December Reading
I went completely H.A.M. on these Christmas books for December. Well, not all of them were Christmas books, but still! This is the most books I've read in a month EVER! 20+ books is a feat I was not expecting to do, but here we are. Albeit, some of the books are as short as 20 pages. And then there's the anthology of stories... 5 stories in one. Sheesh!
We had quite a few NTM authors on this list that I was introduced to through some of my new faves. I call them my new faves only because I was introduced to them just this year and already fell in love with their stories.
My goal for December was strictly to get through all of the Christmas books I already owned. So, I started from the top of my list with Rilzy Adams. Her Christmas book was the first of a series, and I had to read the whole series. So, that was a Christmas, after Christmas, New Year's Eve situation. As always, Ms. Adams did NOT disappoint.
I took a detour between the 1st and 2nd books of Rilzy's "Love on the Rock" series and read the "Friends and Lovers" duo from Nicole Falls. I actually have the physical books of those and flipped through instead of on the ebook steeze. So refreshing to have the books in my hands instead of electronic.
After I finished the "Love on the Rock" series, I read Rilzy's Ho! Ho! Ho! Now, I know this book was not in a series, but I group it with the first book I ever read by Rilzy, ATE, because the hero in this book was somewhat introduced through ATE. And it was just as steamy too.
Next up was Nicole Falls again; this time with a Christmas ebook. I kind of sped through that one since it was so short, but the jest of the plot was understood: sex, love, family, CHRISTMAS.
A return to Leila E. Hart was had with her book Holiday Wish. This is the second read I've had from her catalog. Sis only has 3 books from what I can see, but just as the first one I read back in August, this one was enjoyable enough that I wouldn't write her off. But it's not one that I have to reread. I'm not sure if it's that the books are too short for the plot that are set or what. But it felt like something was missing. I can and have enjoyed short reads. However, that missing MMPH is why I couldn't give it more stars. Maybe on the next read.
Alexandria House was next. And Ms. Ma'am threw me a little with this one at the end. It was definitely not the typical second chance romance you would think it is. And I appreciate the book briefly allowing people to see that people with mental health issues need love too. ***SPOILER ALERT*** My bad!
The anthology that kept giving was next. The authors encompassed in this treat was K.O. McGee, C. Monet, Kema B., Sedona Rose, and Iesha Bree. So, MOST of the authors in the anthology Santa Sing Me a Christmas Carol were new to me. In fact, the only author in it that I had previously read before was Kema B. (I've read every last one of my good sis' books) thus she is the reason I HAD to read this one. Now, I'm not gonna lie and say every story was just as great as hers because they were okay. Some were better than others. Kema was the star of the anthology in my honest opinion. I could be bias... or not. But I will say I am hot as fish grease with Iesha Bree for that cliffhanger in her story. I HAVE to find out what became of the hero and heroine of that one because WHAT THE HELL? I'm already anxiously waiting to read part 2 of Kema's for the New Year's release. Speaking of, do you read New Year's books for December or January considering it's literally the cusp of the two?
Skye Moon came after Kema. She's a NTM author I discovered her earlier this year and have had samples of her work in my Kindle app but hadn't read them yet. My first time hearing her words was through the #TurnedOnSeries. Wesleigh and Emmanuel read one of her other books and I was intrigued. I've since read 3 so far and I'm gunning for more in the new year. As a matter of fact, I won a free signed copy of one of her books earlier this month. And if anyone knows me, they know I love getting the chance to increase my library with great books by great authors. So, I can't wait until I get my #BookMail.
The next author on my list was Aubree Pynn. She was also a NTM author. Funny thing is she's the author I won the signed copy of Skye Moon's book from. Look at that alignment! I have so many samples of Aubree's books on my Kindle app, you'd think I already read some of her work. But alas, I am late to the game. And let me just say, my first read by her almost had me in tears. It was beautifully written and so damn realistic. The one thing you'd think would be a "sike, I gotcha!" moment was exactly how real life is. The sad shit actually comes true and, even though there was a happily ever after, it was not without the "will this or will it not work" thoughts. I can't wait to dive deeper into her catalog.
Then, I DEVOURED just about every Christmas book Té Russ wrote, include the newest one that just came out. My fellow Cancer Queen apparently LOVES Christmas because there were 5 books, even though they were quickies, that I deliciously enjoyed. Once again, she gave you all the things we look for in a short Christmas read: a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end; love, sex, and all the Ho-Ho-Hoing we love to see... I mean, the Christmasy theme. LMAO! Although I just discovered Té this year, I've already read 14 of her 50 books and I own almost half of her catalog. Like many of my favorites I've acquired this year, I plan on getting the whole kit and caboodle, just wait and see.
This concludes my chronicle of my reads for the year 2021. I hope you were able to find a good read from the plethora I have indulged in along this journey called reading.