2021 Year In Review

We are just a little over twenty-four hours from the new year. My official reading goal for 2021 was 100 books, as of right now I have read 128. In my head I wanted 130 but I don't think I will make it. Below is a list of my most memorable reads from this past year as well as a couple of my most anticipated reads for 2022....

2021

I love, love, love Rebecca Zanetti. Bonus to me, I remembered I had purchased 'Hidden' eons ago and never got around to reading it, until this week. I am spending New Year's eve catching up on this series. 

Jennifer Armentrout is the only author who has made me cry and she has accomplished that three times. I literally ugly cried at the end of the Covenant series. She has this ability to make me feel what the characters are feeling. All that tension between Trinity and Zayne was too much! I have to admit I wasn't pleased I was getting a prequel to the Blood and Ash series when it wasn't even completed but I love 'A Shadow in the Ember' so much.

2021 was the year I discovered Leigh Bardugo. If it wasn't for Netflix I might not have known these great stories existed.

Dannika Dark gave me all the good feels with more Raven and Christian. She also brought back characters from my favorite Seven series. If asked, I could easily say Dark is my most favorite author.

I love a unique retelling of anything. Ann Aguirre gave me 'Mirror, Mirror', Laura Thalassa gave me the final installment of her The Four Horsemen series 'Death', and Katee Robert gave me a kinky version of Persephone and Hades 'Neon Gods'....I cannot wait until 'Electric Idol' releases next month!

Sarah Maas took a character I absolutely hated and made me love her in 'A Court of Silver Flames. And I have decided I am the only person on the planet that actually enjoyed 'Crescent City'. You can hate all you want but I said what I said.

2022

• Electric Idol by Katee Robert
• House of Sky and Breath by Sarah Maas
• The War of Two Queens by Jennifer Armentrout

Friend me on Goodreads to see the other books on my reading list.

https://www.goodreads.com/heameljon

Summer Nights With a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #3), Caitlin Crews

 

Summer Nights With a Cowboy (Kittredge Ranch, #3)

By: Caitlin Crews

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Cold River sheriff Zach Kittredge believes there is something not right about the town's newest resident, Janie Atwood. Allegedly, Janie has moved in next door to Zach to act as a home health nurse for his aging neighbor, but he doesn't buy that story. He has solid evidence, the back ground check shows that all of her prior patients are deceased. 

Traveling hospice nurse, Janie Atwood does have ulterior motives for moving to the small town of Cold River, but she is not ready to share those reasons with the sheriff. She is enjoying too much being a woman of mystery to the sexy lawman. The truth is that Janie has come to this sleepy town in Colorado to learn more about her family. She believes herself to be a direct descendent of the town's founding mother, bordello owner Madam Minerva, and all her research into the matter only makes Zach more suspicious. The Kittredge family has a large closet filled with their own numerous skeletons. Can Janie and Zach get beyond their pasts to create a future?

I love an angsty cowboy story. Caitlin Crews has recreated perfectly what it is like to live in a small town, everybody knows everybody else's business, trust me I know from personal experience. The Kittredge family has problems but they stick together and defend one another when it matters. I enjoyed the interplay between characters. I had already been reading another of Crew's 'Kittredge' cowboy stories when the opportunity to read about Zach and Janie became available. I will most certainly be seeking out and reading the rest of this series as well as the Cold River Ranch series.

This title will be available March 29, 2022

Preorder/Purchase: Amazon

The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill

The Stars Between Us

By: Cristin Terrill

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

Having lived the majority of your life at below poverty, what would you do if you found out that an extremely wealthy man you have only met once, has stipulated in his will that his son could only inherit his immense fortune if he married you? Would you allow yourself to 'be sold off' like a possession to a man you have never met knowing the wealth will support your family in a way you could never imagine? Would your understanding of your self worth and true value prevent you from being treated no better than an inanimate object? Eighteen year old Viktoria Hale found herself asking those very questions.

Early in Vika Hale's life her father had a good job that provided well for his wife and two daughters. The fall of the local mining production on their planet of Philomenus, and the loss of his job, changed their whole existence. The Hale's could no longer afford to live their luxurious lifestyle, let alone eat.  At young ages, Vika and her sister were forced to work backbreaking, demeaning jobs to help their family barely survive. Vika and her sister were more fortunate then some. A personal teacher was provided by an unknown, wealthy benefactor Vika met once when she was a very little girl. The education came at a cheap price, Vika was required to provide blood for DNA testing, undergo psychological and mental tests, as well as provide a yearly photo. 

Over the years Regis Chapin had vetted many young girls to become the wife of his only son Leo. Upon Regis' death it became clear by a stipulation in his will that Vika was Regis' choice. Leo must return home from school abroad and marry Vika in order to inherit his father's vast wealth. During his trip home his freighter explodes killing everyone on board, including Leo. What does this mean for Vika? Where does this leave her?

Cristin Terrill's story had me engaged from the very first page. 'The Stars Between Us' tells the story of life on two very different planets. One filled with wealth, parties, and prestige and the other poverty, desperation, and struggles. On occasion I did find myself struggling to understand Vika Hale. At times she came across as self-absorbed and shallow, but then I would contemplate the extreme life choices an eighteen year old was being forced to make and better understand her plight. Not just any eighteen year old, but a young woman who was forced to live most of her life struggling to survive. Wouldn't anyone in her situation revel in the wealth and sophisticated lifestyle they were suddenly thrust into? Throughout the story we get to see Vika grow and mature into a deeper character. 

I loved Terrill's ability to develop characters; as shown with Vika. She not only had to build one world but two. 'The Stars Between Us' was not only about Vika and her family but also contained a murder mystery as the main cast attempted to discover who killed the Chapin  The last half of the book was so exciting I couldn't put it down. 

This book will be released August 2, 2022

Pre-Order/Purchase: Amazon

City of Bridges (The Seven Portals #1), Andre Jones

 

City of Bridges (The Seven Portals #1)

By: Andre Jones

Current movie and TV trends show us the deep rooted fear we as humans have from an alien invasion. What happens when humans of Earth are the evil alien species infiltrating another planet? City of Bridges by Andre Jones shows the absolute worst side of humanity.

This is my first experience reading something written by Andre Jones. Jones has a wonderful talent for world development as well as the creation of the unique species that occupy these worlds.

Yarnik is a planet inhabited by many different species all with their own individuality and origin stories. The main character, Leonie, is a half rrell half human creature that resembles a humanoid feline. Her cat like abilities make her the perfect thief. While out on a mission she witnesses the attack of a courier. When the dust has settled, the courier has been assassinated and Leonie finds herself in possession of a mysterious tome. Leonie, with the assistance of a shapeshifter named Feiron, are tasked with delivering the book to a peaceful species known as the Hroltahgs/Rollos. During their journey Leonie and Feiron meet many interesting creatures. They also take the opportunity to learn what the book contains and find it is filled with prophesies of the future. As the journey progresses, Leonie learns a great deal about herself, her powers, and her past. 

It takes a great imagination to create the levels of depth in this story. I am always amazed with an author's creativity when it comes to creating creatures and places from scratch. 'City of Bridges' is the first installment in 'The Seven Portals' series. It will be interesting to see where Jones takes his readers next.  

Purchase: Amazon

The Christmas House, Victoria James

 

The Christmas House

By: Victoria James

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

This time of year I have a strong desire to read as many holiday stories as I can.

The Christmas House by Victoria James is a heartwarming story about overcoming life’s struggles. The story follows the story of two generations, a grandmother and her granddaughter, and how one’s life choices can impact and mold who the other would become.

Ruby’s story is told in pieces at the beginning of each new chapter. As a young girl she found herself  pregnant out of wedlock, alone, and disowned by her family. With help from a couple of perfectly placed altruistic souls, Ruby found a job, a home, and friends who would become her family. Ruby vowed that she would be strong for her daughter and never allow herself to fall for a man again.

Charlotte, Ruby’s granddaughter, had grown up in a home with an alcoholic mother and a father who walked out when she was twelve. Being the oldest child, she had always taken on the role of creating order out of chaos. Charlotte made sure the house was clean, the lunches packed, and that her younger sister, Olivia, was looked after. The only bright spot in her life was spending time at The Christmas House with her grandmother Ruby. 

Charlotte was hopeful for a peaceful holiday season spent at The Christmas House but realizes that is not meant to be when it becomes obvious something tragic is going on in Olivia’s life, her mother arrives early, and the man living next door is her childhood crush who disappeared the same day her father did. Can Charlotte handle all of the chaos.

I loved The Christmas House. It had so much depth and layers. It was heartbreaking to follow Ruby’s story while still hoping for some kind of well deserved happily ever after. All of the characters are so well written and James did a great job world building. I also appreciated her ability to tackle the hard topic of child abuse and neglect and one’s ability to overcome.

Purchase: Amazon

Ancient Vendetta (Ancients Rising, #4), Katie Reus

 

Ancient Vendetta (Ancients Rising, #4)

By: Katie Reus

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

What could possibly go wrong when you take all types of fantasy creatures (witches, dragons, shifters, vampires, fat, etc.) add in some humans and an end of the world scenario?

Katie Reus has taken three of my most favorite reading genres: dystopian, fantasy, and romance, and put them all in one book series for my pure reading enjoyment. At the beginning of the 'Ancients Rising' series we learn that there had been a devastating dragon attack. Populated areas all over the world had been destroyed. Those that survived are trying to pull together to create some semblance of a working society. Through the first three books we were introduced to Aurora, who has hidden her shifter side all her life due to the special power it brings her, and King, the alpha leader of his wolf shifter pack and also ruler of the rebuilding city of New Orleans.

King has a unique perspective to ruling, he hopes for a unity among the different species, he believes that together they can rebuild the world into a better place than it was before the attack, he allows for individuality but should someone get out of line he has no problem doling out a punishment. Aurora is struggling to overcome the terrors of her past. She feels a draw to King but doesn't know if she is healed enough from old wounds to let him become anything more than a friend.

When contemplating the current real world climate, I think Reus attempts to show humans how we can overcome our differences in appearance, beliefs, and culture to make the world a better, more peaceful place to live. Reus was able to check all my genre boxes while at the same time giving me hope that the world could be a better place to live if we all just put in the effort.

On a side note, I had mistakenly thought 'Ancient Vendetta' was to be the last book in this series but when I got to the end of the story, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new title listed in the 'Ancients Rising' section under 'Complete Booklist'. Reus made my day.

Preorder on Amazon

Mirror, Mirror (Gothic Fairytales, #2), Ann Aguirre

Mirror, Mirror (Gothic Fairytales, #2)

By: Ann Aguirre

My Recommendation: 👍👍👍👍 - (Out of 5 👍)

What if the evil step-mother in all those fairytales was really misrepresented and misunderstood? What if the step-mother was never really the evil one at all? Maybe we never really knew the truth to those stories, maybe now it is time to bring light to what really happened.

I love a well executed retelling of an old fairytale. In 'Mirror, Mirror', Ann Aguirre puts an interesting spin on Snow White. As with her first book in the 'Gothic Fairytales' series 'Bitterburn', Aguirre placed well known easter eggs, such as a play on the well known poisoned apple, through out the story.

Trude Burgess has loved Viggo Calder her entire life but he was always more interested in Lisabet. So much so it bordered on obsession. Viggo and Lisabet ended up married with a daughter and Trude thought she had lost her opportunity at happily ever after, that was until Lisabet died suddenly. Knowing that Viggo was devastated from his wife's death and only a third of the man he was, Trude agreed to marry him and raise his now eight year old daughter. The marriage was one of convenience but Trude was certain she could turn their friendship into more. Upon moving in with Viggo and Albie she realizes things were never what they appeared to be.

This story is technically a play on Snow White but so unique that it is it's very own story. You could remove the mention of the mirror, the evil-step mother, the 'seven dwarfs', and the poisoned apple and never think of Snow White. Aguirre has a way of developing worlds, characters, and storylines in such a way that you can see every detail in your mind. I loved Trude and her devotion, I grew frustrated with Viggo and his inability to see the truth, and I felt for Albie who always wanted to be loved but had no control over her life. There were parts of the story with tension so thick I felt true concern for the characters and there were sections that had me frightened for their lives. 

I am excited for the next installment of the Gothic Fairytales series but so sad to read it is the final installment. All things come in moderation and also must come to an end.

TO PURCHASE:  Amazon