Well, 2023 has officially started, and I’m trying to get back on track with things. I have a new social media schedule set up (with less posts per week) due to my increasingly limited time, so I hope this will be a beneficial change
But anyway! I can’t go through a year having read ~60 books and not post about some of my favourites!! So here’s a list, in no particular order:
• In Solitude’s Shadow by David Green
• Ties That Bind by Jayne Lockwood
• A Warden’s Purpose by Jeffrey L. Kohanek
• Found in Roll by Stephanie B. Whitfield
• A Threat of Shadows by J.A. Andrews
• Her Badass Bikers by Tirza Schaefer
• Tied to Darkness by I. Vélez
• Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Where Shadows Lie by Allegra Pescatore
• Reign of Shadows by Angel Haze
Some amazing reads from equally amazing authors!! Here’s to hoping for some more awesome reads during 2023
A Beary Little Christmas is a short, fun, and smoking hot read!
Arrow is out on a secret mission when he crash-lands in the middle of a snowstorm. A vision of an angel brings him to the doorstep of a woman with the same name – Angel. There, he gets to know her and her two sons, who are spending Christmas out in the middle of nowhere.
A spark is ignited between Arrow and Angel, and they act on their impulses, but things are about to get even better than that. Soon, a fluffy beast walks into the cottage, intent on eating their pancakes, the event forcing Arrow to admit why he was found out there in a whiteout.
Containing everything one might want from a steamy paranormal romance story, A Beary Little Christmas has witches, shifters, curses, action, romance, hot smut, and hilarious banter! This little pageturner is entertaining from cover to cover, and I highly recommend it!
Christmas in Montana is the second book of Tirza’s Christmas Tales, and it is hot hot hot! But it’s not only that – it’s also sweet, gentle, and respectful (including the steamy scenes).
And don’t even get me started on the lead characters here! A hot military man is enough to catch my attention, but it also has a fiery female lead in Sutani. Working with bears and wolves obviously doesn’t so much as make her flinch, and she is the perfect match for equally fierce Ace, who is currently on leave from his service as a Seal.
This novella is short, yes, but the plot is on point, with the right amount of heat, angst, and action to drive the story to its pinnacle (and that of the characters’ *wink*). I especially loved the ending, which I obviously won’t spoil, but it was definitely a fabulous read from cover to cover!
So, for anyone looking for a quick but flaming hot read with kinks, this is the one for you! I highly recommend it!
A New Family For Christmas is an absolutely fabulous little Christmas Tale by Tirza Schaefer!
This heartfelt and endearing love story centres around former Seal Duke, his sweet daughter Cara, and cookie-baker extraordinaire Anastasia. Finding themselves without a roof over their heads, Duke and his daughter accidentally happen upon Anastasia’s bakery shop, and she invites them in for the night.
And herein lies an instant connect, but not the one between man and woman, but the one between woman and child. And it is so sweet! She cares for Cara as her own, and soon she comes up with a plan to change Duke and Cara’s lives forever, even if the solution to their problems may not be based on love between her and Duke.
But you know… sometimes love comes softly.
I found myself smiling many a time, and the budding relationship between Duke and Anastasia is so sincere and respectful. I highly recommend this little Christmas romance!
Max & The Captain: The Evil Scribe by Michael Evan and JMD Reid
My rating:
Max & the Captain: The Evil Scribe is the second book of this slightly bonkers but awesome panda-infused trilogy.
The Captain thinks life has finally settled, after the earlier mishap with his girlfriend disappearing and a weird pair of shoes talking to him (Listen, this totally makes sense. Trust me. You only need to read the first book). Life is good, and marriage is on the horizon. Well, at least until Amber is written out of his story by the Evil Scribe.
The Captain finds out his world isn’t quite real, but instead, a book written by two bearded authors. Yet, it’s none of them who made Amber disappear. The Evil Scribe is someone else entirely, and this villain is turning his life into a game… quite literally.
So, in comes the GameLit. And omg, it is hilarious! The Captain and Max will need to complete quests and gather a party of adventurers if they ever want to bring Amber back into existence. I loved how this progressed, along with the references to WoW and gaming in general. As a gamer myself, I really enjoyed these segments.
The action is exciting, the humour is on point, and the characters are fantastic. I loved every bit of this book.
But most importantly, as with Evan’s and Reid’s other books, they incorporate more into their work, something that gives a deeper meaning to whatever silly quest their characters are sent out to complete. In this book, it is all about the journey and not letting the final goal crush your confidence. One need only focus on one step at a time.
“One step at a time.” Robert smiled. “That’s how you build anything. Just one step. Then the next, and the next. Don’t worry about the immensity of it, worry about the small part you’re working on now. You do that, and you’ll get there in the end.”
Max & the Captain: The Evil Scribe is a quick but hilarious read, with a fantastic twist at the end. It is entertaining from cover to cover, and has plenty to offer to anyone who loves a good bit of humorous fantasy and GameLit.
Gravitas is a short but exciting story about a villain called Scraw, who works “with” the local authority in his attempts to save their city of Lestadt from the Saeleen.
And by “with,” I mean: he basically forces anyone else to do as he says, good or bad. Mostly bad. Or… Yeah, all bad.
Gravitas is a highly entertaining read, and being a lover of real crime, reading about villains is certainly something I enjoy. Like a deep dive into a dark mind – wonderful!
As for the story itself: the scenes are well-described, the prose flowing, and the characters layered despite the low page count. The world-building is fabulous, and I absolutely loved the twist at the end. Fantastic little read!
The Smoke Tree is a fantastic book, true to life, and wonderfully relatable.
Tora’s life turns upside-down, and she ends up alone, at the precipice of a new life. But things take a turn for the better as the little Yorkie Peanut enters the picture, especially when she is the reason behind Tora meeting a very… agreeable veterinarian.
Even though this sounds like a love story, The Smoke Tree is so much more than that. It is a journey of self-acceptance, where Tora must realise her own strength and carry on. She must allow herself a second chance and believe she can do it.
There is an essential and heartfelt lesson to take away from a book like this. It was brilliant to follow along on Tora’s journey and her quest for happiness. A highly recommended read!
Some favourite reads of 2022 
Well, 2023 has officially started, and I’m trying to get back on track with things. I have a new social media schedule set up (with less posts per week) due to my increasingly limited time, so I hope this will be a beneficial change 
So here’s a list, in no particular order:
Review time! 
