On the Shelf: December 2020

In December, with the first draft of Pretty Little Lion turned in to my editor, I finally got to relax and tackle some things in my TBR pile...but I didn't make enough of a dent to suit my competitive streak! 2020 being what it was, I didn't really expect to top last year's reading tally of 135 books. But when my total ended up being 95—even with one last book just hours before midnight on December 31—I was pretty disappointed in myself. Ouch. I didn't even crack 100! Oh, well. Now there's 12 months ahead for me to get my peepers on more pages! 

The pages I peeped in December included some incredible historical romances, like Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't, Eva Leigh's hysterical Waiting for a Scot Like You and EE Ottoman's soft and gentle The Longest Night. I also had a Zoraida Córdova lovefest. I've probably said this before, but I would read Zoraida's grocery lists. I'm such a fan. She makes every genre she steps into her own. I also really enjoyed Rosie Danan's The Intimacy Experiment, a thoughtful exploration of faith and intimacy—and sex—as a rabbi and a former adult film star fall in love.  

The Reading Rundown:
Vampires Never Get Old by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker, Samira Ahmed, et al (anthology, young adult horror)

Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova (young adult fantasy)

The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan (out 4/6/21, contemporary romance)

When She Was Naughty by Tessa Dare (historical romance, novella)

Red Hands by Christopher Golden (horror, thriller/suspense)
Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh (out 2/23/21, historical romance)

The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan (historical romance)

The Longest Night by EE Ottoman (historical LGBT+ romance, novella)

The Road to Rose Bend by Naima Simone (out 4/27/21, contemporary romance)

Running Away With the Bride by Sophia Singh Sasson (out 1/1/21, contemporary category-length romance)

Currently reading: The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View by S.A. Chakraborty, Zoraida Córdova, et al.

On the TBR/wishlist:

Knit, Purl, a Baby, and a Girl by Hettie Bell

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev

Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova

The Three Mrs. Greys by Shelly Ellis

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri