The Reading Rundown:
Vampires Never Get Old by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker, Samira Ahmed, et al (anthology, young adult horror)
Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh (out 2/23/21, historical romance)
2020 was not an easy reading year—and particularly not an easy reading year for me with romance. I made a serious detour into horror and thrillers for a bit, as if those would somehow make reality a little less horrifying. Nonetheless, I found some stellar romance novels that reminded me of why love is one of the most important things we can have in troubling times. Here is a list of my Top 20 favorites of the year—in alphabetical order so you can't tell which ones were the MOST favorite. ;)
2. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
3. 40-Love by Olivia Dade
4. You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
5. When She Was Naughty by Tessa Dare
6. Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
7. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
8. House Rules by Ruby Lang9. The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin10. Hate Crush by Angelina M. Lopez
11. The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan
12. Headliners by Lucy Parker
13. Messy by Katie Porter
14. Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha
15. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon16. Haunted by Nico Rosso17. Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan18. The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe
19. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
20. The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite
October saw me sinking into horror and thrillers and things that go bump in the night. I could barely focus on romance. Luckily, I rallied in November and added to my reading count substantially—especially in my most beloved genre! From Ann Aguirre's exquisite fairy tale, Bitterburn, to The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season (no relation, lol!) by Molly O'Keefe writing as Molly Fader to Jayce Ellis' sizzling office romance Learned Behaviors and two powerhouse books by Kennedy Ryan. Meanwhile, Nico Rosso's Haunted proved a welcome entry to gothic historical romance and I finally caught up with Illona Andrews' latest Hidden Legacy book. And Kate Clayborn's lovely meditation on found family and grief, Love at First, proved a gorgeous follow-up to January's Love Lettering.
Backlist adventures: Anne Stuart's steamy historicals, Reckless and Never Kiss a Rake, filled that comfort read niche for me as November got underway. They both had blond heroes named Adrian, which was a little jarring to read back-to-back, but I'm not really complaining. Then I continued the Stuartification and read Shadows at Sunset, which was a contemporary for its time but is basically a historical now. (lolsob!) I also reread a Tessa Dare favorite, A Lady By Midnight—because sometimes you just need a restorative trip to Spindle Cove.
Currently reading: The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan.
On the TBR/wish list:
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole
Illusionary by Zoraida Córdova
Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins