Today, let’s look back on November and look forward to December.
Favourite November reads
I read nine books in November. My favourite few of the month are below. Just click on the images to be taken to the book’s Amazon page.
I just adored The Happy List by Briar Prescott. It was sweet and low-angst and so, so cute. I loved Gray and Kai and their friends to lovers romance!
Fable by Adrienne Young was my first read by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. I do love a good seafaring adventure and this one hit all of the right buttons—fun, a daring and sympathetic protagonist, a charismatic and mysterious love interest, and secrets everywhere!
Not Over Yet by Barbara Elsborg was such a lovely and feel-good story! And so magical and wintery. A little bit sad in places but also quite funny with a well-deserved happily ever after. I’ve been on a holiday reading kick lately and this one is my favourite so far.
I don’t know how I missed The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn considering it came out in 2015, but I’m so glad someone somwhere in some Facebook group recommended it because it was so good. Quite the tearjerker but completely worth it to get to the HEA.
Books I’m looking forward to reading in December
I don’t know how I missed the release of Nell Iris’s Four Christmases last December. I just adore Nell’s books so I’ll be reading this one in December. Or maybe it’ll be my last read of November!
You might remember that I had The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson on my to-read list for November, which I mentioned in last month’s High Five Friday post. Well, I never got around to it because I went on a holiday book binge instead, so I’ll be reading it (if I don’t get distracted again) in December.
A Faerie Story by Barbara Elsborg is a book that’s been on my to-read list since it released last November, and since it’s a holiday novel, I figure December’s a good time to read it.
And finally, I’m hoping to get to Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer, a young adult sci-fi that’s billed as an LGBT space adventure, and I. Am. Here for it!
On the writing front
My childhood best friends to fake boyfriends college romance finally has a title! Keeping Casey will be coming to you sometime in February. Check out the draft (very draft, subject-to-change) blurb below.
Casey Preston is the guy with the plan. The list-maker. The one who micromanages his own life.
Spontaneously offering to be his best friend’s fake boyfriend to get Ethan’s annoying team captain off his back?
That’s not thinking things through. It’s not even smart given Casey’s been fighting his feelings for Ethan for years.
Ethan Rain just wants to play hockey and get his college degree. Adding a fake boyfriend to the mix? He doesn’t need that complication.
But if Casey were his real boyfriend? If he got to keep Casey forever? Now we’re talking.
But what if Casey doesn’t want to be kept?
On November 17, I released my Christmas romance, Gingerbread Mistletoe. Have you read it yet? Grab it in KU and find out why readers are saying “I could NOT put it down” and “This book was amazing” and “This was a smile-while-reading, feel good, holiday hit for me” and “one of the sweetest love stories ever.”
On January 1, look for my novella, One Winter with You. More details coming on this in December. For now, I can tell you that it features the sons of two coffee shop rivals who must work together to win their town’s annual scavenger hunt—and they both need the grand prize money for different reasons.
In December, I’ll be taking a little bit of a writing break. I’ve been going non-stop since February 1 and I’m pooped. I need some time to recharge my writing batteries, relax, enjoy the holidays without worrying about deadlines, and spend time with the family in my social bubble. And figure out what I want to write next!
Bookish things
Do you like bookish items? Do you like advent calendars? I bought a bookish-themed advent calendar from Fictional Boutique and I’ll be posting the daily unwrappings of every time between December 1 and 25 in my Instagram stories. Follow me to keep up!
I also recently received the Always Fully Booked 2021 planner from Little Inklings Designs. This will be my third year enjoying this combination book journal/day planner. It’s super fun and beautifully designed, and I mention it because a few people in my Facebook Group have asked about it in the past. Check it out if you’re interested!
That’s it for this edition of High Five Friday! Thanks for reading.
What books are you looking forward to reading in December? Leave a comment below!