Reading

Recent Reads

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Here’s another companion post to my newsletter featuring a roundup of recent reads and rereads. (Some of these were read a while ago but hadn’t made it into the newsletter.)

If you’re looking for an excellent summer/beach/vacation read, I would highly recommend: These Summer Storms, Curvy Girl Summer, A Death on Corfu, and Total Dreamboat. 

Top 10 Books of 2024

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Here’s a quick rundown of the top 10 books I read that came out in 2024!

collage graphic of book covers

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
An incredible time travel spec-fic/romance with an original setup, a historical hero, and lots of twists and turns. 

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
The latest installment to a hilarious mystery series, featuring an amateur sleuth who’s a romantic suspense writer. 

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
A masterpiece of a romance with light historical and paranormal elements all wrapped up in a perfect package. 

When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias
A wonderful women’s fiction novel (with strong romantic arcs) that follows three generations of Mexican-American women in California. 

I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram
A fun contemporary romance revolving around wine and food, with a stellar friend group.

Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña
The perfect ending to this fantastic series (although it can be read as a standalone) with a top-notch romantic hero.

The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler
An achingly sweet and tender romance with a marriage of convenience set at Christmastime. (TW: terminal illness)

The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham
A fresh take on the “teach me how to do it” trope with a heroine you can’t help but love. 

The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa
A rom-com that truly deserves the title—spicy AND funny!

Maybe This Time by Cara Bastone
An excellent audio-only timeslip romance with Noah Reid (Patrick from Schitts Creek) voicing the male lead!

November 2024 Reads

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Here’s another companion post for my newsletter (which you can subscribe to here), featuring my recent reads.

Collage graphic featuring all the book covers of the titles listed below

Summer Reading Highlights

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Here’s another companion post for my newsletter (which you can subscribe to here), featuring some of the highlights from my summer reading, presented in no particular order.

book cover collage

Short Holiday Romance Reads

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This is another companion post for my newsletter (which you can subscribe to here), featuring a list of holiday romance novellas and anthologies if you want some short reads before the year is over. 

book cover collage graphic

2023 Goal: Less Scrolling, More Reading

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This post, like the previous, is a companion post for my monthly newsletter, so as not to clutter it up with links. There you can find not just news about my latest and upcoming books, but insights about my writing process, along with my thoughts about the media I’m reading/watching/listening to every month. Sometimes you’ll even get an early look at a cover reveal or exclusive access to a free story. If that sounds like your thing, you can subscribe here.

Here’s a look at the books I’ve read in 2023 so far. Pretty amazing considering my original reading goal for the entire year was just 20 books! 📚🏆

collage graphic of all the books listed below

I enjoyed all of these for different reasons but I’ve put stars next to the standouts. For reviews on select books, follow me on BookBub.

The Ripped Bodice Grand Opening

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12814343_10153417664793341_4690919157905779256_nWhile in Los Angeles earlier this month, I happened to be around Culver City for the grand opening of The Ripped Bodice, the first romance-only bookstore. After raising over $90,000 on Kickstarter, sisters Bea and Leah Koch opened the doors on March 4th, 2016.

The store is cute and highly photogenic, with a mix of art, carefully curated gift items, and of course, BOOKS! The books are displayed in a way that makes it easy for you to browse genres & tropes you enjoy. Looking for rock stars? Sports romance? M/M? There’s a shelf for each, & knowledgeable staff to answer your questions and give suggestions. Indie, traditional, and classics can be found easily, making for an impressive selection of print titles. Subtle, creative merchandising invites you to get lost while looking for your latest additions to the TBR pile. Displays seamlessly combine books & local crafts, making it a great gift resource for book lovers. And I can’t say enough about the antique furniture decorating the space & providing seating. If you’re in LA, definitely check out The Ripped Bodice, a haven for romance readers.

Lots of photos below! Continue reading →