I always say I want to do more tags again and then I never do, but I will never skip this one!
1. Best book you’ve read so far?
Let us all be collectively surprised that my favourite book of the year is by T. Kingfisher. I know, I know- you never could have seen this coming. It is not like she is my favourite author of all time or anything. I put off reading Swordheart for years because it seems to be everyone’s favourite from her and I wasn’t ready for it. I am someone who puts a lot of weight into the first book I read in a year so I finally went for it and here with are with the first book I read for the year still be my favourite six months later. This deserves all of the hype and I am thrilled we are getting a sequel (Daggerbound) next year!
I hate to include a book that doesn’t come out until September but I have been reading and loving a lot of contemporary romance this year and Sweet Heat tops the list. This is no surprise given how much I loved the first book in this series, Honey and Spice. I went into this knowing nothing other than it was a sequel and I know I love this author. I have to tell you I was floored by where this went and I think it is best to go into it knowing nothing. However, it is important that you read book one- this is not one of those romance series where you can read the books out of order! I cannot wait for my preorder to come it. I am planning to reread both books and tab them- I love them that much!
2. Best sequel?
The Unbound Witch is the second book in the Unmarked duology. We read book one for book club and while I had a fun time with it, it was not very memorable for me and I was not convinced I would read book two. That was until another member of the club read it and said it was a must read and wow she was correct. I could never have predicted where this went and I find that is rare for fantasy romance. My jaw was on the floor and I ate this up. Such an underrated duology!
I hate that this is the last year that I can include an Emily Wilde book on my list because the trilogy is over! It is always scary to read the final book in a series that you love but I am happy to report that this is everything that I could have wanted. So satisfied with where this story went and I will reread this series whenever I need something I know will bring me joy and comfort.
3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to?
I was going through my list and I have actually been pretty good about keeping up with reading new releases! That said, there are a few that I am desperate to get to and don’t know why I haven’t prioritized them.
I loved Stephanie Burgis’ Regency Dragon series and I am excited that Wooing the Witch Queen got the hype that I personally think she deserves. This book has everything that I love- witches and a library setting! The second book was just announced and the cover is so so good.
I have heard amazing things about Charlotte McConaghy’s books but the hype for Wild Dark Shore is next level. I have not read a lot of literary fiction this year even though I have been wanting to embrace my love for the genre again.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year?
There are a ton of books coming out in the second half of the year that I am dying to read but when your favourite author is treating you to three books in the span of four months, you can’t not gush about them!
T. Kingfisher has started this thing where she comes out with a fantasy retelling every August and I live for it. A great way to end my summer! I have to admit that I don’t tend to love Snow White retellings but I always say that T. Kingfisher is the one author who can make me love something I say I don’t like, so I cannot wait for Hemlock and Silver. The main character is a scientist/healer and there is a narcissistic cat- enough said!
What Stalks the Deep is the third book in the Sworn Soldier series. I have been loving this series, especially since the books are novellas, and I cannot wait to see what the characters get up to next. These are very episodic and there are not a lot of series I am in the middle of that are like that, so they are fun for me. I love what T. Kingfisher does with horror!
The cover of Snake-Eater is terrifying to me and I love it! This sounds like it is something different from T. Kingfisher which thrills me because I truly believe she can write in any genre. Curious to see what she does with a desert setting and ancient gods.
C.J. Cooke is one of my go-to authors and she releases a book a year and they always end up on best books of the year list. I am ashamed to say I haven’t read her 2024 release but that will be done before The Last Witch comes out. Apparently this is based on a real-life event and there are women jailed after being accused to be witches and a witch totem that ends up being a ghost. Cooke’s books are always harrowing and I am ready for it!
I was just approved for an eARC of Savage Bloom and I will be honest, I saw S.T. Gibson and hit that request button with quickness before even reading the synopsis. All I know is that it is a queer, Gothic, fantasy romance set in Scotland and I cannot wait to read it!
Tasha Suri is another favourite author and it feels as though I have been waiting for The Isle in the Silver Sea for ages! This is a sapphic fantasy romance following a knight and a witch. There is also an assassin!
You know I had to include Brigands and Breadknives on this list! This is technical the first sequel to Legends and Lattes as Bookshops and Bonedust was a prequel. Like many others, this was the series that made me realize my love for cozy fantasy and I will always be grateful for that. Cannot wait to be back with these characters.
5. Biggest disappointment?
We read Flowerheart for book club and I should have loved it! It is categorized as cozy but I am not sure I would classify it as that. I felt that there was so much potential but it all felt so flat and surface level. The world could have been so interesting but nothing was explained and I felt zero chemistry between the characters. I never felt invested in the story and I probably would have dnfed it if it were not for the book club and the fact that it was an easy read.
I don’t regret reading Phantasma but I think I built it up so much in my head that it was impossible for it to live up to my expectations. It also doesn’t help that I adored the beginning but found it started to drag near the middle. I think I am pickier about competition stories than I initially thought I was. The trials felt long and didn’t work for me. I also expect to adore the romance and it was just fine for me.
6. Biggest surprise?
The Vampire’s Bargain was my pick for book club and it was kind of random choice. I just stumbled upon it on Kindle Unlimited and loved the idea of witches and vampires and figured I’d take a chance on it. It ended up being one of the best books we have read together and I will brag about that until the end of time. This is such an underrated romantasy and does some interesting and unique things that I have not seen before. I am still thinking about the ending and cannot wait for the sequel!
I think I just need to accept that I can like the surprise pregnancy trope if it is a surprise to the characters but not to the readers. I didn’t think Out On a Limb would be a favourite because of this trope but I went for it because I had the ALC from Libro.fm and I have heard amazing things about Hannah Bonam-Young. Let me tell you, I adore this! So much chemistry and sweetness and I listened to it in one afternoon and it was delightful. Cannot wait to read more from this author!
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)?
I am cheating a little bit here because I technically didn’t discover Christina C Jones this year and have read one book from her in the past, but 2024 is the year that I truly fell in love with her romances. I randomly found Between the Lines on KU and there are few things I love more than a celebrity romance so I went for it. I quickly learned that this is a novella and I probably should have the full length novel (Behind the Scenes) first but I didn’t and still had a great time. I have since read the other two novellas in this series and loved them just as much! I also listened to Catch Me If You Can and it is the first and only romantic suspense that I have enjoyed and I cannot wait to continue on with the series. Christina C Jones has a pretty extensive backlist (and a helpful website that helps figure out the order in which to read them all, which I obviously discovered too late), and it is always fun to find a romance author whose backlist I can slowly make my way through.
8. Newest fictional crush?
I kind of struggled with this one this year because I realized that I have been loving the female characters in my romances more than the male ones lately. That said, there are two MMCs who stood out for me- Bo from Out On a Limb and Rafe from Not Safe for Work. I think Bo is just one of those characters who you can’t help but love. He is so caring and thoughtful and has a nerdy side. I was just endeared by him! He was a golden retriever with depth and that is the kind of person I would be drawn to in my real life.
Work place romances can be tricky and I don’t think Not Safe for Work was perfect or free of workplace violations but I was able to overlook that because I thought these two had so much chemistry and I adored Rafe. I think what I appreciated about him was that he was flawed but ultimately a good person who is trying his best.
9. Newest favorite character?
I have noticed that my favourite characters every year tend not to be human. I really don’t know what that says about me! Jenny is the main character in Greenteeth and she is a lake monster who has never interacted with a human until she saves a witch who was thrown into her lake and that starts her on a journey where she makes friends along the way. I just thought she was a pure delight and that exact kind of character I love.
I think my favourite character last year was a plant from The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst and this year it is a different plant from The Enchanted Greenhouse by the same author. I think discovering this character’s story on your own is all part of the fun but all I will say is that she is a rose. There are also a lot of other sentient plant throughout the story who I fell in love with!
10. A book that made you cry.
Peaches and Honey is following an immortal character throughout the decades and that premise always leads to sad moments as the main character stays the same age while people around them age and the choices that they have to make in those situations. She also is an empathetic character and wants to save everyone and that obviously doesn’t always work out. It doesn’t hurt that the author’s writing is beautiful and touching!
I am someone who tends to cry more during happy moments versus sad ones and that was the case in The Enchanted Greenhouse. Though there are some sadder moments that brought tears to my eyes (I was over here tearing up over plants!), it was a sweet moment at the end that really got me and I don’t think you will fully appreciate unless you have read The Spellshop.
11. A book that made you happy.
I think that A.H. Cunningham and Kimberly Lemming have become two of my go-to authors for when I need a book that makes me happy. Though I read a lot of contemporary romance, the ones I gravitate towards often have heavier themes and I think that is why I find A.H. Cunningham’s romances so refreshing. They are still very mature and there is commentary but they are on the lighter side and she knows how to write some good chemistry!
Kimberly Lemming is hilarious and you will either click with her sense of humour or you won’t. I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com is utterly ridiculous (as the title would suggest) but I had such a great time with it!
12. Most beautiful book cover/design?
As you can see, I have been drawn to bright covers with florals this year for some reason!
13. What books are you prioritizing to read by the end of the year?
This has been the year where I have just embraced the fact that I am a mood reader and I am going with the flow and it has been working for me! I no longer do monthly TBRs (unless it is for a readathon) and have moved to seasonal ones just because they are fun. That said, I am not putting any pressure on myself. So I just went for two books that all calling to me and I would love to get to before the end of the year.
When the Tides Held the Moon is on my Summer TBR and it just screams summer to me. It is a historical fantasy romance and I am so up for something like that. I actually think it will be the next physical book I pick up!
I would not be surprised if Blood over Bright Haven was my answer to this last year. It haunts me from my TBR shelf because I know I will love it but I am also scared of it. However, I am currently reading and loving The Raven Scholar, which I think has similar vibes, so that has made me even more excited about it1
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