Dude, so one of my goals of 2015 was to read more. Remember that? Well, I do, and I have to say that it's been going pretty well. I still find myself in "reading droughts" where I don't read for a couple of weeks. Then, bam! I read like 5 books in 5 days. I'm not sure why I do that...
But since last time I reported (oh my heck! That was at the end of January!), here's what I've read:
SHELTER ME by Catherine Mann: This one was interesting. I wasn't sure I was going to like the narration by the dog -- I generally don't like human characteristics given to animals. I skipped it the first few times. Then I started reading them, and I actually enjoyed it. This is a good contemporary romance with some real issues.
A HOPE REMEMBERED by Stacy Henrie: FABULOUS and BRILLIANT inspirational romance. I loved this book and recommend it to everyone! You can read more of my thoughts on this book here.
CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT by Chelsey Krause: This is a NA contemporary romance. Honestly, I'm terrified of this genre. Ha! I've utilized the Kindle's "Look Inside" feature for this and I always read as much as I can there before I buy. Why? I'm not into erotica or pretty much anything that starts with lots of F-bombs and/or sex. Not that every New Adult novel is like this, which is why I'm carefully selecting the ones I read. This was a good one. Some talk of sex, but none present on the page. I enjoyed it.
SECOND CHANCES by Stacy Finz: This contemporary romance takes place in the mountains, with snow. Right where I live! (I mean, not Utah, but I get the setting.) I especially loved Darla's romance, and the evolution of Colin as he came out of his self-imposed isolation to take a chance on love.
THE COWBOY'S FOREVER FAMILY by Deb Kastner: This is a Love Inspired Harlequin novel. I absolutely love this line, and I'm branching out into their Suspense line too. Fabulous read about second chances and redemption.
HEARTBREAK COVE by Lily Everett: This story has horses, and I sort of love horses. I thought this was a great contemporary romance about heartbreak, families, and second chances.
HOLD ME by Susan Mallery: This starts a new series for Susan Mallery, Fools Gold, and I really enjoyed it. There was a large cast of characters in a small town. I love small town, Beta hero romances, and this one delivered.
THE COWBOY'S CHRISTMAS GIFT by Donna Alward: This was the second book of Donna's that I read, and that's a high compliment! I liked this book, mostly because I enjoy ranches and cowboys.
SECOND CHANCE RANCH by Cindi Madsen: Ranches and cowboys! This read a lot like a young adult or new adult novel, but it had all the elements of a contemporary romance that I enjoy. I especially liked the dynamics between the hero and heroine, who had broken up previously.
FIVE DAYS IN SKYE by Carla Laureano: MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2015 SO FAR. You can read all my thoughts about it here. Go get it. Read it. Love it like I do.
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Jill Shalvis: This book took me a while to get into. But I kept seeing Jill Shalvis's name all over the sites I've been visiting, and I thought I'd give it a try. A little sexier than I like, but a good example of contemporary romance.
LOVE ME SWEET by Tracy Brogan: This contemporary romance was a fun read! Lots of tension, and fabulously flawed characters. I learned a lot about writing romance from reading this book. Tracy's books are also a little sexier than I like, but they're so fantastic, I keep reading them.
REESE'S COWBOY KISS by Kimberly Krey: Uh, more cowboys and ranches? Yes, please! I liked this book because the romance was sweet and the characters were real. I found it read really young, but I like young adult too, so I went with it.
THE HOUSE ON BLACKBERRY HILL by Donna Alward: A favorite contemporary romance -- see why I read a second book by her? I loved this first in her Jewell Cove romances, and I can't wait until the others come out!
AGAINST HER WILL by Serita Stevens and Jo Schaffer: I loved this book, and it's not a romance. Take that! It's literally the outlier in this list, as it's also YA. But I adore Jo and I adored this book. It's a somewhat chilling and stark look at a troubled teen's life. You can read what else I had to say about it here.
So that's 15 books in the past 10 weeks! I think I'm on track for my one book/week goal. Hey, even I'm surprised!
And looking at my Kindle, I have DOZENS and DOZENS of new books still to read!
Also, have you seen a trend in what I'm reading right now? Do you see any YA books? (There is one...) I've said I'm writing in a new genre -- and I'm sure you can see what it is!
What have you read lately that you liked?
Okay, so if you haven't read my debut adult fantasy novel, there's no better time than now! Echoes of Silence, which won the Kindle Scout program and is published by Amazon's Kindle Press, is only 99 cents until the new year!
