Best Books to Read Now: January 2016

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

I can't believe I actually read books in December.  All I remember of the month is unpacking boxes from Amazon and frantically driving around the county.  I swear, one Saturday I used a whole tank of gas, shuttling children (and myself) here and there.  No wonder I collapsed in a great heap after Christmas.

Anyway, I tried coming up with a theme for the month and it hit me: RETURN.

Let's see how that flows:

Love Me Sweet, by Tracy Brogan

love me sweet

This is the third of her Bell Harbor series, but it could easily be read on its own.  Unlike the first two, it's in alternating his/her POV's and it's about a reality show cameraman who

returns

to his hometown of Bell Harbor, Michigan and finds that his mom has rented his house to a (unbeknownst to him) reality show star runaway.  There's lots of snow (perfect for this time of year) and as always, plenty of Tracy Brogan humor.

Again My Lord 

and

My Lady, My Lord

both by Katharine Ashe

again my lord

my lady my lord

This author has really become one of my favorite historical authors and these two books are in her Twist series. I didn't know what to expect of this series or what differentiated it from other series but OH MY GRAVY (to borrow an expression from my friend

Alexandra Haughton

).  These are...different.  In a good way!  They are not your normal historicals, they each have a twist, perhaps sort of supernatural? wherein a goddess plays a little prank on the main characters.  Anyway, I don't want to give too much away (and when you read them, you'll see how my

RETURN

theme fits in here), but I thoroughly enjoyed these books and whenever the next one comes out, it will be a insta-one-click from me.

The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah Maclean 

rogue not taken

It's the

return

of Sarah Maclean! This is the first book in her new highly anticipated new historical romance series, which is being promoted as TMZ in Regency period.  This was a break from her last series, it was lighter and funnier and actually, I kept drawing comparisons between this and LOVE ME SWEET, above, which also has the hero and heroine on a madcap road trip.

RUSHING TO DIE by Lindsay Emory 

rushing cover

The

return

of

MARGOT BLYTHE

!    My latest was released on 12/29 and I'm so pleased by the response from people!  Yes, it's the second in the Sorority Sisters Mystery series, but it can be read on its own.  This time, the sorority ladies of Sutton College are preparing for Rush and when another dead body is found in the Delta Beta yard, lots of caffeine is needed to deal with the resulting craziness.

 Let me know what you've read and enjoyed lately and if you have any book reading resolution for 2016!  I'm pretty stoked that I've been invited to join a proper book club so who know what I'll be posting around here in the future? It could be this

baby book

Or this:

book chandler

See y'all next month to find out!

Best Books to Read Now: December

BEST BOOKS TO READ NOW

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

I got through more books in November mostly because I was fortunate enough to escape to Napa, California for a long weekend right before Thanksgiving.  You may have seen some pictures (mostly of wine) on my

Instagram

but the weekend was more than just wine tastings. It was beautiful weather, good "old" friends, and going to bed early in the blessed silence of a Calistoga mountainside.

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Last month when I was writing up my books, I noted that there were some themes to my selections and I'm noticing the same this month.

Kissing Her Crush - Ophelia London

kissing her crush

I love this book for so many reasons, not least of which I had several good plotting sessions with Ophelia while she wrote this book over the course of a year.  It's exciting to see the things we talked about "come to life" and see how Ophelia embued them her signature flair (hint: Gorilla!) While it's not strictly a Christmas / holiday book I think it fits in perfectly with the holiday season with its themes of chocolate, family and love.

One Week in December -- Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, Alexandra Haughton

one week december

The "

One Week" crew

is back with this enchanting (and FREE!) selection of short holiday romances. I'm telling you, this was perfect for holiday travel - little bite sized pieces of holiday cheer. 

Pick it up (for FREE

) while you can!

The Best Man - Kristan Higgins

best man

This was my first Kristan Higgins book (I know! Where have I been?!) but she's been on my AUTHORS TO READ list since I heard her speak at an RWA 2014 workshop and THE BEST MAN won't be my last.  I literally devoured this in 24 hours after Thanksgiving, the day that will henceforth be known as The Day I Walked 5000 Steps In My Own Kitchen (thanks Fitbit for that data nugget).  Being drawn into the Blue Heron winemaking world (right after my own trip to Napa, no less) with all of the small town sweetness and family humor was ideal for a post-Thanksgiving escape. The digital version is on sale now for $.99!

Magic Shifts- Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels Book 8) 

magic shifts

So obviously, the accidental themes of my books this month have been sweet, family, romances. Does MAGIC SHIFTS fit in with that?  If you've read the first seven books of this series and if you're a major Kate Daniels/ Ilona Andrews fan, the answer is UM, YES.   If you haven't (and why haven't you?), then you might not understand that after seven Kate Daniels books and four more other books in the series the post-Shift world of Kate Daniels at this point FEELS like home and the characters at this point feel like family.  Am I stretching the theme at this point?

I am a big BIG fan of Ilona Andrews (the husband and wife writing team of Ilona and Gordon Andrews) and I've read EVERYTHING they've ever written. I'm such a huge fan that I had to stop tweeting Gordon because I didn't want to be one of those annoying fans that tweeted things like, "I like cake. Do you like cake? Want to be best friends? I can send you cake." I was sitting at the bar at RT this year with my agent and when I saw Gordon and Ilona across the room, I kind of forgot what I was supposed to be talking about, I was so star-struck.

Basically, I love them. I love their books. I recommend them. MAGIC SHIFTS came out this summer but because I didn't have enough time to really savor it, I saved it and when I got to Napa and heard the silence, I knew I could immerse myself in the latest installment.

If you want more information on this epic, sometimes-violent, sometimes-spicy, always entertaining series, hit me up and I'll talk your ear off.

SPEAKING OF SALES...

Add a little bit of body text

I have books too! 

KNOW WHEN TO HOLD HIM

is on sale for $.99... AND!!!

RUSHING TO DIE

is  releasing on 12/29 and available for pre-order NOW!!

rushing cover

I'm so excited for everyone to read the newest installment of the Sorority Sisters Mysteries.  Margot Blythe is back and preparing for rush (recruitment).  There are new characters, new challenges, but Officer Ty Hatfield, Casey Kenner and the ladies of Delta Beta are still there for Margot to boss around - I mean, motivate and inspire.

Sign up for my newsletter

because I'll be sending out a deluxe sample of RUSHING TO DIE before the release date!!

whaat

baby book

Best Books to Read Now

There's a phenomenon that many authors experience, where reading for pleasure becomes difficult, if not obsolete. This can be for various reasons, whether we don't have the time, or we can't turn off the inner critic. I'm still reading, but I have to admit, it's not the easy, loving relationship I used to have with books.  I know the pain of writing a book and, I'll be honest, my reading time is limited.  If I'm not clicking with something, I'm a lot quicker to put a book in the DNF (Did Not Finish) pile than I've ever been.

But there are so many books out there that still make me sigh and squeal.  I've been to several book-y events this year where the whole table just starts gabbing about their favorite authors and such and it's the best.  There's a joy in book talk, in finding your people to book talk with.

So to combat the book ennui and remind myself of the things that I love about reading, I decided to start a (hopefully) monthly post about books I've read.

PLEASE NOTE: This will NOT be a review post, per se. If I do not like a book, or do not finish it, I won't write about it here.  My taste is my taste and I respect authors too much to write negatively about their work.

I put together a list of four books that I've read recently and strangely, I noticed they fit into two very distinct categories.

ROYAL BOOKS

The Royal We

-  by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks 

royal we

I've been a long-time reader of

Go Fug Yourself

, a hilarious fashion blog by these two authors (and their intern George (Clooney, that sweetheart). This book is essentially a fictionalized account of Prince William and Duchess Catherine's romance, except in the book the heroine is an American exchange student who meets the heir to the throne whilst studying abroad at Oxford which is a super awesome fantasy that no girl in America ever has. *cough*

I would not call this a "romance" in the usual sense. Because it's essentially Wills and Kate (Nick and Bex in the book), we know they're getting married and having cherubic royal babies.  The behind the scenes drama with the Pippa- like sister had me raging and the peek into the fashion reinvention of a princess was fun and fascinating.

This book would be an excellent movie and SURPRISE!

It will be!

  My girl Lorelai, I mean Lauren Graham will be writing the screenplay and her onscreen daughter (not Rory, the other one) Mae Whitman will be starring.  LOVE. Can't wait for that.

(Oooh. Just noticed that they have the

first seven (7) chapters for free

on Amazon if you want a deluxe sample.)

A Royal Pain

- by Megan Mulry

royal pain

After I finished The Royal We, I decided I wanted a little more royal romance so I opened up A Royal Pain, which I've had on my TBR (To Be Read) pile FOR-EVER.  Megan has been tremendously supportive of me and I adored her last contemporary release so I couldn't wait to get into her back list.  If you like to read about the glamourous life, pick up a Megan Mulry book. Her descriptions of Valentino gowns, wines that I'll never be able to afford and ducal jewels kept in locked vaults are nearly as sexy as the... well, super-sexy scenes.

HISTORICAL ROMANCES

The Suffragette Scandal

 - by Courtney Milan

suffragette

This is book four of the Brothers Sinister series and I have no idea why I waited so long to read this. I flew through probably six or seven of Milan's books, the first three from this series and then her other series but not this one. Maybe I was sick or something. ANYWAY, I finally got to the story of Fredericka "Free" Marshall and it, like all of Milan's historicals is like a breath of fresh air. I don't know what it is, the Victorian time period, the forward thinking characters, the precise prose, but if you love historical romance or if you're looking for a nice romantic companion to a

Meryl Streep movie

 check this one out.

W

hen A Scot Ties A Knot 

-by Tessa Dare

scot ties knot

If I could, I would compose a sonnet full of my love for Tessa Dare books (unless that's creepy. Is that creepy?) I know I've posted on Facebook about her books and when someone wants a historical romance recommendation, Tessa is one of the top authors I recommend. I was lucky enough to spend some time with the fabulous Ms. Dare at a recent event and she is lovely, literate and can make you laugh AND cry - in a speech as well as in her books!

tessa bnr

I cried during this book, and it wasn't even at the half way mark. It was a good cry, there were good laughs. It's just plain good.  If the title doesn't hook you, Tessa recently did

an  Avon podcast

where she talked a little about her books and the plot .

I just noticed another theme with all these books.  They're all set in Britain, mostly. Huh. Strange.

Alright, I'd love to hear what books you've loved and what you recommend to other readers. I have a HUGE TBR pile  but I can always add on!

Cheerio!

prince harry

A MONTH. AWAY.

Yes, you heard me.  SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY, the first Sorority Sisters Mystery, ever, in the history of the world, will be released unto mankind A MONTH FROM TODAY. Can you feel it?  The trembling excitement that readers everywhere are hearing about?

pitch perfect dancing

And no, authors don't exaggerate AT ALL about their books.

the rock rolling eyes

Everyone says self-promotion is super awkward and difficult and I agree. I'm not going to spend everyday tweeting and posting about this book because once it's released, it's kind of out of my hands.  A really good friend of mine recently came clean and apologized for not reading KNOW WHEN TO HOLD HIM yet. And I just laughed and said, "It's okay" and something like, "I don't care if you do or not."

She's never looked that shocked by me before.  And I've shared deep, dark, secrets with this woman, like how I was thisclose to getting a Grateful Dead dancing bear tattoo when I was eighteen.

I tried to explain, and I'm still not sure I was successful, that when I say "I don't care if she reads it" it's because I know she's a super busy high powered executive and involved mom of three active kids.  She barely has time to return texts but I know this person has my back 100% and is a huge cheerleader for me and always has been.  Her love and support are what's important to me.  That's what keeps me going.

I recently wrote the dedication to SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY and I knew exactly who I wanted to dedicate this book to: Women everywhere who share their light with others and shine brighter for it.

Because in the past six months, I've learned a great deal about support - from other women, other writers, from friends, from maybe-enemies.  Support that comes from unexpected corners and support that never materializes from those you relied on.  The message has been reinforced from other things I've been reading, like an article about how women need to stop criticizing each other and play bigger.  This older piece on Shine Theory was particularly eye-opening for me, especially this quote:

When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and professionally accomplished, befriend her.Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better.

Publishing is an extremely tough business, maybe even cutthroat, but it's also filled with women who build each other up, believing and living the above mantra.  I've benefited tremendously from the support of many amazing women and I hope to give back twice as much.

This is, probably not uncoincidentally (that's a word, right?), the philosophy of Margot Blythe, the protagonist of the Sorority Sisters Mysteries.  Whatever you think about Margot (after you've read the book, at 12:01 am on July 7, 2015, of course) know that she only wants everyone to succeed (except for that trashy sorority chapter - you know the one.)

So yeah.  I'm really excited about what's to come.  SISTERHOOD is a beautiful culmination of so many positive experiences that just having it published is pretty damn good. But it will also feel pretty good when y'all buy it.

jim fist pump