Hello! Amid all the joys and busy-ness of the holiday season—which seems like it’s upon us with a vengeance this year—I’ve somehow found some time to read. No, I’m definitely not caught up on the TBR. I’m researching the possibilities of reading in the afterlife, should there prove to be such a thing, because my “want to read” list is too long for one lifetime. Nevertheless, I’ve chosen a few books I’d love to talk about and recommend. In fact, I’ve actually reviewed these books around town (I mean, around the internet), so I’m re-sharing my thoughts here. All of them get 5 stars from me. This isn’t biased, it’s just that I’m not a pro reviewer, just a reader with limited time, so I don’t review a book unless I love it.

These aren’t holiday stories, sorry. But they still might make you happy if you found them in your library. That’s why I’ll give you an ebook copy of one of them (sorry it has to be .mobi/Kindle, but that’s right, I’ll buy you a book!) if I draw your name from the comments below. Name one book from these four and say why you chose it. I’ll choose a winner on January 7th, so it will be a New Year 2020 gift! 😊

First, an absolutely fabulous tale by Garrett Leigh, called Rented Heart. Here’s my review:

Garrett Leigh’s Rented Heart is one of the few books I’ve read where the heart, the concerns, the hopes and the harsh daily realities of a street-corner sex worker is portrayed honestly. Also a rare jewel, the ultra-wealthy love interest–one who’s pain and need feels real–neither contrived nor whiny. Their sexual encounters, rather than sidelining the romance, weave its strands together. The external obstacles and ultimate crisis fit the story, as do the heroic moments. All together a good read, Solid story well-written. And even though the romance between the two felt a bit like a fairy tale, it’s magic is the magic of love in the face of the human condition, and I want to believe in it. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy three-dimensional characters, realistic story-telling, and being immersed in a story where love triumphs.

Next, a book I’ve taken a while longer than I should have to finish, a sort of family saga, but about chosen family, J. Scott Coatsworth’s River City Chronicles.

Why did it take me so long to get through this book? And why did I think about it frequently when I wasn’t reading it? And why did I know I ultimately needed to read to the end? These are the questions I had to ask myself, because it literally took me months to read, and while it’s by no means a short book, it’s not that long. Seriously. So here’s the answer to question 1: I’ve become a lazy reader. This book offers a lot, but it doesn’t offer immediate flash and bang, and that’s kind of what I’ve let myself grow used to. Maybe that’s because I have limited time to read, maybe it has just become a habit. I don’t know. But for me, this wasn’t the kind of book to rush through, it was the kind of book to savor. And I guess that’s the answer to both question 2 and question 3. I knew I’d ultimately read to the end, because every character I met (and there are a lot of important players) had something special to pull me into not only the thick and juicy plot Coatsworth had laid out, but their life. That’s what it felt like—as though I was observing the lives of an intertwining community. They (and their various problems, dreams, endeavors, and hopes) stayed with me when I was away from the pages—especially when I was in the kitchen, which is something you’ll understand when you read it. While I was baking frozen pizza in the oven, I was dreaming of fancy pastas and lovely men and women with Italian mamas. And when I got to the end, I felt like the whole town of Sacramento, California had achieved its happy-ever-after. Would that it were true! I’d recommend this book for people who enjoy rich relationships, complex back story, interweaving plot lines, and piquant sensory detail. As a bonus, there are recipes! Maybe I’ll cook…. Before I go, though, let me whisper one unexpected word: magic.

Let me tell you about Elizabeth Noble’s recent re-release, Run for the Roses:

I love so many things in Elizabeth Noble’s Run for the Roses! Let me start by saying… Great characters! The main parties to the romance are unique and very different from each other, but somehow drawn perfectly by the author’s words so that they seem to fit together almost inevitably in their lives and their love as well as their (hot) Dom/sub relationship. There’s a bit of an age gap, and for me the mature “older” man is an attractive character—experienced in life, love, and sex while the not-too-much younger man adds depth with his jaded yet somehow fresh and expectant outlook. The relationship starts out at a slow sizzle, but it’s inevitable—as a reader, I knew that, and I was really glad when they figured it out, too. Noble has given us her signature well-crafted mystery, danger, and intrigue, and this time it revolves around horses—something else I truly love. It’s been a long time, but in my youth I spent many a long hour hanging around the horse stables—riding, yes, but also mucking stalls, etc. The stables environment was a draw for me. Noble has created an unusual mystery, reminiscent of Dick Francis, but unique and crafted with real flair, and the resolution, as well as the happy ending, are well worth every pleasant minute spent reading to the end. I recommend this book to readers who like intrigue and hot but sweet relationships, stories that unfold so naturally that they seem like living, and endings that surprise (a little) and satisfy (a lot).

Not least, Anne Barwell has re-released Slow Dreaming. I read it before, I read it again, and I love it even more.

I’m a lover of very long stories that start right out with the big guns and keep it going. But sometimes I just want to step back from long, many-layered fantasies, science-fictions, and sagas and read a great story real quick. That’s what Slow Dreaming was for me. It’s been a lot of years since I read it, and I didn’t really remember the details, so I can’t recall how much this new edition has changed. What I can tell you, though, is that I’m glad I read it! For two hours I lost myself in the lives of Jason—whose everyday job is time travel, and Sean—a songwriter in whose life Jason is not supposed to interfere at all. They are definitely not supposed to fall in love. In the world Barwell creates here, time can be made to loop and touch back on itself if you’ve got the right tools, but when Jason loops back to Sean’s time (2011), little does he know what breaking the time-traveler’s first rule really means. And of course I’m not going to tell you because that’s a spoiler. But I can tell you there’s a bit of edge-of-the-seat danger, some sacrifice for love, and a resolution that wasn’t exactly how I expected it to go. Good surprise, though! So I recommend this book for readers who enjoy an easy-to-fall-into read with lovable but real characters, a bit of angst that fits the circumstances, a fated-love romance, a heart-stopping moment, and an absolutely wonderful happy-ever-after.

That’s my reviews! Thanks for checking them out. Be sure to comment below to enter the “Let me buy you a book” giveaway.

Many thanks to Love Bytes for letting me poke my head in here again. 😊