Do you love how I said I was going to at least slow down with reading due to NaNoWriMo and then I continue to read at almost the same pace??? Why am I like this??? LOL
There are worse things to be addicted to, that’s what my friends say.
Apparently, I’m just on a Christmas fiction binge… I feel like I’ve read more this past month than I usually read in a year as far as Christmas fiction goes. I already posted my Christmas reads blog post and half of these didn’t make it in, but you can catch them in next year’s post. 🙂
I did not even finish the books I wanted to this month because of this near obsession with Christmas books… It’s all good. Maybe next month!
Now, we have a lot to talk about here (AGAIN…), so I’ll jump on in.
Amending the Christmas Contract by Hannah Jo Abbott
Okay, look up “Duggie Lagrone hockey player” and this guy looks like him. 😂 As soon as I received this book, he was the first person I thought of. Now I can’t unsee it. 🙂 I don’t know if he’d appreciate this or not. LOL
Anyway, the book itself, I LOVED.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
Some second chance stories I don’t like. Others I love. It’s usually one or the other. This one I LOVED. All caps.
Levi was adorbs because he’s only ever cared for Ruby. It was her or no one basically his whole life, from teen years to adult.
Ruby was so focused but I enjoyed her opening up and seeing what was in front of her – this strong and steady guy who supported and encouraged her in literally every way, even when it hurt him.
Such a feel good read. Would recommend!!!
Book 3 of the Christmas in Redemption Ridge series.
Heritage by Mary Davis
I got this at an estate sale for a $1 on 11/4 and almost finished the whole thing. I would have had I not spent hours writing. 😏
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
He falls first. Society roles. Genealogy records. Familial expectations. Faith. A little old fashioned? But it was a great read honestly. Reminded me of a Hallmark movie.
Falling on Main Street by Tara Grace Ericson
Free ebook for me! I can’t remember if it was using my Kindle Rewards or if it was a sale through email. 🙃
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
This was a cute read!! I really liked the characters and the funny town this was set in. Pretty sure there’s more books after this one and I just haven’t gotten to them yet.
I really enjoy this author, by the way!! I discovered Tara Grace Ericson while reading the Christmas in Redemption Ridge series.
The Stand-in Christmas Date
I have loved Rachel John’s books in the past so I just happened to see this suggestion on Amazon so… yeah, of course I had to add to my cart and place that order.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
This book was so cute! The main characters, Alyssa and Wes, were cute and relatable. The side characters were quirky and fun. A nice Christmas read!!
Book one in the Matched by Mistake series. These can be read as stand alones. 🙂
The Christmas Bachelor Auction by Rachel John
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
I loved this one!! Friends to lovers in a way, but just a good funny story involving an auction, friendship, and fake dates.
Book two in the Matched by Mistake series.
Jack Frost by Debbie Macomber
Novella I could have finished in one night, but I was tired so I saved the last 16 pages for 11/16.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
Cute story! Moved a little too fast and I was like how did this happen, really… but it was a typical Debbie Macomber HEA at Christmas.
Read as an ebook.
Keep It Together by Rachel John
Mostly read on my plane rides to and from Vegas! Only a small portion was read in my hotel room.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
I loved this book. There is nothing like cracking up on a plane with your coworker sitting a seat away from you and the roar of the plane just outside your window seat.
What did I love? Pen pals!! Oh em gee. If this was a thing for me in my life… I just want someone to write to me. I have no problem writing to other people, but I love getting mail and honestly, I don’t get enough.
The pen pals was a major backstory here and not something that like was a present thing, but it hooked me.
Then the hilarious incidents and Isaac/Zac.. I loved him 🙂 He was so sweet to Carmen the whole time.
Book 4 in the Sworn to Loathe You series.
Only a Date with a Billionaire by Ellie Hall
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
Wasn’t sure about this series… but was pleasantly surprised!!
I read this one on the road as well and finished it up when I got home from my trip.
Read as an ebook.
Book one in the Only Us Billionaire Romance series (I don’t understand the series title, is that bad??).
Wooing the Widower by Elle E Kay
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
I felt like it was kind of… fast or oddly paced, but could just be me. It was a good read, just wasn’t my favorite in the series so far.
Book 4 in the Christmas in Redemption Ridge series.
Only a Kiss with a Billionaire by Ellie Hall
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
This was a good read, but I wasn’t totally sold on it. It was set at Christmas time and was a cozy read anyway.
Book 2 in the Only Us Billionaire Romance series.
Single All The Way by Kate Watson
I scored this one free on Kindle because of my Kindle rewards. Now I’m going to buy the paperback because this is one of my favorites now.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
This had some great reviews and anticipation in the reading community. I was intrigued by the synopsis.
It did not disappoint!! This was hilarious and heartwarming honestly. This was the case of “I don’t want a relationship” while he’s all like “I’ll show you what you’re missing anyway.”
This was beautiful.
Mistletoe for Felicity by Sally Britton
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
I’d heard great things about Sally Britton and then I found out she lives in Oklahoma!! She’s not from here, but I was like well, I have to support a fellow Okie. 🙂
I really enjoyed this book about marriage of convenience! I felt like it missing something, but I don’t know what it was really. It just didn’t feel like a 5 star to me??
Regardless, I’m glad I read this and will be adding to next year’s Christmas reading list plus, I will definitely read more by Sally in the future.
Cabin Mate by Leah Brunner
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
I loved this one. 4.5 stars rounded up. I get what all the hype about Brooks is about and he’s like dreams! All the ways he showed he cared and loved for Molly all those years was the sweetest thing ever.
Best friends to lovers trope always gets me. This one was so so sweet. I enjoyed that he encouraged and supported her through her strengths and weaknesses and helped her to stand up for herself all throughout the story.
⚠️ Some swearing – less than 5 words??
Clean romance ❤️
Technically book four in the Under Kansas Skies series, but I ordered this when Leah Brunner dropped this Christmas cover – since it’s set at Christmas time – and I had to get it and read it. Will read the rest of series soon. Did not have to read in order!
The Grinch Next Door by Rachel E Scott
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
This was adorbs 🙂 4.5 rounded up.
I loved both MCs in this one – I related to Sophia on several levels here, LOL. This was an age gap romance, but I felt like Liam didn’t seem THAT much older until it was mentioned.
The Christmas traditions and all the fun stuff they did together, to bring Soph some Christmas cheer, was cute. They both developed nicely throughout the book and I liked that it was all told from Soph’s perspective – the vibe would have been lost and the mystery of who Liam really is and the swoony moments would have been underdelivered in dual POV.
Someone on IG posted this book and I was intrigued sooooooo there I was using Rewards again on ebooks. 🙂
Dreaming About Forever by Mandi Blake
“For a man who had the emotional depth of a teaspoon, he sure knew how to lay it on thick.”
I just thought that was a funny quote. 🙂
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rating explained:
When I first started this book, I was like oooooo, 5 star read. Like some of the side characters in this book, I felt like it was too fast. I read love at first sight romances and love them, but I don’t know – I just didn’t 5 star-love this one. I did love the romance that blossomed, but like… I could buy into it until the end which was a good ending in my opinion. 🙂 Read to find out that one.
This is book 5 in the series!! Only one more and it won’t arrive on my doorstep for like another week or two.
Thanks for hopping over and reading this insanely long post that should have been a fraction of this. 🙂 If you want to share what you read in the comments, definitely give me something to add to my TBR.
Have a great weekend!!
Not Your Season: Summer's Blog 
I admit I’m a selfish creature and I’m glad you didn’t slack too much on reading this month, since I always look forward to this post 😁
Yes there are definitely worse things to be addicted to than books. I was recently thinking about how I buy books way faster than I can read them. I decided I just need to embrace my love of books and don’t let it stress me out. 😜
But you are killing my budget with all of these new (to me) authors and five star ratings! 😂
I haven’t read any of these books on your list. But they all sound so good. I will be looking for some of them.
Note about my ratings, I usually only give 4 or 5 stars. Or I might not rate it at all if I really hated it. If I didn’t care for it, I feel it could just be me. And I know a lot of authors read their reviews, so I don’t want to hurt their feelings. 😬
In November, I read:
– “Known” by Aubrey Sampson. This was a non-fiction book about who God says you are. There were some negative stories she brought up that didn’t sit well with me. I understand that a lot of authors do that to help show how God played a role, but due to the season of stress that I’ve been in, I just couldn’t deal with it. I gave it 4 stars.
– “Once Upon a Dickens Christmas” by Michelle Griep. 3 novellas set in early 1800s England. I have heard a lot about this author, but this was the first time I read something by her. For some reason, I wasn’t too into the stories. But maybe it was just me. I gave it 4 stars.
– “Catching Christmas” by Terri Blackstock. This was a modern day novella. I have heard a lot about this author, but this was the first time I read something by her. In my opinion, it started funny. But then it seemed to drag out. 🤷♀️ I gave it 4 stars.
– “Second Chance for Sugarplums.” You know all about this one! I loved it and gave it 5 stars. Of course now I will have to read the rest of the series. This was my favorite read of the month, so thank you for that! 😅
Thank you for this post. Your comments always crack me up. 🤣 I will be shopping for sure 📚
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Someone benefits from my addiction and I think that’s beautiful and unfortunately, way too encouraging of said addiction, depending on who you ask. 😏😂
I’m killing my own budget. Next year, I’ve been tasked with tracking how much I’m spending on books so I’m going to slow down on my book buying. Hopefully. 😳😂
I feel the same! I try not to rate it on GoodReads if it’s below a 3 star for myself so I save it for here to share the whole scoop.
I’ve been there and understand how it can be hard to read something deep when you’re going through a valley season.
I read “Catching Christmas” two years ago! I think I liked it but I did not rate it on GoodReads. I just couldn’t find where I blogged about it 🤔
I’m glad you found another author to read!! 😅
Thank you for sharing!! 🤗📚
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