It’s been awhile… :)

Life has a way of getting busy. Priorities change so do views and interests. And then there are the everyday to-dos, endless projects, a myriad of wishes and wants. Things tend to get away from you (or rather me). I certainly don’t have the time or the freedom (or maybe even a wish) to blog as I used to some years ago (as you can tell, it’s been a few years since I did this last). I’m also not the same voracious reader that I once was. Still an adventurous cook though. Thankfully that comes in handy when one is mostly stuck at home.

2020 was not a good year for reading. Even though we were stuck home most of the year I found it hard to keep reading – something that I love(d) to do. These days I find audiobooks more my style. Nonetheless there are always at least a dozen books on my nightstand waiting for the spur-of-the-moment all-nighter or (who am I kidding?) at least five minutes for me to get a few pages in.

In the words of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie: “and just like that” I thought to dust off my writing skills. Perhaps share a few good reads from the past few years and maybe some great recipes and ideas too. This is by no means to be a regular thing, but hopefully the mood strikes more than this one time. ;) So here are some books/series and authors that I’ve been reading and listening to:

Romance

 

Love and Other Words (2018)

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating (2018)
The Unhoneymooners (2019)
In a Holidaze (2020)
The Soulmate Equation (2021)

By Christina Lauren – I’ve been slowly making my way through CLo’s back catalog ever since I read Love and Other Words, which is such a touching and sweet story. From Macy and Elliot to Josh and Hazel, and others – there is humor, love, family… gah! These novels give me all the right feels. Also, I just scored an early copy of The Soulmate Equation from Goodreads and am so excited to dive in! If you are a fan of romance, I highly recommend you check out at least one of this writing duo’s novels.

The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020) – Dreamy and romantic! Highly recommend it on audio as Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon do an excellent job as Jason and Sloan.
The Friend Zone Series
By Abby Jimenez

The Flatshare (2019) 
The Switch (2020) – Actually I just finished this one and it was a wonderfully touching story. Less romance focused, more self-discovery/healing and family dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed the idea of the live-in-each-others-shoes scenario between Leena and her 79-year-old grandmother – Eileen who is spunky and adventurous. I find Ms. O’Leary’s books a bit slow to start/get into but once you do the groundwork with her characters, they are very charming indeed. 

By Beth O’Leary

Honorable Mentions: Jen DeLuca, Helen Hoang, Sally Thorne

Sci-Fi Romance

Polaris Rising (2019) – This popped up on my radar and I’m glad it did. What a fun space opera! I wish the series wasn’t wrapped at three books. I would totally read stories about the other von Hasenberg siblings. I need to check Mihalik’s other series – Rogue Queen, hopefully it’s just as good.
Consortium Rebellion Series
By Jessie Mihalik

Fantasy Romance/Urban Fantasy

Magic Triumphs (2018)/Kate Daniels Series
Iron and Magic (2018)/Iron Covenant Series
Sweep of the Blade (2019)/Innkeeper Chronicles Series
Emerald Blaze (2020)/Hidden Legacy Series
By Ilona Andrews – What can I say? I am a big fan and Ilona Andrews are totally on my autobuy list. Highly recommend pretty much everything they write. From the epic battles and on point sarcasm of Kate Daniels with a colorful cast of characters, unique world building and mix of mythology, to delicious exploration of highly flawed character that suddenly becomes a “hero” in Iron and Magic. I know I’m in for a grand adventure with one of Ilona Andrews’ books. Also, if you an audiobook fan - Renée Raudman does an excellent job and she’s forever the voice of Kate for me. 

Night's Reckoning (2019) – I’d like to think that I’ve been reading Elemental books since the beginning – A Hidden Fire (2011), which was recommended to me by a friend. And haven’t all of us fans waited for Ben and Tenzin finally take the stage? Well, we got a whole new spinoff series out of it. And I had many mixed emotions. There was angst, violence, some tender and bittersweet moments, with latter part of the book delivering a highly anticipated and yet somehow still surprising storyline. I don’t know if I was ready for it or the Dawn Carawan (2020) that followed. Still there is more story left to tell. The Bone Scroll coming this year.  
Elemental Legacy Series

By Elizabeth Hunter

Honorable Mentions: Patricia Briggs, Jeaniene Frost

Historical Romance

The Duchess Deal (2017) – Tessa Dare knows how to make historical romance fun! Girl Meets Duke Series is filled with fun, quirky heroines who would much rather maintain their wallflower status and yet, there is always that one insufferable Duke… Speaking of Dukes, I really need to check out those Bridgerton books.

Girl Meets Duke Series
By Tessa Dare

Young Adult

Tweet Cute (2020) – Surprisingly I’ve been on YA kick as of late and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it. Tweet Cute introduces are to classmates – Pepper and Jack, who start off as each other’s nemesis. We get that hate-to-love story feel here. While I really enjoyed both leads, who were funny, entertaining, and cute, they were also way more mature than either of their parents, which seems to be the trend with Emma Lord’s books. Yet, I still liked it. 

You Have a Match (2021)

By Emma Lord

Honorable Mentions: Jenn Bennett, Jenny Han, Kasie West

Phew! This seems like a good stop for now. So, what exciting books have you been reading lately?

xoxo