TBR #11: Yearly Goal Almost Met!

As authors, we spend a lot of time thinking about the stories we want to tell. But it’s important to read the words that others write. Each year I set a reading goal on Goodreads, and this year I vowed to read 50 books. Thanks to several of my friends having holiday releases, I’ve been reading a lot this month, and at the time I’m posting this I’ve read 48! That leaves me a week and a half to read the last two books, so I’m not at all worried. I’ve left reviews for each of these titles on Goodreads, so you can see what I liked about each one.

 

The Case of the Missing Cross by Felicia Rogers. This was part of the Nine Ladies Dancing anthology (which included my newest Christmas release). I decided to read the other books in the anthology, and discovered this fascinating mystery. I loved the interaction between the two main characters. It’s part of a series, so I plan to read more about this regency couple!

 

No Job for a Woman by Sherry Gloag. This is another title in the Nine Ladies Dancing anthology. I loved the heroine. She’s a young widow, fighting to keep her lands from the clutches of a greedy neighbor. She’s smart and determined, but she knows when to listen to the advice of others. The hero is – well, he’s a true hero. There’s also a mystery that comes to a surprising conclusion.

 

The Duke of Christmas Past by Kim Bowman. This is yet another title in the Nine Ladies Dancing anthology. The title suggests that it’s a re-telling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and while there are similarities, there are enough differences to make this a unique tale. I felt so awful for the things the hero had suffered, and hoped he would be able to change things to make a happy ending.

 

Ice Angel by Elizabeth Hanbury. This book is also included in the Nine Ladies Dancing anthology, and it’s another winner. Lady Vane is another strong woman, despite having suffered abuse. When her husband dies in a freak accident, she discovers she is quite impoverished. The Earl of Bramwell has his work cut out for him getting her to trust him. I love Elizabeth’s writing style. It’s lyrical but not flowery. She tells the story with just enough description that I could “see” what was happening, but not enough to bog down the action.

 

Passion, Cowboy Style by Shana Gray. This very spicy story was a diversion from the books I usually read, but it was fun. The book was part of the Seasoned Romance (stories with more mature characters) event in which I participated. I bought several books during this event because I wanted to see how other authors dealt with older characters, but this book’s hero was in his late thirties – not exactly what I’d consider Seasoned! This is a nice story about two people from completely different worlds, and I wondered how they would manage to make things work. Would a woman so used to living in the fast lane really be truly happy giving all that up?

 

Keri’s Christmas Wish by Pamela S. Thibodeaux. I hosted this is inspirational romance when the author asked me to take part in her release blog tour. When I host a book at my blog I like to read it before featuring it. In this book, the hero was a bit too perfect for my taste – for example, the man made his bed as soon as he got out of it, and cleaned out the tub as soon as he showered. Frankly, I wouldn’t find that appealing – but other than that the characters were likeable, and the story was interesting.

 

Silent Signals by Linda Carroll-Bradd. Linda belongs to Authors Helping Authors, an online support group I belong to. When she needed reviews for this short novella I volunteered, because I’ve read previous books by Linda and enjoyed them. The characters in this story are unusual – Anora has been raised as a tomboy by her crusty sheepherding grandfather, and Conrad owns a nearby cattle farm. Problems from other neighbors make these two unlikely allies, and their relationship deepens.

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Starlight Inn by Lucie Ulrich. Lucie was my guest here at Four Foxes, One Hound last week. I loved her story about a rural New England inn, and I especially enjoyed Tillie, one of the minor characters. Since Lucie has mentioned wanting to give this character another story or two, I hope to read more about her!

 

 

The Ice Captain’s Daughter by S. G. Rogers. I’ve been a fan Ms Rogers’ books for several years, especially her historical romances. The Ice Captain’s Daughter is another wonderful story about a feisty heroine who refuses to settle for anything less than a husband who loves her. It’s set during the Victorian era, and I learned so much about the time period from this story.

 

I’ve started on book 49 and I’ve got book 50 all loaded up on my Kindle app, so I’ll tell you all about them next month!

 

What have you read lately?