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Hey loves. January was a long, weird month. I am sharing what I read in January. My goal for 2025 is 120 books, which breaks it down to 10 books a month. I read physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks. My goal is to also read one personal development book a month and a devotional everyday (most are longer than 30 days)
Total physical/kindle books: 5
Total audiobooks: 5
Total for this month: 10
Total books for 2025: 10
Goal for 2025: 120 books
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Title: As Luck Would Have It
Author: Sonya Lalli
Genre: Hockey Romance
How I Read It: Audible Plus
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Amrit Kaur (The Sex Lives of College Girls) delivers a stellar performance in a brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance by Sonya Lalli, the acclaimed author of The Matchmaker’s List and A Holly Jolly Diwali.
Hockey coach Ashley Jaswal doesn't take nonsense from anyone … except her overbearing and superstitious family. They believe she's a good luck charm for her brother Jas, the newest Vancouver Canucks draft pick, forcing Ash to attend all his games as he rises up the NHL ranks, sacrificing her personal life (not that she has one—who decided hockey season needed to be 10 months long anyway?).
Ash also clashes with Jas’s teammate, Canucks captain Devin Snyder. Devin is yet another arrogant hockey bro—and admitted total babe—who is fresh off a scandalous break-up with a global pop-star. But she soon finds the ice melts between them, and they share an unexpected chemistry. As Ash wrestles with her family’s demands, her brother’s career and her feelings for Devin, will she find a way to take a risk and make her own luck? Or will she puck this up?
This captivating Audible Original is an essential listen for fans of sports romance, strong heroines, sizzling chemistry and the diversity within the hockey community.
Please note: This project is a work of fiction. Names, characters, companies and events are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, companies or events is entirely coincidental.
My Review: I enjoyed the strong lead female character. She finally stood up for herself, watching her grow and finding her worth.
Title: Accidental Mistress
Author: Evelyn Austin
Genre: Erotica
How I Read It: Kindle
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Lexi Anderson snuck into my hotel room and slipped into my bed, thinking I was someone else…
My first taste of her is explosive, and I immediately decide to make the naive, young college student mine, no matter the cost. Only then will she be under my control. Only then will she submit to me completely…
But she doesn’t know my darkest secret, and if I have anything to do with it, she never will.
My Review: Hot, steamy, fast paced, with some twists. The book had some plot gaps but you can get by without having the information.
Title: Snow Help Me
Author: Fiona Devenport
Genre: Christmas Romance Novella
How I Read It: Kindle
My Rating: 2 out of 5
Amazon Description: Bethenny Andersen never expected to be stranded in a blizzard with a handsome snowboarder.
As the mayor of Winter Falls, Bethenny was responsible for the safety of everyone in town. Even on Christmas Eve, when a storm hit earlier than expected. Then Lincoln Granger showed up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, and she couldn’t possibly turn him away.
Bethenny had no way of knowing that spending the holiday snowed in with Lincoln would bring the best gift of all…love.
My Review: Short, spicy, and sweet. Lincoln is in town to visit friends, a snow storm hits and the closest house is Bethany's. Instalove, a few turn offs.
I don't know why but I am not a huge fan of novella's but still end reading them, then I am disappointed.
Title: The Dream Guy Next Door
Author: Lauren Blakley
Genre: Romance
How I Read It: Audible
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: Just my luck - my new next door neighbor is a unicorn.
Yep, the British hottie is clearly a mythical man because - get this - he's a sexy, witty, charming, big-hearted single dad.
Who, wait for it, wants to find Mrs. Right and get hitched.
He’s a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of man, and it’s a darn shame I’m not on the market. If I were, his accent alone would melt me. Add in the fact that he's a veterinarian, and my animal-loving heart would be flip flopping.
But my heart's on the mend. I'm a single parent like him, and raising my teenage daughter is my top priority. Plus, falling for a guy who shares your property line is a line you shouldn’t cross.
Still, I'm an outgoing gal, so I do the neighborly thing and offer to be his dating insider.
Surely, I can help this small town’s most eligible bachelor ever navigate his way through all the fantastic single ladies eager to make his acquaintance.
What could possibly go wrong in helping the dream guy next door find his one true love?
So I set him up on one date, two dates, three dates — and I’m about to find out exactly how dangerous my offer is.
My Review: Hot guys next door, both single parents steamy romance with some laughs. This was unfortunately not my favorite Lauren book.
Title: All the Missing Pieces
Author: Catherine Cowles
Genre: Romantic Suspense
How I Read It: Hoople Audiobook
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Sometimes the last thing you expect is exactly what you need, the final missing piece. And sometimes it comes in the form of a towering, broody sheriff, determined to get in your way at every step.
Ridley Sawyer knows what it's like to miss someone, to feel like a piece of her vanished—because it happened to her the night her twin sister disappeared.
Now, Ridley channels that loss into hope, traveling the country covering cold cases for her true crime podcast. She might not have found justice for her sister but that doesn't stop her from finding it for others.
Until Sheriff Colter Brooks gets in her way.
Colt knows what it's like to have reporters descend on his town in the wake of a tragedy, and he's not about to let a fiery podcaster stir up trouble. It doesn't matter that her haunting blue eyes tell him there's more to Ridley's story or that he can't stop imagining what it would be like to touch her.
But when Ridley's cold case turns hot and she's thrust into the crosshairs, Colt has no choice but to step in. Suddenly, Ridley's living at his house, drinking his whiskey, and stealing his dog's affections. But she's also proving that she's so much more than his first impression.
And as they get closer to the truth, the game they've been playing might just turn deadly…
My Review: A nice switch up from my usual reads adding in some suspense. Be sure to read the trigger warnings. Cozy small town setting, pod-caster turns case solver with romance twirled in.
Author: Liza Tomeforde
Genre: Sports Romance
How I Read It: Audible
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Zanders
Chicago hockey isn’t complete without me—everyone’s favorite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.
What I don’t like is the new flight attendant on our team’s private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I’ll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she’ll be begging to quit her job.
But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can’t quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons or if it’s more than that.
Stevie
I’ve been a flight attendant for years. I thought I’d see it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again…no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.
Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.
Everything but him.
My Review: I enjoyed this book, but not worth all the hype it has been given. I loved the chemistry for the main characters who were very likable and relatable. Some parts dragged and story lines repeated themselves.
Title: Wild Love
Author: Elsie Silvers
Genre: Romance
How I Read It: Kindle ebook
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: Rosie Belmont has been driving me wild for years. The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild. But mostly the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.
After living in the city, she comes blasting back into Rose Hill like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic.
And one wide-eyed desperate plea for a job is all it takes for me to hire her.
Forbes may have labeled me the World’s Hottest Billionaire but all I care about is opening my new recording studio. Something that comes to a screeching halt when I end up face-to-face with a young girl who claims I’m her biological father.
Now I spend my days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old all while trying desperately to keep my hands the hell off my best friend’s little sister.
I vow to keep Rosie at arm’s length. I try to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her verbal sparring is merely foreplay—friction that turns to blistering heat.
I know damn well I shouldn’t cross that line.
But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.
And the only thing I truly can’t do is resist her.
My Review: Small Town love story, with chemistry, banter, and spice. Single dad and brothers best friend with history. I couldn't read it quickly enough. The relationship that Ford grew with his daughter Cora is so heart touching.
Title: Wild Eyes
Author: Elsie Silver
Genre: Romance
How I Read It: Amazon Music Audible
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Amazon Description: A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles. But on day one I ran full tilt into the world’s hottest single dad and now all my plans are ruined.
As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press it’s hard to find any peace. But I find it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal my heart just as thoroughly as their dad.
Weston Belmont.
The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.
Everything with him is wild and impulsive and I’m desperate to regain some control.
But no one has supported me like West does. And no one has ever made me feel as loved as he does either.
So, while my brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible… my heart says I’m right where I belong.
Still, my life as a celebrity haunts me. It has the power to pull us apart.
I can see in his eyes that wants me to stay. And I want that too.
But I know better than anyone that we don’t always get what we want.
My Review: After reading Wild Love I couldn't wait to read Wild Eyes and it did not disappoint. I can't wait until Wild Side comes out. The chemistry, the banter, and the spice again, plus through in the kids just melts my heart.
Title: Truth Unchanging
Author: Becky Thompson
Genre: Devotional
How I Read It: Physical Book
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Amazon Description: Motherhood is often noisy and rarely silent. Learn to hear God speaking above all the noise in these daily devotions that can be completed in five minutes or less.
As moms know, even when there isn't noise around us, there is usually noise within us. The constant to-do lists that spin in our minds, the worry and wonder if we are doing a good job, and the need to stay two steps ahead of our families when we feel two steps behind keeps our minds routinely restless. So when quiet time with God isn't so quiet, and alone time is nearly nonexistent, how does a modern-day momma tune in the voice of the Lord?
With Truth Unchanging, you don't have to wait until you're alone to talk with Jesus. Designed to be read in five minutes or less, each powerful, hope-filled devotion will:
* refocus your heart on the Word of God
* refresh your mind with God's Truth for your life
* revive your spirit as you realize God is speaking to you personally
Truth Unchanging is not just a devotional. It's an opportunity to begin daily conversations with Jesus, the One who has everything we need to take on the days ahead, the One who wants to speak to you right now. Tune in to His voice today.
My Review: I love all the stories that Becky shared to make reading the Bible more understandable. I could relate to so many of her stories. A very encouraging and uplifting read. I read a different devotional each morning and it only took a few minutes but a great way to start my day in a positive light.
Title: Girl Stop Apologizing
Author: Rachel Hollis
Genre: Personal Development
How I Read It: Physical Book
My Rating: 3 out of 5
Amazon Description: Rachel Hollis points out the pitfalls, challenges, and excuses that stop us from achieving our aspirations.
Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: Women not living into their full potential. They feel a tugging on their hearts for something more, but they’re afraid of embarrassment, of falling short of perfection, of not being enough.
In Girl, Stop Apologizing, #1 New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want.
In this book, Hollis helps you to:
- identify the excuses to let go of,
- the behaviors to adopt,
- And the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself.
Hollis shares stories and principles with raw honesty that inspires her readers to discover and take the practical steps that will put them on a lifelong path of personal growth.
Girl, Stop Apologizing is the life- changing guide you need to dump your excuses, embrace your dreams, set boundaries, and gain real confidence in life.
My Review: I read this back in 2021 and it was what I needed at that time. It felt like she was talking to me. This time I didn't feel the connection. Rachel is still very motivating and inspiring and got me thinking about some things. (but could also be because I have read this before so it is nothing new)
Currently Reading:
Arc copy of Your Name is Daughter by Amy Seiffert
What are you reading this month?
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I haven't heard of Mile High but it sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the reviews!
ReplyDeleteIt was a TikTok hype up for a while.
DeleteI am the same way with novellas and short stories! I'm starting to learn though and shy away from them... if I know ahead of time that that's what they are (I'm not always the best at reading the details when downloading books off of Amazon).
ReplyDeleteI am not the best at reading the full caption on Amazon either. I get a lot of my books for free when they have specials like with Book Bub and their descriptions don't usually include if it is a novella or not.
Delete