New Year’s resolutions and me rarely ever work out well. Life happens, right? The year goes by in a blur and then all of a sudden were sitting down crafting a list of goals only to never see the paper again after January 1st. Chances are I’ve rewritten the same goals over the years. Last year (2022), I made a few changes to the notorious New Year’s resolution list and made my list attainable. That small change led to not only meeting my goals, but exceeding them.

The focus was to get back into reading so I set out to read 24 books. I thought, “I can read two books a month. No problem.” Well, needless to say, I surpassed that goal by 140 books, thanks to all of the suggestions I received on Instagram. As I made my way through all of your recommendations and started to add my own finds to my TBR I received a bunch of messages asking me to share my reviews. Each month I’ll round up all the books I’ve read and my thoughts. Check out the below for January.

The Briar Crown by Helen Rygh-Pedersen

Enemies to Lovers, Unique Magical System, Touch Her & Die Vibes

“If all you can do is make a whirlwind of wishes, Roslyn, then never change.”

OH. MY. GOODNESS! Where do I even start? The Briar Crown is close to my heart. As a Beta reader and ARC I have had the opportunity to fall in love with Roslyn and Frederik’s story over and over again. The Briar Crown is the first book in the Zemkoska series and only leaves you wanting more! The enemies to lovers Fantasy Romance is impeccably written, well-paced and highlights a unique magical system.

The Briar Crown’s main character Roslyn, is fierce despite her position in the political structure set forth by the unique magical system in place and is determined to utilize the tools and knowledge she has to bring value to her people. Helen’s wonderful character development makes it easy to fall in love with Roslyn, but there is no doubt Lady Margitte, who is nothing short of hilarious, deserves a spotlight. Every character is both complex and compelling, adding depth and breathing life into the story.

A must read, without a doubt and will surely end up on my top ten by the end of the year!

Corrupted Chaos by Shain Rose

Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Billionaire Romance

Stars: ★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

“Oh, I’m going to hell, baby. But I’m dragging you with me.”

Badass woman in STEM, with a whole lot of steam! Holy hotness, Izzy and Cade’s relationship is pure sexual tension. The book explores the addiction and Izzy identifying as an addict. Ultimately, Cade helps Izzy feel as though she can be her true self without judgement. A bit of a mafia romance, but heavy on the tech side of things.

A Really Bad Idea by Jeannine Colette

Friends to Lovers

“Look down, and you reveal your fears. Look up, and you overthink your obstacles. The trick is to look forward.”

Simple and sweet! Christian and Meadow have been best friends since they were little. Meadow is divorced and Christian is focused on his career. The two have never considered more than friendship until Meadow decides she wants a baby and her biological clock is ticking. Christian offers to help, the natural way. An easy read that pulls at your heart strings!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Enemies to Lovers, Small Town Romance(ish?)

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you.”

As a huge Emily Henry fan, I can’t believe I waited so long to read Book Lovers. After reading Beach Read and reading a few reviews I was worried I wouldn’t like it. Clearly, I was worried over nothing because I truly loved Nora and Charlie’s love story. Henry’s witty dialogue and complex character challenges keep you flipping the page. I ended up loving it even more than Beach Read and I’m looking forward to see what she’ll release this year!

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

Enemies to Lovers, Bad-Boy, Small Town Romance

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

“There is a difference between taking care of someone because you love them and taking care of someone because you want them to love you.”

I’ve never been one to comment on book length. There are times when a story can be told in 300/400 pages and times when it’s necessary for 500/600 or even more. Although, the page count rarely ever matters, I’ve notice I lean towards books that are longer. There is more time to build up suspense, cause more obstacles for your main characters and incorporate that slow burn romance. In the case of Naomi and Knox, this is true. Beautifully written, Lucy Score tells the story of Naomi, her identical twin sister and Knox.

Naomi always comes to her sisters rescue, despite that her sister makes horrible choices leaving Naomi to pick up the pieces. When she arrives in the small town of Knockemout, Naomi begins to realize that everyone hates her sister. Her less than warm welcome is hint enough. When she finds out her sister has left her daughter in Naomi’s care and taken off she’s forced to ask for help from Knox, the town grump.

The Big Fake by Penelope Bloom

Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Fake Dating

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“Meanwhile, I was sweating bullets and I had a wedgie. And it was no ordinary wedgie. We were dealing with a stuffed taco situation–a vedgie.”

Eek! I love a fake dating trope! Pearl and Dean swear off dating after finding out their significant others have cheated on them, but in an effort to avoid noisy parents and friends trying to set them up, they pretend to date. Only problem is, that after months of pretending, Pearl actually needs a date to her sisters wedding and Dean steps up to help. Dual POV, hilarious and steamy! 

Sincerely, Up Yours by Penelope Bloom

Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy Boss, Workplace Romance 

Stars: ★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“Oh. I have this rule. If a guy can throw me three feet, I ignore three red flags. Four feet means four flags, and so on. I think Tristan could throw me super far, so there’s really no amount of red flagging to scare me off him.”

After I finished The Big Fake, I needed more from Penelope Bloom and jumped into Sincerely, Up Yours, finishing it in a night. Darcy and Dominic’s banter is spot on and hilarious, but the humor changes as our characters continue to become closer. As someone who truly appreciates LOL moments, I wish Darcy’s sassy humor continued throughout the entire book. 

One Bossy Date by Nicole Snow

Enemies to Lovers, Rom Com, Slow Burn

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“‘Woman, if you hadn’t come back to me, I would have hunted you down,’ he whispers darkly.”

One Bossy Date is a stand alone Enemies to Lovers rom-com. While it is a stand alone I would recommend reading Nicole Snow’s One Bossy Dare and One Bossy Proposal before One Bossy Date. The characters intertwine and it’s nice to see the story build, although not necessary. Each book follows a different couple and interjects the best banter. The length of the story allows for slow burn romance and phenomenal character development.

One Bossy Date is centered around Piper, travel influencer, and Brock, luxury hotel chain owner. On a trip to a Hawaiian resort Piper wakes in the middle of the night to an intruder showering in her bathroom. Based on a reservation mix up, it’s up to Brock to make things right.

Bound and Barbed by Samantha R. Goode

Enemies to Lovers, Fated Mates, Unique Magical System, Vampires

Stars: ★★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

“Promise me that you will live your life as men do, as if you own the very ground you walk on, and that you will never settle for a partner who doesn’t worship that.”

CLIFFHANGER ALERT! I am such a sucker for fated mates and I love that Bound and Barbed is a dual POV to get access to both Evaline and Maddox’ thoughts that I didn’t even contemplate waiting for Made and Marred to be released to avoid the emotional rollercoaster that is involved with a cliffhanger. As is the case with most books that are the first of a series, there are a lot of questions left unanswered, but you wont be disappointed by diving into this new world! In Bound and Barbed, Evaline believes that she has already lost her freedom the moment her father dies and she is left under the rule of her aunt and uncle. Only she finds out that things can get much worse when he aunt proposes an arranged marriage. Evaline must trust Maddox if she has any hope of a future without constraints.

Made and Marred to be released 10.31.23!

Million Dollar Outlines (Million Dollar Writing Series) by David Farland

Stars: ★★★★★

If you are a writer or thinking about becoming a writing I cannot recommend David Farland’s Million Dollar Outlines enough. J.M. Kearl author of Bow Before the Elf Queen had mentioned this as a resource on Instagram and as someone who has always been interested in writing and wanting more information on the outlining process I immediately bought Million Dollar Outlines. The entire book is a gold mine of information and a wealth of knowledge not to mention David Farland is fascinating. As soon as I finished the book I was trying to find seminars to hear him speak.

Kingdom of the Wicked Series by Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Wicked, Kingdom of the Cursed, Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

“I’d lie for it. Steal, cheat, maim, and murder. If I could, I’d sell my soul again for it, witch.”

As far as book boyfriends go, Wrath is at the top of my list! Hot damn!

Whenever I start I new fantasy series, I’m always hesitant. My standards are way too high and my judgements can be harsh. After you read ACOTAR, The Blood and Ash Series and Shatter Me Series, it’s hard to find another world that can compete, even though there will always be another. I’ll be the first to admit that this judgement is unnecessarily harsh, but I want to LOVE it.

The Wicked Kingdom Series is no less than UNBELIEVABLE, in the very best way! Emilia and Wrath’s story is beautifully written and you are immersed in their world from the first page. The twists keep the story moving at a wonderful pace and you grow to love some of the more questionable characters. I could go on and on, but I’ll just say it surpassed all of my expectations! GO READ IT!

Gothikana by RuNyx

Dark Academia, Gothic Romance, Forbidden Love, Parapsychological Thriller

Fantasy Horror has never been an interest of mine and when it comes to anything scary I’m such a wimp. I’m not sure what possessed me to read Gothikana (perhaps the ghosts of Verenmore), but I’m really glad I did. Although, I may have to avoid looking in a mirror for a few weeks until I fully recover from that scene.

The book takes place at the University of Verenmore, a gorgeous gothic castle situated in the mountains atop a small town, where students with a troubled past are provided a chance at higher education. Corvina and Vad have their own reasons for being at Verenmore, but are forced to trust each other to help solve a century-old mystery and in the process find love. The castle is full of the unknown and Corvina must decided if the voices she is hearing are real or her mind breaking as she struggles with a potential diagnosis of schizophrenia, which left me guessing even after I finished the last page.

While I’ll definitely be taking a break from thrillers for a while, (I couldn’t even read this at night) there is no doubt that I’m glad I picked it up!

Never Marry Your Brother’s Best Friend by Lauren Landish

Enemies to Loves, Fake Marriage, Billionaire Romance

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“A kiss is the physical meeting of two souls, sharing time, heat and space. Their breath becomes one as their bodies react to one another.”

Never Marry Your Brother’s Best Friend is so much more than just a romance novel. I loved how Lauren Landish explores family dynamics and the pressures that can be placed on us by our parents and our siblings. There were many laugh out loud moments, spice and sweet moments between Luna and Carter as they navigate a fake marriage to ensure Carter can take on a new client.

Vines by Brynne Asher

Military Romance, Suspense

Stars: ★★★★

Spice: 🌶🌶

“Worth every minute of ten years. Never thought I’d say this, but I’d do it all again if I knew you were waiting for me at the end.”

The second I finished Vines, I was researching how to get myself a pet cow. No joke. Only then to find out how to own a vineyard, but really the cows were the most important. And if you read Vines you will completely understand why I suddenly want a baby cow more than anything.

Cute baby cows aside, I loved Addy and Crew’s love story! Addy is the owner of a vineyard in the Virginia country side determined to leave her past behind until her new neighbor Crew Vega moves in and discovers a high level CIA target is keeping tabs on her. Recently retired, Crew wants nothing more to leave that life behind only to go all in to protect Addy.

Such a good book with great suspense. If for no other reason, please read it for the cows! I promise it will be worth it!

A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

Enemies to Lovers, Beauty and the Beast Retelling, Fated Mates

“You can call him whatever you like. I’ll call him by his name, and if he doesn’t like that, I’ll call him a ball-bag fuckbumper. I’ll let it be his choice.”

Wow. I’m never opposed to spice, ever. Actually, I tend to lean more towards wanting a bit of spice over having none at all, but A Ruin of Roses is a perfect balance of suspense and steam! The story is a Beauty and the Best retelling with a bunch of twists and I’ve already started to read the next book in the series because I NEED to know what happens to Finley and Nyfain.

Side note (and maybe its just me), but Im obsessed with Hadriel, he is just a hot mess express and I love every second of it! Poor guy has it rough, literally, if you know what I mean. 😉

Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels

Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Workplace Rom-Com

“I’d rather argue with you than get along with anyone else.”

Kate and Ben fall on opposite sides of the political spectrum and only meet to discuss the potential for Kate’s Child Care bill. Only focused on their differences, Kate and Ben start a workplace feud to prove the other wrong and in doing so find out that they might have more in common than they thought.

While the book focuses on political differences Devon Daniels does an amazing job at ensuring politics are kept at a distance, so regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum there is something everyone can enjoy about Kate and Ben’s story. Hysterical banter and steamy romance!

The Wife Finder by Melissa McClone

Billionaire Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Clean Romance, HEA

Stars: ★★★

“Wanting or needing help doesn’t mean you failed or are weak. It only means you’re human.”

The Wife Finder is a romance novel its simplest form. Blaise and a group of close friends have made a bet that will result in winning millions for whoever remains unmarried within a specific timeframe. In a last ditch attempt to win, Blaise hires matchmaker, Hadley, to find wives for his two remaining unmarried friends. While the plot was simple and sweet, I do wish the relationship between Blaise and Hadley was a bit more in depth to pull in the reader into the story. Blaise and Hadley both share complex character profiles, but they aren’t interwoven enough to provide the type of suspense I look for. All that being said, its a cute and easy read that is completely clean. PG in every sense.