Happy
New Year’s Eve, everyone!
Honestly,
I’m keen to start the new year. One of my new year’s resolutions is to start journaling
more actively. I used to keep diaries when I was a teenager and I remember the content
feeling of flipping through my old entries to see how much I’ve grown, and to look
at past events with a new eye. I’ve been watching journal-related Youtube
videos for the past few days to get inspirations for my own journal.
Most of my 2017 reads are rereads;
I had a lot of reading slumps throughout the year, so I’ve been turning to my old
favourites a lot. Since Goodreads has made it possible for rereads to count in
the Reading Challenge, I took advantage of it.
Anyway, 2017 personally has been a big ball of suck, but these books have made my life a bit brighter:
I have
so much love for Laura Florand and her books. While her Amour et Chocolat
series made me crave for chocolates and macarons, Laura’s La Vie en Roses
series made me wish I was made of money so that I could visit Provence and
spend time in the rose, jasmine and lavender fields. A Kiss in Lavender has
everything I love in a book: great banter, strong family relationships (the
Rosiers are just family goals), slow romance build-up. I still haven’t reviewed
this properly because I was so overwhelmed by it, but I’m going to do it sooner
or later (maybe after my 15th reread so that I can be truly eloquent
in expressing my feelings about this book).
So...I have
a daddy kink. Well, in romance, at least; I’m turned off by real men and I’m
perpetually single so I can’t confirm if it applies to real life…
Eve
Dangerfield has been on my radar ever since I finished Locked Box (hello
hotness!) and I’m on a mission to read her backlist. Act Your Age checked all
my boxes: great characters, age gap, and I’ve reread it probably 5 times since
I finished it the first time. I also wrote a semi-lengthy review on my Goodreads (which is
an accomplishment in itself because most of my five-star reviews are just I LOVE IT!!!!).
Oh, I
hate this book.
It made me cry a lot, this book.
It almost made me throw my
phone against the wall, this book.
I
couldn’t imagine a better ending for the love story between Greer, Ash, and
Embry. I still haven’t written a review for it because I didn’t know how to express
myself outside incoherent keyboard smashing.
I
love Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Bruisers (I binge-read the whole series in one
night) and when I saw that Bountiful will be a crossover, I immediately jumped
on this train. I
still feel a little bad about not noticing Dave in BB, but anyway he’s my
favourite Sarina Bowen hero now. I keep rereading my favourite scenes in this
book from time to time—all of them involved Dave caring for his baby daughter
(major swoons!). I also feel like this book is Sarina’s sexiest to date; the
sexy times between Dave and Zara are A++.
The
number of times I reread Pretty Face this year alone is borderline unhealthy
but I can’t help it—it’s just so good! I’m not going to
talk much about Luc Savage, our grumpy Gregory Peck-looking director hero, and
how he’s basically everything I want in a man, or how we’re both deeply in love
with Lily Lamprey, the ever wonderful, angel on earth. I just want to say that
every time I finish this book, I sigh heavily because their romance is amazing
and I’m going to die alone, unloved-
Here’s
my secret: I reread The Day of the Duchess every time I need a good cry. I’m
unafraid to say that this book is the best historical romance I’ve read so far;
I was in a huge book hangover after I finished it, and I kept thinking about it
for days. I love my second chance
romance full of pain and grovelling, and this book has it in buckets. The grand
gesture in the end is a shot through the heart. Sarah MacLean did amazingly
with Malcolm’s redemption arc; I can’t believe I actually rooted for him.
Oh gosh,
The Duchess Deal was a Delight to read. Tessa Dare is at her most excellent
with the character banter in this book. I laughed out loud multiple times mostly
at Ash because he was so ridiculous, and I love how Emma handled him and his grumpy
ways. I highlighted so many scenes in this book. Ash would fit right in with the
Lords of Perdition; I really want him to meet Colin Sandhurst because I think
Colin would either annoy him to death or immediately click with him. Anyway,
have you seen the blurb for the sequel?
I’m praying for kinkiness-
I’ve
never read anything like The Red and I can’t say much without spoiling it but
art is now ruined for me
(but like, in the best way)
(I see everything with a
kink lens now)
(which is AWESOME).
I’m
still surprised by how much I love this book considering I didn’t really like
Aiden until the end of book 4. I’ve been steadily rereading this book because I
truly enjoyed seeing Aiden and Charlie fell in love with each other despite
being from different worlds, and also because I’m hyping myself up for book #6
(February, come early please!).
To quote
myself (haha), Wrong to Need You
has everything I need in a book: great (and diverse!) characters, a boatload of
angst, slow-burn romance, A+ sexy scenes. This book is also in a couple
of Top 2017 Romance articles I read and I agree wholeheartedly. I can’t wait
for book 3 to see how Alisha Rai would top this one.
My
dual review with Eri for Wrong to Need You
More books that made my year: Acting by Impulse by Mia Sosa, The Love Experiment by Ainslie Paton, Complicated by Kristen Ashley, What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long, Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas, Dance with Me by Alexis Daria, and Hold Me by Courtney Milan.
Have a very happy New Year, everyone. See you in 2018!
Have a very happy New Year, everyone. See you in 2018!
Which books made your 2017 better?
Let me know (or link me your Top 2017 Reads lists) in the comments!
