2019 Wrap Up!

Another year has passed and it's now time to narrow down my top ten favorite books of 2019. The fact that I have to choice ten books out of the 330 books I have read this year is going to be hard! So without further ado, here is my list of my TOP ten books of the year!

10. Broken Knight by LJ Shen (Full Review)

“The heart doesn’t ask for permission to feel things. It simply feels.”

THIS BOOK! Oh ma gosh did this book break me. Out of all of Mrs. Shen's characters, my favorite has always been Rosie with Dean a close second. The way this book ended, the way she ended their story was perfect for their story. This book is a total recommend to anyone looking for heartbreak, loss, and just romance, get this book. Luna and Knight's romance both faded and bloomed in this book in a way that made sense. There were some parts where I wanted to scream at them to just talk but communication was hard for them at a time. Anyways, this book was amazing and such a good read that I know I am going to be rereading it after my therapy sessions due to this book.
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9. Malum, Part 2 by Amo Jones (Full Review)

“You can have my kingdom, but you cannot have my king.”

Just when you think you know everything, that you've reached the bottom of the well of secrets, Amo Jones pulls the rug right out from under you and you wind up landing face up in a pile of WTF wondering what the hell just happened. GOOD LORD did this book deliver and then some. I died for Nate Riverside Malum in part one, but part two? I bow down to his excellence. He and Tillie were pure fire. She was the flame to his match and together they burned the whole world down and then some!

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8. Wicked Ways Series by K. Bromberg

The man who said he didn’t believe in love, loving the woman who said she never could love.

Absolute PERFECTION. If I’ve ever read a more satisfying conclusion to a series, I’m not sure what it is. From the very beginning, this couple’s story drew me in completely. I never would’ve expected to love a book about a madam and one of her clients, but that’s exactly what happened during the first book in this duet, and I was devastated by the turn of events at the end (in addition to the wait I would have to endure before reading the conclusion). This certainly did not disappoint; it is just as much about Ryker and Vaughn’s deepening feelings for each other as it is about the suspense, which makes the pages fly by. Bromberg’s exquisite writing makes this unlikely couple one of my all-time favorites, and will put her future books at the top of my to be read list.
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7. Twisted Pride by Cora Reilly 

“He’s the yin to my yang. The down to my up. The crazy to my normal. The damaged pieces to all my broken parts.”

This book is a retelling of Beauty and The Beast in its own twisting way. I was excited about Remo's book, because, let's be honest here, he is the kind of character I like. I love how cruel and twisted he is. And I feared he would just turn into a nice, lovestruck slob. Serafina is the strongest female character I ever came across in this book world. She isn't only beautiful, but brave and strong willed. Her loving relationship with her family and especially her twin brother, made me smile big. This is why it really hurt to see her being torn between the Camorra and the Outfit. The twist close to the end took me by surprise which I can't say a lot about books since I can see a "plot twist" from a mile away but this one caught me by surprise and will change their lives forever. Overall, this book is a MUST! But you do have to read the previous two books in order to be caught up with what's going on. It doesn't hurt to read the previous serious as well!

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6. Landon & Shay by Brittainy C. Cherry

”You are the first woman—the only woman—who’d ever awakened every sleeping part of me. You were a defining moment of my life.”

This duet along with Eleanor and Grey’s book are what excellent storytelling is made of. Being immersed in this world from start to finish was an absolute, gut-wrenching treat. From awkward, angsts teen years to equally awkward, angst adulthood, these characters drew me in. I loved them. I cried with them. I cheered them on when they each found their HEAs. Through triumph and loss, Cherry draws the reader into the worlds she weaves. I say she is one of the preeminent storytellers of her generation with respect to contemporary romance. An auto buy author for me, indeed!

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5. In The Unlikely Event by LJ Shen

All is fair in love and war, and I'm certainly prepared for battle

I devoured this book within a matter of hours. While it is not what LJ Shen typically writes, she absolutely slayed this book. The story of Rory and Mal had my heart breaking and happy dancing, all at the same time! I really enjoyed all of the different view points (yes, even the cow and the napkin) as I felt those contributed to a very thorough and well rounded story that answered all of the questions I had throughout. I can’t say enough about the book except that it is definitely a one-click and MUST READ. 

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4. Frayed Silk by Ella Fields

“I’ve given you two beautiful children, a beautiful home and a beautiful life, what more do you want from me?” You, I almost say. I just want you.”

Okay, its no secret Ella Fields is one of my top three authors in the world. Ella delivers one hell of a debut novel that was impossible to put down. Her writing is solid, sexy, and suspenseful. The story is about a wife and mother of two, Lia who has been married for ten years to her husband Leo. From the first page her cries for any sort of reaction from Leo that he cares that their marriage is sinking is heartbreaking.

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3. Pretty Venom by Ella Fields

“He might have been the sun I couldn’t help but orbit around, but he didn’t warm me anymore. Instead, he’d made it his mission to leave me locked inside the chilled shadows of our past. A place even the strongest could only survive for so long.”

First of all, that warning is no joke. I wanted to cry, yell, rip my hair out, and throw my kindle at the wall. This book wrung every emotion out of me, most of all all consuming rage. So much rage. Like ALL OF THE RAGE. But it was also all consuming. This book took over my entire existence for the hours that it took me to devour it, completely unable to put it down for even a second. I'm a sucker for some devastating angst, and if the blurb didn't lure me into reading my first Ella Fields book, that warning ultimately did the job.

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2. Forever and Never by Ella Fields (Review)

“I wanted her so bad it singed my lungs to even breathe around her. But want wasn’t enough for something as broken as us.”

Daphne and Lars destroyed me in the best possible way. This story is the kind of NA Angst that makes my reader heart beat a little harder. Characters this author conjured from thin air left me battered - feeling like I not only knew them, but genuinely cared about them and I was left feeling desperate for them to get their hard fought HEA. If you like your stories jam packed with teenage bad decisions, first loves that will have you swooning and screaming and moments that will have you gasping out loud then this one’s for you. 

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1. Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas (Review)

“How I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated him, but how I loved what I felt with him more than I loved anything I felt with anyone else, either.”

What can I say about the amazing Penelope Douglas? Damon and Winter are literally the perfect characters. This book had everything from suspense, action, romance, ANGST, it had a bit of forbidden and it also showed the relationships among all the characters. I read Kill Switch in the beginning of the year and it has been my number once since then. If you haven't read the Devil's Night series, you NEED TO! It's a perfect mix of genres that makes it one of a kind!

Amazon

Honorable Mention!

Cruel Prince by Ashley Jade

“He’s the yin to my yang. The down to my up. The crazy to my normal. The damaged pieces to all my broken parts.”

This book was SO GOOD! I loved it and find myself reading certain scenes because it was just a beautiful story. The characters are very well defined and their sizzling chemistry sets the pages on fire. Sarcasm is heavy and strong, words cut open wounds and scathing attacks are splattered everywhere Scintillating story with a lot of heart. A truly heartbreaking love story that will break your heart and then fix it all over again. This book makes me more excited over who I already know is going to be my favorite couple in this series; Cole and Sawyer!

Goodbye 2019, you have been a good learning year but it's time to welcome the new decade with open arms and a new bookshelf for those stories waiting to be read!

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Gilded Lily by Staci Hart

Hello everyone and Happy Holidays! I'm sorry I have been MIA recently, my life took a quick turn of events and I needed to be away for a while. But now I am back and with a new review in my hands! Yes I am bringing you review for the new book by the amazing Staci Hard, Gilded Lily! So let's not waste time and get to the review!

Let's Go!

❖

They say there’s no such thing as perfect.

But I’ve built my life to perfection—the perfect boyfriend, the perfect apartment, the perfect career planning celebrity weddings. My job—my only job—is to make sure every event is absolutely and completely perfect.

What’s not perfect? Kash Bennet.

And I wish I didn’t find that so appealing.

I could have told you every perfectly imperfect thing about the gardener at Longbourne. Like his hair, lush and black and far too long. Or his nose, the flat bridge of a Greek god, bent a little like it’s been broken. Or his size. Beastly. Roped and corded with muscles, gleaming with sweat and peppered with dirt.

There’s no escaping him, not if I’m going to use his family’s flower shop for my events.

But nothing is what it seems. And in the span of a heartbeat, my perfect life is turned inside out.

They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new. When Kash offers his services to the cause, it sounds like the perfect plan.

What’s not part of the plan? Falling in love with the gardener.

But they were right—there’s no such thing as perfect.

And I’m the fool who finds out the hard way.

❖

So, Gilded Lily is the second installment in Staci’s Bennet Brothers series and it now focuses on Kash Bennet and Lila Parker. Lila has the perfect life: job, apartment and boyfriend. She wants to keep it that way and get her much deserved promotion. However, she catches her boyfriend cheating and everything turns upside down. She needs a distraction. Enter Kash Bennet. Hot gardener, momma’s boy and the perfect man for “no strings attached” sex. Right? Right. What happens when feelings start getting in the mix?

She was everywhere, in the air, under my skin, living in my heart.

At first glance, it is the opposite attraction theme. Lila is an A-Type personality to the extreme that is perfect for her profession as a wedding planner. Lila has been working all her life to become The Wedding Planner. She worked her way up from the lowest of low during a stint in Los Angeles and then because of her serious success in climbing up the ladder out there, she was able to land her position at the only company she wished to join in New York City.

“Stripped bare and laid before her, plain as day in the darkest of night.”

Obviously, I also enjoyed a whole lot this couple. Two people who seem quite opposite but simply work so well together. What starts as hilarious banter and sexual tension becomes so much more. I loved how Staci developed this love story and how Kash and Lila could not stop themselves from falling in love for each other. I loved their chemistry and how strong they are as a couple and as individuals, I am so happy they found happiness together.

“I felt myself approach a moment, a precipice, A cliff face where I was given a choice. The wind of change whipped my face, beckoning me closer to the edge where I'd have to decide - fly or flee. The life I had, or the one I dreamed of.”

Rating: ★★★ ☆ ☆
Overall, this book is good. The chemistry, the smarts, the care, the feels...all of it worked so well for me. I loved every minute of reading this. What made this wonderful was all of the surrounding parts of this love story. There was the continuing family dynamics of the Bennets and their business situations, there was the continuing insights to the other siblings giving us major hints of other stories to come. All of these elements added to the beauty of this couple. Everything fit. I enjoyed it but out of this series...Coming Up Roses is still my favorite!

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Buy Gilded Lily!

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🌺Bennet Brothers Series 🌺

1. Coming Up Roses

 - Review

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