This was a fun, easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The only girl with four older brothers, Ivy McQuaid is tough as they come and ready to have her own spread out from under her brothers’ thumbs. But her plans are thrown into jeopardy when her old friend Jericho Bliss rides back into town and announces his intention to purchase the same plot of land she had her eye on. Even that isn’t enough to make her forget the attraction she’s always felt towards him, and she can’t understand why he won’t reciprocate when she can tell he feels the same. But Jericho is on a Pinkerton assignment that Ivy can’t find out about, and he knows better than anyone the danger she would be in if they were together. Can he keep her at arms length long enough to complete his mission and hightail it back to Chicago?
I had high hopes for this latest release from one of my favorite authors and it did not disappoint. This is a regency romance/mystery involving an old estate, a murder, and a long-lost treasure. Artist Phoebe must work together with Lt. Burke to follow the clues and find the treasure — and hopefully apprehend his aunt’s murderer in the process. I didn’t realize it when I picked it up, but this book shares some characters with Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey, the first book I ever read by this author several years ago.
In Progress:
I decided to do the fourth book in the Lunar Chronicles series on audio, and I was not prepared for how long it is. My jaw nearly hit the floor when my download was complete and it said the total length of the book was 23.5 hours. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the continuation of this popular series. This is not one you want to read out of order, so if you aren’t familiar with the Lunar Chronicles go check out Cinder first. Also, the cover is kind of weird, but don’t let it put you off. It’s really a great story!
The next book in the Shatter Me series follows Juliette and Adam as they navigate their budding relationship while finding a home among a group of rebels acting against The Reestablishment. Juliette is relieved to know there are others in the world like her, but troubled by the fact that her enemy Warner seems unaffected by her touch just as Adam is. What makes them special? This is a the perfect mix of YA fantasy and dystopia.
Up Next:
Speaking of YA fantasy, I can’t wait for my library hold to come in for the second books in the Defy the Night series. In this one, Tessa and Corrick work to rebuild trust between the people and the royal family, while searching for a way to control the mysterious illness still sweeping the kingdom. The description promises more intrigue, betrayals, and sacrifice, just like the first book.
Denise Hunter is one of my all-time favorite authors, so this year I decided my goal was to finish reading any of her books that I hadn’t read yet. I have two left, this one and Kansas Brides, and my mission will be complete! Seaside Letters is about waitress who agrees to help her favorite customer do some research to find the woman he’s been communicating with online. The only problem? The woman is her, and she can’t let him find out without opening a can of worms best left hidden.
In case you didn’t know, my husband has turned into a Michael Crichton fan over the last few months and he’s been taking me along for the ride! This one is about a group of scientists called out to investigate the astounding discovery of a spaceship found a thousand feet under the ocean’s surface in the South Pacific.
As always, don’t forget to check out Modern Mrs. Darcy’s quick lit post (don’t skip the comment section!) to find more book recommendations.
Hey Jordan … thanks for a whole bunch of new to me books!