Welcome to my December blog post. In today’s post:
- My favourite reads of December.
- What I’m looking forward to reading in January.
- A writing update:
- Shutout is now available to purchase.
- An update on my WIP, Walking on Broken Paths.
- An update on my upcoming release, Game On.
- A surprise audiobook release.
Favourite December reads
These were the books that were knockouts this month.
Tied Over by Mary Calmes was probably the fluffiest romantic suspense I’ve ever read. If you enjoy friends to lovers and partners to lovers romances, give this a go. You don’t need to read the previous books in the series first.
Twelve Bones by Rosie Talbot is the sequel to Sixteen Souls (they must be read in order), and both of these were five-star reads. Twelve Bones picks up where Sixteen Souls left off. These are young adult paranormal novels, so if you like ghost stories featuring a queer boy and his trans boyfriend, pick up this series.
I fell into C.S. Poe’s Memento Mori series thanks to a fellow reader and devoured all three on audio in only a week. It starts with Madison Square Murders, which I adored, and continues with Subway Slayings and Broadway Butchery. All three books are amazing! The main characters, Larkin and Doyle, have the most precious and sweetest slow-burn romance, and Poe seamlessly weaves romance with suspense. I’m so looking forward to book four in 2024.
Homecoming by Kate Morton was sooooooo damn good! It took me several days to read beause it’s quite long, but whenever I picked it up, I never wanted to set it down again. I kept wanting to read about these characters and their story. This is one of those dual storyline novels with alternating chapters told in the past and present, and I eagerly kept reading to find out how the two stories intersect. And with a murder-mystery thrown in, I was hooked from the beginning.
Books I’m looking forward to reading in January
And Then You by Briar Prescott seems like it’ll be a bit of an angsty read that might break my heart, but sometimes I’m in the mood for that sort of thing. Bring it!
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez is a young adult fantasy described as “The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.” It sounds like a lot of fun!
I’ve heard great things about Amithia Raine’s Should the Sky Fall, and I even own a paperback copy thanks to a holiday bookish gift exchange. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I hope to get to it next month.
On the writing front
Game On (Vancouver Orcas 3)
Game On will release on January 30! It’s currently sitting with my narrator, Aaron Hokanson, for audio narration, so if all goes well, the audio should also release on January 30th along with the ebook and paperback.
***
When he broke off his engagement to his team captain’s brother the day before their wedding, Jamie Jamieson swore he’d never get involved with anyone associated with a teammate again. Getting traded to the Orcas is a chance at a fresh start, but one glance at his new housemate, and Jamie knows he’s in way over his head.
Dorian is his new coach’s cousin. And his team’s social media coordinator. And his housemate.
It’s the trifecta of bad ideas.
Dorian Shore doesn’t do hockey. He’s lived by that rule for years, ever since a season playing as a kid left him with emotional scars. But his new housemate—a big, buff, beautiful athlete who gets under his skin—makes him seriously consider doing a hockey player.
It’s not a good idea.
They live together.
They work together.
When the sparks between them ignite, will it be game on or game over?
***
You can pre-order Game On here. If you’re in my Facebook group or signed up to my newsletter, look for the cover reveal coming on January 9!
Shutout (Stick Side 5.5)
Shutout was published in the Pucking Around anthology, which was available free from December 1-16. It tells the story of Shawn Staples, who was first introduced in book two of the Stick Side series, then made a reappearance in book five.
If you missed the Pucking Around anthology, or if you have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t sweat it! The anthology download period is over, but I’ve made Shutout available for purchase wherever ebooks are sold.
WIP: Walking on Broken Paths
Melnik’s story is still coming along slowly, but I feel a little more confident it in now than I did a month ago. It’s a tough one to write because of the subject matter, but the romance is turning out to be very sweet. Briefly, it’s about two teenage BFFs who lost touch fifteen years earlier who’ve now reconnected in their hometown on Prince Edward Island. So yes, this is a friends to lovers romance! One of my favourite kinds of romances. I can’t talk about release date yet, but I anticipate spring 2024.
Surprise audiobook release
I’ve been quietly working in the background to get one of backlist books onto audio. Home for a Cowboy (Windsor, Wyoming 1) released back in the summer of 2020. It’s a friends to lovers cowboy romance that tells the story of Las and Marco, two totally different people who fall in love under a starry Wyoming sky.
I’m so excited that Home for a Cowboy is now on audio too! It’s narrated by Aaron Hokanson, who also did the Vancouver Orcas books, and he did such a fabulous job of bringing Las, Marco, and their family and friends to life.
Thank you for reading my final blog post of 2023! Happy New Year!
