I got a lot of reading done in November. This is the most I’ve read in quite a while, and I really enjoyed all the books. What books did you read this month?
Kiss Me At The Stroke of Midnight Vol. 1 and 2 by Rin Mikimoto
Vol. 1- Hinana prizes her reputation as a serious high school student, too focused on getting into college to pay attention to boys. But she’s a secret fairytale romance freak, sneaking away from her studies to see A Roman Holiday and tucking pop idol magazines into her textbooks. When her celebrity crush comes to her school to film a TV episode, she has to pretend to be totally uninterested even as she desperately tries to get close to him. However, she’s not the only one who’s not what she appears… her dreamboat isn’t just a pretty face either!
I loved these two volumes and need the rest now! I really want to get the rest of the series, but it will have to wait a while unfortunately. Very cute manga!
The Thief’s Gambit by Clare Sager
Picking pockets comes easily to Quin, but it’s time to up the ante. She’s spent her life training in the art of seduction and deceit; now she must put that into action and con her first nobleman. But none of those lessons prepared her for a cruel mark who demands more than pretty smiles and ballroom dances. In a dangerous game of secrets and lies, high risk means high reward and hope may doom everyone she loves.
This was a really good novella. I’ve read one other book by Clare Sager and had received an ARC of this novella, which I’m really happy about. This is the start of the series, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.
The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone. Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse. Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?
This was a cute book. I read it in a day and couldn’t put it down. It was a bit predictable, but since it is a YA romance I wasn’t bothered.
Once Upon a Witch and Two Can Witch The Game by Valia Lind
Once Upon A Witch: Cassandra Duke had her whole life figured out. She was going to stay away from magic, become a successful interior designer in a big city, and maybe finally learn how to waltz. But then, her magic acts up—without her permission—leaving her without a job and a plan. Coming home was never in the stars. But when her aunt calls, Cassie packs up her stuff and heads to Crooked Windows Inn. Maybe with a little peace and quiet, and a remodeling gig, she can get her magic (and life) back under control. But the universe is clearly out to get her! Not only has she picked up an annoying cat sidekick, but then her childhood nemesis comes back into her life in the form of the (hot) new handyman, and things just can’t get any worse. That is, until one of the inn’s guests turns up dead and Cassie’s aunt is the prime suspect. Now Cassie has no choice but to take the matters into her own magical hands. Can she solve the case before her aunt is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit?
I loved these two books. The first one was a free copy and the second one was an ARC copy. I really want to read more of this series and can’t wait for Valia to write more in this series. Such a cute cozy mystery series with romance and magic!
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh
In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book at first. I don’t really like historical settings, but I ended up loving this book. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I need to get the other books in the series! It was a great, atmospheric read with beautiful writing.
Faking It For The Holidays by Bethany Monaco Smith
Sam and Kaila have been best friends their whole lives. Thirteen years ago, they made a pact never to date to protect their friendship. But when their well-meaning mothers keep setting them up on terrible blind dates, they decide to fake date through the holidays. With a set of rules in place, they won’t break the pact, right? Sam: What the hell was I thinking? Fake dating? Fake dating the girl I’ve been madly in love with for most of my life? I’m an idiot. Of course, as always, I said yes to her. Like always, I’d do anything to make her happy. And, okay, maybe I thought If we pretended to be together, she’d realize how amazing we could be and forget about the pact. Instead, I’m more in love with her than ever and have no idea if she’ll ever allow herself to see me as more than her best friend. Kaila: This is fine. It’s all fine. We’re just fake dating. We have our rules. We have the pact. We’re best friends: always and only best friends. But the longer we fake date, the harder it’s becoming to ignore the spark I feel between us. It’s always been there, but I’ve always ignored it. I’ve focused on our friendship because I can’t risk what Sam and I have. But his touch makes my heart race and his arms feel safer than ever before. It’s okay. I can handle this. Stick to the rules. Abide by the pact. This will all be fine, right? Fine, fine, fine.
This was such a cute holiday read! I love books with the friends to lovers trope as well as fake dating. You really feel like you’re friends with the characters as you read the book as well. I received an ARC of this and I can’t recommend it enough!
Race To The Altar by Ron Benrey, Gloria Clover, Becky Melby, Cathy Wienke, and Gail Sattler
Romance is in the air for NASCAR fans. Even though Faith’s dreams of being a stock car driver have ended, can she use her skills to spur a brash driver on to victory? Moe loves everything about racing, but will she be willing to change into a lady for the chance to win a driver’s heart? Camela enjoys nursing the wounds of those who work around the racetrack, but can she bear to see someone she loves get hurt? For Lynda, selling NASCAR products is a great extension of her hobby, until a simple video game clashes with a romantic reality.
This was a cute anthology. I read this book pretty fast, and really liked most of the stories. I love Nascar related books and was surprised that this one has a Christian element to all the stories.
A Sweet Alaskan Fall by Jennifer Snow
Montana Banks has returned to Wild River, Alaska, for a fresh start. Adventure has always been in her blood, but while an injury leaves her unable to participate in her favorite extreme sports, Montana settles for teaching base-jumping classes at her friend’s tour company. Settling in has been almost too easy: a great job, her family’s acceptance and her own apartment—right next door to straitlaced police officer Eddie Sanders. Eddie has always had feelings for Montana, and now that he’s leaving for a new job in Anchorage he wonders if he should’ve taken a chance with her sooner. Then a moment of violence the night of his going-away party leaves him badly wounded. Seeing Eddie’s job opportunity lost and self-confidence following close behind, Montana is determined to show him all the reasons he has to pick himself up again.
I liked this book. There was a lot going on it it but it had a great ending. I loved all the characters in it and want to go back and read the book before this one.
Hot For Santa by Melanie A. Smith
Evie thought it couldn’t get any worse than being single at the holidays. But when her boss, Logan, who she’s had a massive crush on since forever, shows up at the company holiday party dressed like Santa, she realizes she was wrong. Because somehow he makes being jolly old Saint Nick look ridiculously sexy, reminding her of everything she wants but can’t have. Unfortunately she’s also not very good at hiding her feelings and is seriously concerned she’s going to do or say something horribly inappropriate. Will Evie make it through unscathed, or will everyone find out she’s hot for Santa?
This was an ARC and super cute! It was very short and easy to read, plus it had great holiday vibes.
Christmas As We Know It by Sarah Sutton
Christmas as I know it is blown away with the winter wind when my mom drops a bomb the size of the Rockefeller Tree—we’re going to Florida for winter break, AKA the land of no snow. And since this is the last Christmas season of my high school career, my last chance to spend the holidays with my friends before we all go off to college, the news is anything but merry and bright. There is one silver lining, though. Bentley, the sweet and kind guy I’ve been crushing on for years, is in my volunteer group for the annual Winter Festival. And did I mention his love for Christmas just might rival my own? Even though I’ll be missing out on the Winter Festival, being paired with Bentley almost makes it worth it. Until something happens with Jason, my best friend since elementary school. Something that may or may not involve an almost kiss. Jason’s the opposite of jolly, the Grinch to my Mrs. Claus, and though every year I have to drag him along for the Yuletide ride, this December, he’s grumpier than ever about the holidays. But the closer I get to Bentley, and the more it looks like Jason and his ex are getting back together, the more unsure I am about who I want to ring in the new year with. Maybe all I need is the magic of a mistletoe kiss to make up my mind. Or better yet, a Christmas miracle…
This was probably my favorite book of the month! I had an ARC of this and could not put it down. I laughed and cried like I do with all of Sarah’s books. I haven’t bought myself a physical copy yet, but I really want one. This was a cute, sweet holiday read and I already want to read it again.
All I Want For Christmas Is A Faerie Assassin?! by H.L. Macfarlane
She didn’t want to be alone at the most wonderful time of the year. When he shows up, she may decide to rethink that… London, England. Charlotte Connors is tired of asking for a man, only to find coal in her stocking. Emboldened by a little liquid courage, she gives up on Father Christmas and uses her grandmother’s old book to summon a faerie plus-one for the holiday party. But when against all odds it actually works, Charlotte finds herself face-to-face with a foul-mouthed, hungover hitman. Bain was looking to sleep it off after taking revelling to new heights at the Winter Solstice. Instead, the acerbic assassin is stuck with a naïve, pathetic human who doesn’t even have a target in mind. But since she owes him a favour if he does her bidding, the clever killer strikes a deal that will allow him to finally take revenge for a broken contract. Though he gets under her skin with each four-letter word, Charlotte can’t help being drawn to her temporary paranormal paramour. But just as Bain starts to fall for the foolish mortal, he discovers the object of his vengeance is her boss. Can this mismatched pair somehow snowball into happily ever after?
This book was also very high up on my favorites for the month. It wasn’t very long, but it took you on a wild ride. I loved the main characters so much and could easily read this book again. I got a copy of this for free and plan on buying a physical copy sometime.
Drip Dead by Christy Evans
When plumber’s apprentice Georgiana Neverall crawls under her mother’s house to check the pipes, she’s horrified to find her mother’s flashy fiancé, real estate mogul Gregory Whitlock, dead in the dirt. Instead of a wedding ring, Georgiana’s mother is soon wearing handcuffs, accused of killing the man she loved. To clear her mother’s name, Georgiana’s going to have to crawl into a few more dark spaces and uncover secrets Whitlock was hiding.
This was a great cozy mystery. It was a bit predictable, but I didn’t guess everything about how it was going to end. I liked getting to see a female plumber, something I’ve never read about before. I’ll definitely read more in this series.
Those are all the books that I read this month! As you can tell, there were a lot of ARCs and free copies. I wanted to get as many done as I could so December I can read all the holiday books on my shelves. Thank you for reading! Until next time.