I became absorbed in finishing my latest book, Maelcom Daimon Desire, and I had to slow my reading pace down. My unread book pile is a virtual tower awaiting my attention.

Here my recent (last 3 months) favorite books:

Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.A. Schwab – A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light. Hands down my favorite books of the year. Not a romance book although there is some light romance in it. Amazing Fantasy, magical worlds, dark and violent but oddly hopeful. Weirdly believable characters. Kind of like Fantasy crack. Just start reading – don’t take my word on it.

Sure Thing by Jana Aston. Everything I want in Contemporary Romance. Funny, sincere, a little fantastic with great characters and snappy dialog. So many books in Contemporary Romance can come across as thin with weak character development, but this book delivers.

Stay by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. Somehow they write and create deep and believable sports heroes and interesting women. This is m/f romance but these authors wrote my favorite MM sports romance of all time – US and THEM. Major feels. I finished those books with a big sigh and sniff.

Stolen by an Alien by Amanda Milo. Sci-fi erotica just how you hope it would be written. Fast and fun read.

Fast Connection by Santino Russell and Meghan Erickson. Very explicit – it is MM romance but is a really sweet romance emotionally.

Priest by Sierra Simone. Phew just when I said I am done with erotica, I decided to read this book. Smokin’ hot. If you are not ready for sex in church – don’t read this. Great hero.

1001 Nights from Lara Adrian. The Midnight Breed Bundle. I have read the whole series Midnight Breed series – brilliant and wild series (vampires from space), so this series of novellas were a must. I love novellas when I am super busy – get my romance fix in.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – I have read the source material and knew this material inside and out, but this is a beautiful, concise presentation of the myths. Get this book if you are obsessed with Norse mythology. I consider it reference, but in the hands of a great writer, familiar stories become fresh. Also, this prevents you from doing google searches and ending up on weird reactionary websites. Take my word on this.

No Other Scot Will Do and No Other Duke Will Do by Grace Burrowes. I just adore her storytelling and her writing style. Old fashioned yet modern. Her women are strong survivors, and her heroes are slightly flawed and gentle alphas. Sigh.

I have a stack of DNF’s which I won’t mention here. I always go back and give books a second try because I am an emotional reader. Some days I just don’t want to read certain books.

The market is buzzing with a lot of offerings. I keep a lookout for sales and special offers. I rationalize my book budget by never going to Starbucks. Really? $4 for a coffee? That’s the cost of a book. I make great coffee at home for around 50 cents for 4 cups.

Buy a book today. Give a gift of a book – always pick a book you love because it means more that way. I write genre fiction – romance and fantasy – I think they make the best gifts because they are fast and immersive reads. So DON’T give some big important book as a gift, give something entertaining. Romance is always an excellent gift – it is a literature of hope and positivity.