December Recap

Hi, ladies!

I can't believe we're in 2017, and it's time to set a new Goodreads reading challenge and decide which other challenges to participate in. This year I'm setting my Goodreads goal to 100; keeping it nice and simple!

It's also time to recap what I read in December, and give a final update on 2016's challenges. I was in a strange sort of reading funk for most of December, but luckily my last book kicked that!

Let's get right to it!

Books Read

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, #1) by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Right (Wrong, #2) by Jana Aston - 3 stars

Wrong (Wrong, #1) by Jana Aston - 2.5 stars

A Veil of Vines by Tillie Cole - 3 stars

The Stocking Was Hung (The Holidays, #1) by Tara Sivec - 3 stars

Set The Pace (The Detroit Duet, #1) by Kim Carr - 3.5 stars

Road to Nowhere (Road to Nowhere, #1) by M. Robinson - 1 star

Firelight (Darkest London, #1) by Kristin Callihan - 5 stars

Unraveled by Emilia Kincade - 3 stars

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne  - 3.5 stars

Naugty Boss by Whitney G. - 3 stars

Stygian (Scars of the Wraiths, #1) by Nashoda Rose - 2 stars

Retreat (Getaway, #1) by Jay Crownover - 4 stars

Total - 13 

Total for 2016* - 190

*including rereads

Challenge Updates

188 of 130, 145% complete!

Audio challenge

Binge Listener (20-30) pledged
63 audiobooks for 2016, and goal met!

71 books knocked off my TBR!!




The one that was my favorite

The one that made me cringe

The one that left me conflicted

The one that made me laugh

The one that surprised me 

The one that broke my funk

Book Boyfriend of the Month

Mad Rogan!

Top 16 of 2016: Favorite Books

Hey, ladies!

I'm so excited to participate in Kimberly Faye Reads' Top 16 of 2016 event! Today's topic is favorite books of 2016. Funnily enough, I shelved exactly 16 books on my Best of 2016 Goodreads shelf. How convenient!

They're in the order I read them in, according to GR. It was fun to see which months had the best books!

16. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

15. Sustained by Emma Chase

14. Sidebarred by Emma Chase

13. Showmance by L.H. Cosway

12. The Bird and The Sword by Amy Harmon

11. Still Life with Strings by L.H. Cosway

10. Idol by Kristin Callihan

9. Cocky Bastard by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

8. Smut by Karina Halle

7. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

6. The Debt by Karina Halle

5. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

4. Retrieval by Aly Martinez

3. Marriage Games by C.D. Reiss

2. Honor by Jay Crownover

1. Managed by Kristin Callihan

Top 16 of 2016: New to Me Authors

Hey, girls!

I'm so excited to participate in Kimberly Faye Reads' Top 16 of 2016 event! Today's topic is new to me authors, and since I did a decent job on my TBR pile this year (of course, for every one I knocked off the TBR a good 10 more went on ;)), this was a fun one! Some are from the last week of December 2015, but I put them in here anyway. 

Once again, no order except for 5 to 1!

16. Patricia Briggs

Technically I read her for the first time in 2015, but it was the very end of December. Basically 2016. ;)

15. Lauren Blakely

Hot, sexy, and a bangin' male POV!

14. Chloe Neill

I've been very impressed with both her series! They're quite addictive, especially in audio form.

13. J.M. Darhower

Dark, sexy, and wild.

12. S.E. Reign

*fans self* This is some good smut right here, and it actually has plot.

11. Megan Tayte

It takes a lot for me to read YA, but this series was really good!

10. Molly O'Keefe

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and the way the author handled the difficult and controversial topic!

9. Robin LaFevers

Another pleasant surprised, especially considering I usually don't like fantasy.

8. M.E. Carter

I found this author and story through Colleen Hoover's Facebook group, and devoured it in one night. 

7. Sydney Logan

Almost nauseatingly adorable.

6. Katja Millay

Such a powerful novel, and I can't believe I put off reading it for so long!

5. Helena Hunting

My guilty pleasure auto-buy author. She cracks me up so hard!

4. Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

I've really enjoyed this duo this year!

3. Kristin Callihan

I've loved both her rockstar and historical/semi fantasy romance!

2. Jay Crownover

Each book I read from her I enjoy more than the last! Honor made my best of 2016 list, and I can't recommend it enough!

1. Emma Chase 

She's now one of my favorite authors!

Mini Reviews Monday

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

4.5 stars!

This was such an enjoyable book! It was one of those urban fantasy that's not so over the top and confusing that it's not enjoyable; it was firmly based in the real world and it made it easy to fall in to. The characters had great chemistry, the tension was fantastic, and the action spot on. The narration was incredible too. 

My childhood was perfect.

I’ve led a charmed life, and I’m not going to blow it now by picking the wrong guy.

I’ve got my sights set on my brother’s best friend.

He’s known my family for years. He’s reliable and kind and handsome.

Sure, he’s been avoiding me since I was six.

I’m a bit aggressive for him, maybe.

But he’s the one… right?

2.5 stars!

Eh...? It was just okay. The thing with two out of these 3.5 books is that it feels like it's trying too hard. Trying too hard to be funny, relatable, sexy...just trying too hard. The heroine was incredibly immature and ground against my nerves, and hero was a douche when the conflict happened. 

To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.
But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth.
For some, they are real life.
On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.
I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.
I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.
The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.
In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.
And I am soon to become one of them.
I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…
… or at least I was, until I met Achille.
And everything changed. 

3 stars!

The Italian setting was absolutely gorgeous, and made me want to hop on the next flight to Italy and spend my days exploring grape vines, stuffing my face with delicious food, and then burning off those calories with horseback riding and sex. ;)

That said, I struggled to connect with the story. Neither protagonist really worked for me, and I felt like the writing was far too flowery, taking away from the story and the characters.

What happens when your life goes to crap the week of Christmas? You invite a hot Marine you met in an airport bar to come home with you for the holidays, to distract your crazy family from the truth. 

With a handsy aunt, a meddling mother and a father concerned for the wellbeing of his daughter's eggnog, there's no chance Sam and Noel will have time to fall in love...or will they?

The Stocking Was Hung is a standalone, Christmas story that will make you laugh, make you HOT and maybe even make you say, "Awwwww" a few times.

3 stars!

This was funny, sexy and a quick read. Parts were a tad over the top, even for Tara Sivec, and the romance was quick, but it still worked for the story and I had a fun time. Plus, that title!

The Sunday Post/It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hey, ladies!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next. 

A mostly laid-back and very chilly week! Several days it stayed in the upper 50s/low 60s, with nights getting down to around 35-32 (Floridian here, so that's freezing cold). Lovely weather that everyone is enjoying. I've found myself sleeping with the window open at night, burrowed under heavy blankets and stealing the dogs' warmth. ;) It's quite cozy!

Finally got a tree this weekend, and I have to say that it's quite a hideous thing. Since you won't find a Christmas tree farm here (or at least not one that produces the classic fraser fur), the choices are limited to Lower and Home Depot. The Home Depot here had all their trees bound up, and it wasn't clear that this tree is pretty much just the middle of the tree. It's more of a Christmas bush than a Christmas tree, in all honesty.

It's literally the middle of a tree.

"If you ask me, we should've gotten one of these. They're actually suppose to be small."
My dog is judgmental. 

Oh, well! It works, and it's kind of growing on me, haha. 

I've relaxed a bit with my fitness routine, in a good way. Rather than pushing myself for a minimum of 10,000 every day, no matter how I feel, I'm focusing more on doing what feels good and targeting what needs it that day. Hitting that number or higher is still ideal, but if I'm feeling too bad, I'm exhausted or sore (I twisted my knee last week and it still twinges), I relax on that and do something that doesn't aggravate me...or sometimes I just rest. It's nice to find a good balance!

Sunday - 10,154

Monday - 7,573

Tuesday - 12,724

Wednesday - 12,703

Thursday - 11,456

Friday - 11,183

Saturday - 7,064

Total - 72,857

This Week's Recap

November Recap

Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors for 2016

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 48

Coming Up

Mini Reviews Monday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm Looking Forward to For The First Half of 2016

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 49

Read This Week

3 stars!
Gorgeous setting and tons of potential. Fell flat and far too flowery in writing for my tastes.

3.5 stars!
Funny, quick, and sexy, but a tad over the top.

3 stars!
I'm not sure what I think of this one....

Currently Reading

About 4 hours into this audiobook, and I'm shocked at how much I'm enjoying it! It's so not my usual thing, but that hasn't stopped the fun.

Not far into this audiobook, but the narration is good. Not blown away by the story yet!

What Will I Read Next?