Another month has gone by and I’ve been reading a lot more since I got a library card. I’ve even surpassed my reading goal for the year.
I love reading Christmas romances during this time of year because they get me in the festive spirit, however, I had to finish all my other romances that I took out from the library first. I’d highly recommend a few of the books I read in November, so keep reading to see which ones you should add to your TBR list!
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The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up—in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…
I was really excited to read this book because I’ve seen so many good reviews about it on social media, however, it fell flat for me. Honestly, I almost didn’t finish it. The writing was good, however, the characters didn’t really pull me in and it took a while for the action to build up. I liked the beginning and the end, but the middle lacked a bit and felt slower than the rest of the book. It’s worth a read if you love romances, but it wasn’t my favourite.
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One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
Spending her thirtieth birthday alone is not what dating columnist Cleo Wilder wanted, but she plans a solo retreat―at the insistence of her boss―in the name of re-energizing herself and adding a new perspective to her column. The remote Irish island she’s booked is a far cry from London, but at least it’s a chance to hunker down in a luxury cabin and indulge in some self-care while she figures out the next steps in her love life and her career.
Mack Sullivan is also looking forward to some time to himself. With his life in Boston deteriorating in ways he can’t bring himself to acknowledge, his soul-searching has brought him to the same Irish island to explore his roots and find some clarity. Unfortunately, a mix-up with the bookings means both have reserved the same one-room hideaway on exactly the same dates.
Instantly at odds, Cleo and Mack don’t know how they’re going to manage until the next weekly ferry arrives. But as the days go by, they no longer seem to mind each other’s company quite as much as they thought they would.
I was immediately hooked when I saw the story takes place on a small Irish island. I love books that involve travel, and an isolated island is the perfect setting for a romance. It reminded me of the movie The Holiday, which is one of the best Christmas movies to exist.
One Night on the Island is the perfect read. The characters are likeable and draw you in, and not just the main characters. Josie Silver does a great job at involving everyone on the island by giving them distinct personalities, thought-out backgrounds, and character development. Sometimes, books can be confusing when too many people are involved, but Josie Silver strikes the perfect balance of involving them without involving them too much.
The romance aspect of the novel is also fabulous and complicated which makes it all the more fun to read about.
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The Duke & I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn
In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable.
Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.
The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule…
Like most of the world, I watched and obsessed over Bridgerton when it aired on Netflix, however, I hadn’t read the books. I’ve heard mixed reviews, with some saying the books are not like the show at all, so I was compelled to read the series. I enjoyed The Duke & I and it was a fun read, but I do prefer the show. The book mirrors the show in most cases, but the more exciting parts of the book aren’t reflected in the show. I also found the build-up more exciting than the ending. Maybe it’s because I already had a sense of what was going to happen? I’m not sure, but the book is worth a read if you like the Netflix series.
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Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy
Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It’s exhausting, really, always following the rules. All she wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents’ insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.
Twenty-year-old Mac has had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.
Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn’t just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he’s been keeping from her threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.
I am a sucker for cliche romance novels, and this is one of them. The bad boy/ good girl coupling gets me every time, and the beach town versus rich prep school kids plot made this book even better. I couldn’t put it down because I was so immersed in the action of the book. Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No, but I loved it all the same and I’d read it again. It’s an easy read if you’re in a slump and looking for something quick and fun to read.
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One Day in December by Silver Josie
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.
Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
This was the beginning of my holiday romance journey, and it was an OK start. I’ve wanted to read this novel for a while and it was worth the wait. Josie Silver takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with this book and it all comes full circle in the end, which I loved. It’s not really holiday-themed, but the major parts of the book happen during Christmas.
✰✰✰
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