Hello there! 2020 was a wild ride for most of us. Like many people, I transitioned to work from home, and I foolishly thought this would mean more time to read. It turns out it was not that simple. While yes, I did read more books in 2020 (206) than any other year. Those books were hard for me, and many of them got me through a very rough emotional year.
Books offer me the perfect escapism from everyday life. Ironically or maybe not ironically, I read a lot in November, then read almost nothing but audiobook all through December. Most of the books I read this year were sci-fi, fantasy, action/adventure, a few suspense, mystery, and paranormal (were-animals/shapeshifter and vampires). I, of course, still managed to get a few romance novels in. I am still a sucker for small-town romances, Historical (especially with one pretending to be a man or not as long as the girl gets the girl in the end), marriage for convenience, and fake relationships. With that said, this list is nowhere near complete. It is impossible to pick 10 when I read 206. But this is what I came up with:
1 Nottingham by Anna Burke
Published by: Bywater Books
Audiobook No.
Synopsis
After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest. All she really wants to do is provide for her family and stay out of trouble, but when the damnable Sheriff of Nottingham levies the largest tax in the history of England, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. Relying on the help of her merry band of misfits and the Sheriff’s intriguing―and off-limits―daughter, Marian, Robyn must find a way to pull off the biggest heist Sherwood has ever seen.
With both heart and freedom at stake, just how much is she willing to risk to ensure the safety of the ones she loves?
Nottingham is a delightful romp rife with bois bearing bows, transmen wielding quarterstaffs, noble ladies loving ladies bawdy bisexual musicians, naughty nonbinary outlaws, and saucy sapphic nuns―in other words, Robyn Hood like you’ve never seen her before.
Why I love it
I tend to eat up the retelling of Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the like in lesfic. That period retold in lesfic is my weakness. Who doesn’t like knights and outlaws or swords and arrows? This book was no exception. I was enthralled and hardly took my eyes off the page from start to finish. They were many times I wanted to skip ahead due to the drama on the page. The suspense had me on edge. I am pleased to inform you; I did not skip ahead, and I tried to pace myself. I lost sleep this night because I had to finish. I failed at pacing myself, but I did not skip ahead!
I also have a soft spot for women who pretend to be men to survive. Add in starcrossed lovers and the number of queer people surviving in this Nottingham world, and I was utterly drawn in. Burke knows how to write! Robyn Hood is a reluctant hero who fell in love with a woman who is sought after by the most popular man in their world. Going from helpless women to strong women was a joy to see; the character development was part of the reason I was engrossed.
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2 Those who wait by Haley Cass
Published by Indie Author
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Lori Prince
Synopsis
Sutton Spencer’s ideas for her life were fairly simple: finish graduate school and fall in love. It would be a lot simpler if she could pinpoint exactly what she should do when she graduates in less than a year. Oh, and if she could figure out how to talk to a woman without feeling like a total mess, that would be great, too.
Charlotte Thompson is very much the opposite. She’s always had clear steps outlining her path to success with no time or inclination for romance. Her burgeoning career in politics means everything to her, and she’s not willing to compromise it for something as insignificant as love. Fleeting, casual, and discreet worked perfectly fine.
When they meet through a dating app, it’s immediately clear that they aren’t suited for anything more than friendship. Right?
Why I love it
This book is a political romance, and I picked it up right when politics was heating up. I got it earlier in the year, and it was on my TBR pile, but I finally read it by listening to the audiobook. Lori Prince is amazing; she brought this book to life.
It was a long read, but having it on audio helped a lot. I loved the story, how a good person can win an election (I really needed this), not just once but multiple times, and all the while dealing with it as a lesbian. I hope to see this in real life because come on, this story is based of someone, right? I enjoyed seeing the human struggles couples had to endure and overcome. I enjoyed growing with them, too. It really is just a love story told over a length of time. I loved each of the characters’ strengths, not just the main characters but also the side characters. Different in their own rights but strong nonetheless.
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3 Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
Published by Ylva Publishing
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Angela Dawe
Synopsis
A single text message can change everything!
Flirting has never been Denny’s strong suit, but so what if she’s too shy to ask women out? She’s content with her simple life, working as a cashier and helping her sister raise her niece.
But then she gets a wrong-number text message from a stranger named Eliza, asking her of all people for dating advice!
Eliza is Denny’s total opposite: witty, outgoing – and straight. Despite their differences, the accidental text sparks an unlikely friendship. Soon, Eliza – self-proclaimed queen of disastrous first dates – would rather banter back and forth with Denny than to keep trying her luck at online dating.
When they meet in person, there’s an instant connection. But what Eliza is feeling can’t be attraction, right? It doesn’t mean a thing that she’s starting to wish the guys she dates would be more like Denny. Or does it?
Can the wrong number lead to the right woman after all?
Why I love it
This is a slow-burn sweet toaster oven romance. I resonated with this story because it was so real. No rush into the romance, no unnecessary conflicts just for the sake of the story. It was sweet, and the side characters are also fantastic. Most importantly, I can see it playing out in real life, but none of my wrong messages ever led to happily ever after. But, I will hold out.
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4 The Adventurers by Bryce Oakley
Published by Indie Author
Audiobook Yes, narrated by AJ Ferraro
Synopsis
Joey Moore got her heart stomped on. At her engagement party. So, she did what any normal, completely rational 28-year-old would do – she moved to a new city with her dog to start a new life. Without much of a plan, it turns out.
Kendall O’Hara doesn’t enjoy chaos – at 42-years-old, she has a stable job and two cats she likes more than most people. Okay, all people, except her close-knit group of friends. She’s not boring. She’s just protecting her still-healing heart decades after a devastating loss.
When Joey and Kendall’s paths cross, a rocky start with an accidental laundry switch turns into an unlikely friendship. From there, the two friends make a pact to get out of their comfort zones, one piece of paper drawn from an “Adventure Jar” at a time. A growing mutual attraction leads them on an adventure that neither one might have expected….
Why I love it
This author was new to me, and I decided to give this book a try. I love a good age gap romance, especially one involving rebounding from heartbreak. Our 28 year old wants to move away from her smalltown after her lover ended their engagement publicly. I couldn’t blame her. She packs up her life, dog and moves to a city not too far from home. But, way from all the pity around her. Our older and more stable woman is a veterinarian that keeps kittens in her purse and sweet talks them in there. Queue in a laundromat switch up, and friendship is born. This book also had some laugh out loud moments. It was a sweet read.
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5 Never Too Late For Heroes by A.L. Brooks
Published by Ylva Publishing
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Abby Craden
Synopsis
Agent Geena Fox is counting down the days to her retirement. On one bittersweet day six years ago, her team of superheroes defeated Jewel, the world’s most evil villainꟷbut Geena’s secret lover died in the process. Now her boss has assigned her a rookie partner, Leigh Walker, and that’s the last thing Geena needs. She sends the woman off on a wild goose chase searching for a long-lost missing person to get her out of her sight. However, what Leigh finds will turn Agent Fox’s world upside down.Meanwhile, over in a retirement home in Missouri, four old women sharing the surname Power are arousing suspicion with their strange behavior. Their nosy nurse is convinced they are not what they seem. Geena and Leigh meet with the mysterious Powers, and realize the women might hold the key to stopping Jewel, once and for all.
Why I love it
This book was an adventure that also kept me laughing and feeling warm fuzzies with the romance, too. Our Heroes live in a retirement home, and their unusual behavior makes one of the nosey nurses pay attention. Their dormant powers seem to be coming back to them in their old age. A soon to be retired detective still pining after her thought to be dead lover wants to be left alone. Assigned with a new rookie the last thing she wants. She sends her rookie partner on a goose chase on an old cold case. Unfortunately, the rookie finds evidence to draw her back into the world of superheroes. Their old nemesis is back, and she needs to get the team back together to defeat Jewel once and for all. This book has many hilarious moments, many adventures with a side romance. It is a very well-told story and is one of my favorites.
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6 The Empress of Xytae by Effie Calvin
Published by NineStar Press
Audiobook No
Synopsis
Crown Princess Ioanna of Xytae has kept her truthsayer blessing a secret for twenty years. In any other nation, her powerful magic would be cause for celebration. But Xytae’s patron is the war goddess Reygmadra, and the future empress is expected to be a brutal warrior. Reserved and peaceful by nature, Ioanna knows the court sees her as a disappointment. She does her best to assuage their worries every day, working quietly beside her mother to keep the empire running while her father is away at war. But when news of the emperor’s untimely death reaches the capital, Ioanna finds herself ousted by her younger sister Netheia, who has the war magic Ioanna lacks. Princess Vitaliya of Vesolda has come to Xytae to avoid her father’s upcoming wedding, which she sees as an affront to her mother’s memory. Vitaliya has absolutely no interest in politics or power struggles and intends to spend her time attending parties and embarrassing her family. But when she saves Ioanna’s life during Netheia’s coup, the two are forced to flee the capital together. Despite their circumstances, Vitaliya enjoys travelling with Ioanna and realizes that the future empress’s shy and secretive nature is the result of her unhappy childhood. Ioanna is equally unaccustomed to being in the company of one as earnest and straightforward as Vitaliya, for she has spent her life surrounded by ambitious and cutthroat nobles. Ioanna cannot allow her sister to continue their father’s legacy, and plots to rally supporters to her side so she can interrupt Netheia’s coronation. Vitaliya knows she ought to leave Xytae before the nation is ripped apart by civil war but finds she is unwilling to abandon Ioanna. But Ioanna’s enemies are always watching…and they’ve realized that Vitaliya is a weakness to be exploited.
Why I love it
This is the 4th installment of a series I am completely in love with. At this stage of the series, I am invested in this world. I love their gods, their form of worship, their magic, their politics, and more. We met the Crown Princess Ioanna in an earlier book, but she was a child. In this book for 20 years, she has kept her blessing as truthsayer a secret because her people are of the war goddess Reygmadra. They do not value that peaceful nature, and nor does their war goddess. Princess Vitaliya is our party princess who came to Xytae to avoid her father’s wedding and party her way through. She gets caught up in the power struggle for the crown between two sisters and two gods. She saves Ioanna, and they both flee Xytae for their lives. This story was action-packed. A lot is happening in this book; civil war is brewing not just in Xytae but also with the gods. I was glued to the book. I love this series very much.
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7 Spindrift by Anna Burke
Published by Bywater Books
Audiobook No
Synopsis
Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it . . .
Morgan Donovan had everything she ever wanted: a dream job as a large animal veterinarian, awesome friends, and a loving and supportive fiancée. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first. And, while Morgan still has the job and friends, her heart is broken into a million tiny pieces.
Emilia Russo is a burned-out shelter vet. When the unexpected death of her father triggers a mental breakdown that hastens the end of her relationship, she retreats to his house in Seal Cove, Maine. She plans on spending the summer renovating it while she figures out how to pull the pieces of her life back together. But when she runs into Morgan at the dock where her father’s sailboat is moored, her plans for a quiet summer of healing and reflection sink like a stone―the attraction is immediate and obvious, and Emilia finds herself slipping seamlessly into Morgan’s world.
Each woman knows this fling will end when Emilia returns to Boston at the end of the summer, but they’re unprepared for the intensity and depth of their attraction. And, as the gales of fall begin to drive leaves like spindrift upon Seal Cove, Morgan and Emilia must each come to terms with how much they’re willing to give up to stay together.
Why I love it
Burke is one of my favorite authors. Her writing always keeps me engaged regardless of what story she is trying to tell. I am hooked. With that said, this book is well placed; the characters are relatable, even Emilia, with her complicated feelings for her father mixed in with her grief. She is aware that she is hurting, and that makes the story for me. Morgan, on the other hand, is instantly likable. I also have a soft spot for veterinarians. These are both broken people in different ways, and I was rooting for them just to make it work. And it does not hurt that the sex scenes were steamy! The side characters are unforgettable, and I was happy to learn this is the first book in the series. I can’t wait for more.
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8 46 by Lynn Ames
Published by Phoenix Rising Press
Audiobook Yes, Abby Craden
Synopsis
It’s November 3, 2020, and Emma McMasters has just been elected the 46th president of the United States. She’s facing a divided Congress and nation, allies that no longer trust America, enemies that have been emboldened, and the legacy of destruction left by the last administration. She must rebuild and reestablish trust in government, in the media, and in the electoral system, all the while carrying the mantle of first female president, and along with it, the hopes and dreams of millions of women and little girls who need her to prove that a woman can get the job done.
Palmer Estes has devoted her life and her career to the military, rising to become the highest-ranking female officer in the US Army. An enigmatic, battle-tested hero, she’s the perfect choice to brief the new president on one last, urgent, highly sensitive mission before she retires.
Two strong women, both driven to serve the country they love, neither prepared for the sparks that fly between them.
Why I love it
Reading this book and thinking about it now after our elections, I think of their similarities, and it is a bit unnerving. In any case, this book is about a newly elected out lesbian president who lost her life. She is inheriting a divided congress and nation (yes, I know, creepy). Emma McMasters is not just a first woman elected or lesbian, she has been elected as the hope of a nation, and she must get the job done and done right. Palmer is our military personnel and the highest-ranking female officer who now works highly classified missions. Against all odds, our two powerful women take on each challenge and deal with it. It is refreshing to see, but the story never slows down for you to appreciate one challenge defeated. I enjoyed this story because the time I read it, it gave me hope for the future.
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9 Alone by E.J. Noyes
Published by Bella Books
Audiobook Yes, Abby Craden
Synopsis
Half a million dollars will be Celeste Thorne’s reward for spending four years of her life in total isolation. No faces. No voices. No way to leave.
Since Celeste has never really worried about being alone, the generous paycheck she’ll receive for her participation in the solitary psychological experiment seems like easy money. When she finds an injured hiker in the woods bordering her living compound, her strictly governed world is thrown into disarray. But even as she struggles with the morality of breaking the rules of the experiment, Celeste can’t deny her growing attraction to the kind and enigmatic Olivia Soldano. Still, how much can you really trust a stranger? And how much can you trust yourself when you know all the faces you’ve seen and voices you’ve heard for the past three years have only been your imagination?
But what’s real? Celeste’s reality may lie somewhere between the absolute truth and a carefully constructed deception.
Why I love it
This book was a challenge for me. The psychological warfare was too much for me at times. I took forever to read it. Abby Craden, the narrator of the audiobook, defnitely helps. It was the most challenging book I read all in 2020, if not ever.
For this reason alone, I loved it. I am so glad I stuck with it because it turned out to be more than I expected, but I desperately needed the ending after going through all of that. Celeste thought she could only manage by keeping her own company for half a million dollars. She has to be incomplete isolation for four years. With no human contact, no internet, no phone, nothing! The people who are conducting this study set up different trials for her to study her response. After four years of complete isolation, how can she handle the presence of another person? What an emotional rollercoaster. I have to say before I read this book, I thought I could manage that type of isolation; after reading this book, I can say with absolute certainty, I cannot! Human interactions, be they on the internet, phone, or in-person, are essential for us. This book made me feel all sorts of emotions. I often stopped reading to process my feelings and would not pick it up again for a little while. Stick with it; it is a hard book to read but worth it.
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10 Home by Kris Bryant
Published by Bold Strokes Books
Audiobook Yes, narrated by Brittni Pope
Synopsis
To say Sheriff Natalie Strand is shocked that Sarah Eastman, the girl who kissed her at a high school party, is back in town would be a huge understatement. Between Sarah’s return and a stray dog that gets the best of her, Natalie’s world is suddenly turned upside down.
They say you can’t go home again, but that’s exactly what Sarah does when she returns to Spruce Mountain, Oregon, to live with her aunt and uncle after her divorce. All she wants is peace and to ensure her daughter, Harley, has stability. Seeing Natalie again after 17 years ignites a passion that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Never mind that her heart tumbles in her chest or that she forgets words when Natalie’s around, she needs to focus on her family and getting her life back together.
Natalie and Sarah are about to discover that anything is possible when love takes the long way home.
Why I love it
This was a charming small-town romance. I am a sucker for small-town romances with single moms and dogs. I loved this town; I loved the side characters they added to the story. The dog and daughter maybe my favorite side characters ever. The biggest scandal this small-town seemed to be a stray dog on the loose that did not seem to belong to anyone in town. The dog was all over the place, and no one was ever able to catch it was like a ghost dog. This story is about finding a home and how home/family is what you make it, not necessarily where you live or are born to.
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Please note: We received these books for review for free.
