So, I decided a month ago to try to blog more – that resolution lasted approximately two weeks. Life got in the way, meaning I had less time to blog. Emotional burnout at the suck that is 2020 then also sucked my ability to read new books.
I always class myself as a mood reader but what I think I mean by that is I am an emotional reader and I read the books that suit by emotional state at the time. Bit angry? Read a suspense. Bit down? Read a warm and fluffy romance. There isn’t an exact formula but I’m quite good at picking reads to suit my mood.
2020 though? 2020 has been so emotionally draining it has sucked my ability to emotionally invest in new characters which is a totally new experience.
For each new book I read, and love, I get emotionally involved with the story. I laugh with them, cry with them and will them to succeed as a couple … it is the reason I don’t start new books before bed time as I know I won’t be putting that book down to get some shut eye. Right now though? I don’t have the ability to care about new things…
When I feel like this, only a comfort read will do. I am already invested in these characters as I already gave them a piece of my heart the first (or 20th) time I read the book. There are no shocks, no surprises and I know it is totally safe to read.
So what are my comfort reads of the moment?
I love Vasic. Like adore Vasic. You shouldn’t read this out of order though…
Assassin. Soldier. Arrow. That is who Vasic is, who he will always be. His soul drenched in blood, his conscience heavy with the weight of all he’s done, he exists in the shadows, far from the hope his people can almost touch—if only they do not first drown in the murderous insanity of a lethal contagion. To stop the wave of death, Vasic must complete the simplest and most difficult mission of his life.
For if the Psy race is to survive, the empaths must wake…
Having rebuilt her life after medical “treatment” that violated her mind and sought to stifle her abilities, Ivy should have run from the black-clad Arrow with eyes of winter frost. But Ivy Jane has never done what she should. Now, she’ll fight for her people, and for this Arrow who stands as her living shield, yet believes he is beyond redemption. But as the world turns to screaming crimson, even Ivy’s fierce will may not be enough to save Vasic from the cold darkness…
The cover image is a load of rubbish (as if this is Griff???) but the book is amazing. A wonderful, exhuberant heroine and a only-nice-to-his-lady hero. J’Adore!
Freddy Carlton knows she should be focusing on her lines for The Austen Playbook, a live-action TV event where viewers choose the outcome of each scene, but her concentration’s been blown. The palatial estate housing the endeavor is now run by the rude (brilliant) critic who’s consistently slammed her performances of late. James “Griff” Ford-Griffin has a penchant for sarcasm, a majestic nose and all the sensitivity of a sledgehammer.
She can’t take her eyes off him.
Griff can hardly focus with a contagious joy fairy flitting about near him, especially when Freddy looks at him like that. His only concern right now should be on shutting down his younger brother’s well-intentioned (disastrous) schemes—or at the very least on the production (not this one) that might save his family home from the banks.
Instead all he can think of is soft skin and vibrant curls.
As he’s reluctantly dragged into her quest to rediscover her passion for the stage and Freddy is drawn into his research on a legendary theater star, the adage about appearances being deceiving proves abundantly true. It’s the unlikely start of something enormous…but a single revelation about the past could derail it all.
This may be an odd choice for some as a comfort read but I adore Ginger and Christopher. Ginger is so spiky yet Chris is so wondefully not. I could read this a million times.
Ginger Holtzman has fought for everything she’s ever had—the success of her tattoo shop, respect in the industry, her upcoming art show. Tough and independent, she has taking-no-crap down to an art form. Good thing too, since keeping her shop afloat, taking care of her friends, and scrambling to finish her paintings doesn’t leave time for anything else. Which … is for the best, because then she doesn’t notice how lonely she is. She’ll get through it all on her own, just like she always does.
Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.
When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger … isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.
Small Change is the first in a series that is set in the Middle of Somewhere universe. It features crossover characters from that series but stands on its own. The Small Change series will include M/F and M/M romances.
Words cannot express how much I adore Ruth. A PJ wearing, comic book loving, anti-social woman meets a cuddly neighbour who didn’t try to change her. Seriously lovely.
In Ruth Kabbah’s world, comic books are king, silence is golden, and human contact is a pesky distraction. She doesn’t like people, which works out just fine, because the people in this small town don’t like her. The exception to that rule? Evan Miller, her way-too-charming next-door neighbour…
Ex-military man Evan is all tattooed muscle on the outside—and a big, cuddly teddy bear beneath. He’s used to coaxing prickly people from their shells, but he’s never met a woman quite like Ruth. Blunt, sarcastic, and secretly sad, she’s his exact opposite. She’s also his deepest desire.
Soon, Evan’s steady patience and smouldering smiles are melting Ruth’s reserve. But when small-town gossip from her past begins to poison her future, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?
Please be aware: this book contains mentions of intimate partner violence that could trigger certain audiences.
I can’t do this list without a Jill Shalvis book – I think this is my favourite of the moment. I love Sam and Becca’s story (This may be my favourite trilogy of the series)
SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT
After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he’s back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she’s not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.
Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben – even though he has absolutely no idea what she’s done . . .
Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?
So, what are your comfort reads of the moment?
My comfort reads are anything Kristen Ashley, Coppersmith Farmhouse by Devney Perry, Guild Huner series by Nalini Singh, Rock Hard by Nalini Singh, Repeat by Kylie Scott