Books – January 2021

Linking up with Steph and Jana. I read a few good ones this month, and quit on one that I was excited about. I went ahead and set my goal for 52 books again this year. If I can average a book a week, I feel like I am doing pretty good. Hopefully I will blow that goal out again this year. But if I don’t, that is ok too. I tried to set something that is at least attainable for me. What is your goal looking like for the year? I have two books I cant wait to read up next!!!

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

Full disclosure, I do not watch the bachelor shows. I hate them. I grabbed this book because a few people I trust said it was good. I really enjoyed the different ways this book read with Bea of course, but also press releases, interviews, emails, texts, live shows, etc. I really liked Bea as a character, and I was invested in some of the guys on the show. I will say that it turned out exactly how I thought it would, but I still enjoyed getting there.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

What a name, right? I loved Caroline and Simon so much. Caroline was just the right amount of quirky, and I loved to see her and Simon start out sort of as enemies and then form a friendship and move from there. I liked that this book was written a little different than most I read, in that all their struggle was in the beginning and middle and we just finished out nice towards the end without that final blow out and reconciliation that we usually see in just about every romance I have ever read. We actually get to see how their relationship starts, and then goes on instead of just getting together and the book ends with an engagement 6 months later in the epilogue type of story. For the steamy parts, you don’t really get any until the end, and then it is a whole of it. Maybe a little too much in a short period of time? I dont know. I didn’t hate that though.

Bottom Line: If you are into steamier romance, read it!

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

This was a cute and cozy Christmas read that came to me on Christmas Day. I really loved Kate and the whole town she lived in. I knew straight from the beginning how this book was going to play out, but it was the perfect ride along the way. The whole Christmas scene, the ridiculous men she met through the twelve dates, the side story with her mom and dad. I just loved all of it.

Bottom line: Read it if you are looking for some light, fun and festive!

Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

I could not put this book down. I really enjoyed all the characters and plotlines in this book. You feel like you belong on the island at this point, because you are so invested. I will say, towards the end of the book, I almost felt like there was a data dump to get out what actually happened. I wish there would have been a little more to it, you know? I did love that Margaret Quinn showed up at the end! I loved her in the Winter series and I just love how Elin always finds a way to wind her characters together from all her books to give you that familiarity.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this series and recommend it if you are looking for a tropical island escape, and a little mystery. It is slightly different than some of Elin’s other books I have read. I am not going to say it was my favorites by her, but they definitely drew me in and I flew through all three.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

I just love Matthew McConaughey’s whole demeaner and accent, so I knew I had to do this on audiobook! I enjoyed listening to him talk about different stories from his life. There were a few cringe worthy moments, and I got a little bored in some parts. Overall, I liked his philosophy of looking for the greenlights and found the book interesting.

Bottom Line: The audio was a fun listen, if for anything, that voice!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Be brave. Or pretend to be. It’s all the same.

It is rare for me to pick up historical fiction. Honestly, Kristin Hannah is one of the only authors in this genre that I will read. And as with any Hannah book, you can expect to be completely heartbroken and shattered while reading this book. I think a combination of knowing that my grandparents were young children during this era, and the current state of our country and the world…I felt everything in this book extra hard. Parts of the book were a little drawn out for me, but I became completely lost in this world and what was going on. Parts of this book are so depressing and the hopelessness and despair of the times really hits you. You wonder how many hits a person can take and keep going. I enjoyed all the characters, and especially felt the mother-daughter relationship between Elsa and Loreda.

Bottom Line: If you are into historical fiction, this was beautifully written. You feel everything. Be in the right state of mind to read it, it is horribly depressing and I feel like I am going to need several light and fluffy romance novels to cleanse myself from this.

**I received a copy of The Four Winds from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

DNF

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

I was shocked that I absolutely loved The Royal We, so I was excited to read this one! This one focuses a lot more on the family drama and I have to be honest, I don’t usually care much about The Royals and their lives because it is so far removed from the real word…you know? I was about 25% in to this one when 3 other books I had been waiting forever from the library finally came in, and I couldn’t seem to care anymore about this. I would have stuck with it had that not happened, but I don’t really care that I didn’t finish. If you read it and think I need to go back, let me know.