Month: December 2024

Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2024

Posted December 30, 2024 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 28 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! I hope you had a merry Christmas last week! I wanted to take a minute to thank those who sent me books from my wish list! I was so touched and delighted to find these books in the mail. Thank you to Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits for Some Winter’s Evening by Erin Langston, Carla from Carla’s Book Crush for Within These Gilded Halls by Abigail Wilson, and Rissi from Culture Characteristics/RissiWrites.com for The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler and Selling Out by Martha Keyes! I will be cozying up with all of these as I ring in the new year this week. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.

As we close out another year, it’s time to reflect on all the amazing books we’ve read in 2024! Today I’m sharing my top ten favorite books I read this year, regardless of their publication date, in the order I read them. I’m excited to come see your top ten list and break my TBR once again!

1. Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise
2. Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
3. Business Casual by B.K. Borison
4. Just Friends Forever by Martha Keyes
5. The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren
6. One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette
7. The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel
8. Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer
9. The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler
10. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

What was your favorite read of 2024?
Happy, happy New Year to you! I wish you all the best in 2025, and hope it’s filled with love and joy.


Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings [2024 Edition]

Posted December 23, 2024 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 11 Comments

Welcome to another TTT, and happy Christmas Eve! This week’s topic is Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes. Bookish Wishes is a popular topic, and one I host twice a year (around Christmas and again in June)! List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!

Business Casual by B.K. Borison
Selling Out by Martha Keyes
Hotshot Doc by R.S. Grey
Christmas Ever After by Jaimie Admans
Within These Gilded Halls by Abigail Wilson
The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler
The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie
Ready Set Rogue by Manda Collins
Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston
Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

Here’s the link to my wishlist on Amazon. These and many more books can be found on there!

Have you read any of these?

I hope you have a very merry Christmas!


Top Ten Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List

Posted December 16, 2024 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 25 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! Winter is coming, and that means it’s time for another seasonal to-read list post that I can spend forever writing up and then completely ignore in lieu of every other book in my collection. LOL. Oh well. It’s the thought that counts, right? I am super super excited about the books I’ve selected for this prompt, so most likely I will read at least half of these before spring. And if that truly does happen, it will be a major accomplishment! I can’t wait to distract myself from this to-read list by going and looking at what’s on your list and adding them all to mine as well!

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin

I’m fully entrenched in my Christmas reads, but I hope to get to this one soon!

Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened.

But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out.

She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds.

One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember.

One Foggy Christmas by Kortney Keisel 

What if the person you shared your life with couldn’t remember you anymore?

Nash Carter is devastated when a skiing accident leaves his wife with severe memory loss, erasing him and their three-year marriage from her mind.

Not only is Nash a stranger, but Sadie remembers being in love with her ex-boyfriend and can’t understand how she ended up living in a new city, estranged from her family, and married to a man she doesn’t know.

It’s up to Nash to win back his wife and prove that their love is worth fighting for.

Can Nash’s unwavering devotion help Sadie rebuild what was lost, or will he lose her love forever?

◆ One Foggy Christmas is a holiday romance that brings all the chemistry and tension without explicit language or scenes.

Winterfrost Market by Jenny Sandiford

A tea-loving mortal with a warm heart. A worldly fae prince in disguise. Midwinter is brewing something magical…

At the enchanting Winterfrost Market, renowned for its Midwinter celebrations, Elsie is run off her feet at her family’s cozy traveling tea house.

But the quaint town’s festivities lose their luster when her mother fails to return from her journey to Midwinter Haven—a fairytale land in the north, rumored to be inhabited by elves, witches, and fae.

With Elsie’s worry as dark as her strongest tea, she enlists the help of the captivating tracker, Kit, to guide her northward.

Stepping beyond her comfort zone, Elsie’s eyes are opened to magic she never thought possible. But she quickly discovers that Kit has secrets and suspects he may be one of the clever fae her sister warned her about.

Is Kit her dream prince, or an enemy in disguise? To find her mother, she must be willing to gamble her heart.

Grab a hot cup of tea, snuggle up, and embark on a magical journey to Midwinter Haven…

Winterfrost Market is a cozy fantasy with clean holiday romance and a generous sprinkling of magic!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

This. Is. Happening. If I read one book in 2025, it will be Onyx Storm.

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise

The first book, Never Blow a Kiss, was my first read of 2025 and I loved it so much.
I am so excited for this one!

To find her missing sister, an unconventional governess must infiltrate an infamous gambling den owned by a devilishly handsome rake.

Frankie Turner should be the perfect she’s genteelly born, impoverished, and owns a pair of ugly oversized spectacles. Now if only she didn’t have an alarming tendency to forget her charges while contemplating mathematics principles…

When Frankie’s impulsive younger sister goes missing, Frankie has no idea where to begin the search to find her. But when she discovers hasty marriages materializing between “troublemaking” women and men who don’t deserve them—she knows her sister is somehow involved. The only thread connecting the groomsmen is a membership to Rockford’s, an exclusive gambling hell owned by the devilish Jasper Jones. And it just so happens that Jasper has recently become the guardian of a sullen fifteen-year-old.

Jasper suspects his new governess has an ulterior motive for being in his household, but he can hardly find the time to uncover it when his life is in a constant uproar. First, Frankie teaches his niece how to count cards and then she tries to break into his study. When he finally learns Frankie’s true reason for being there, he agrees to help the brilliant mathematician find her missing sister, even if it means giving her a fake dowry and watching men trip over themselves in her presence. As he and Frankie work together to dismantle a nefarious scheme, Jasper realizes that for the first time in his life, he’s gambled his heart—and possibly lost it.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job to provide for herself and her beloved daughter, Olivia. But with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her.

When the threat of war becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In her daughter’s absence, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, as well as the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing, and her work forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.

Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, capturing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that’s beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She’s so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they’re professional rivals.

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can’t trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.

Viscount in Love by Eloisa James

Two eccentric orphans bring together a grumpy viscount and the free-spirited heroine who steals his heart in the first novel in Eloisa James’s new Accidental Brides series, in which haughty aristocrats find themselves married to the wrong women.

He wants a nanny, not a bride…

Suddenly guardian to twins, Viscount Dominic Kelbourne is luckily betrothed to a suitable lady–until she elopes. With no time to woo, Dominic decides to marry his fiancée’s unconventional sister. Torie isn’t perfect, but their kisses are so passionate that society thinks he’s actually chosen her.

She wants to marry for love…

Torie has never been able to make sense of words on a page, so she has turned her talents to art. She longs for a man who values her as she is… but marries for the sake of the twins. She doubts Dominic is capable of love, let alone respect, but as their heated debates turn into something more, Torie begins to imagine a life as a wife, not a nanny.

But when the arrogant viscount finds that his viscountess has stolen his heart, he’ll have to give all he has to win her love.

The Missing Diamond by Lynn Morrison and Anne Radcliffe

In Regency London’s glittering ballrooms, a well-made match can mean the difference between power and ruin.

London, 1813: With his reputation and inheritance on the line, Lord Percy is determined to win the heart of the coveted diamond of the season. When that beautiful woman vanishes, his failure seems all but certain.

Unless, that is, he can find her.

Lady Grace is devastated when her best friend disappears. Society may be willing to believe the worst, but Grace knows her friend would never run off without leaving her a clue.

Someone kidnapped her – but who?

With the clock ticking, Lord Percy and Lady Grace find their best hope lies in working together. But strong wills, brash decisions, and pesky sparks aren’t the only things standing in their way.

Can they trust each other in a society where people will do anything to rise to the top?

Have you read any of these?
What’s at the top of your winter to-read list? 


Top Ten Snowy Reads to Enjoy by the Fire

Posted December 9, 2024 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is: Books to Read During a Storm (these can be cozy/comfy reads, books with storms in them, atmospheric reads for dark and stormy nights, light reads to combat the heavy weather, etc.), and was submitted by Astilbe. I chose to tweak it a bit and am sharing books that take place in snowy/cold locations, during blizzards, etc. I’m all about the snow right now and am asking the sky to dump as much of it on me as possible right now! I’ve read most of these, but several are from my TBR.

1. Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan
This takes place at the Snow Crystal Ski Resort, and I loved how snowy and magical it was.

2. Once Upon a Midwinter’s Kiss by Fenna Edgewood
“Abandoned in a blizzard and forced to seek shelter in the castle of a reclusive young man, Gracie has no idea she will soon become his captive.” Sounds a bit like Beauty & the Beast, no?

3. A Christmas Spark by Cindy Steel
Two people arrive at the same cabin, expecting to alone. And then a blizzard sets in! This no-spice, super swoony romance is one of my favorites!

4. Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
A small and snowy Alaskan town with a mischievous moose who almost steals Christmas. LOVE this book!

5. Whiteout by Adriana Anders
A research station in Antarctica is attacked. “Isolated in the middle of a long, frozen winter with a madman at their heels, they must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth.” Falling in love while running for your life. What’s not to love? This is a GOOD one, guys.

6. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
The Winter Solstice has arrived at the Night Court! I loved this book.

7. Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare
I love a Regency snowstorm. This is one of my favorite novellas ever.

8. Snowed Over by Angie Stanton
Another stranded together during a blizzard romance! And at Christmas! Another favorite.

9. The Lady Most Willing… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway
I see this takes place a snowy, isolated castle. Sign. Me. Up.

10. The Northern Lights Lodge by Julie Caplin
PLEASE can I go stay at this lodge in Iceland? I haven’t even read this book yet, but I want to go here anyway.

Can you think of any snowy reads I might love? 


The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler | Book Review

Posted December 5, 2024 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler | Book ReviewThe Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler
Series: Heart of the Wilderness #1
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 24, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

Sarah Morgenthaler is back with a heart-mending contemporary romance featuring a single dad you'll fall for; a satisfying slow burn love affair; found family you'll root for; small town holiday magic; and all the quirky animals and snowy rustic scenes your heart desires.

Sienna Naples's family has taken care of their wild Idaho land for generations and Sienna can't imagine any other life. But at Christmastime, with her parents gone and her painful marriage finally over, it's full of memories...and incredibly lonely. Until a tall, handsome stranger and a little girl walk into her life and suddenly the holidays are alive again.

When single father Guy Maple shows up as the result of an ad meant to be a joke, the handsome Montana construction worker isn't joking. Money is tight this Christmas, and Guy's four-year-old daughter Emma has stage-five chronic kidney disease. She needs a kidney transplant, but if Guy can't prove that he can afford Emma's anti-rejection medications, his daughter isn't going to stay on the transplant list. Guy's willing to do anything, including marrying a stranger, to keep her safe. It's an impulsive marriage of convenience, and Sienna knows this isn't real, no matter how much she adores Emma, how well Guy fits in to the ranching life—or how much light and laughter is coming into their lives as a result. But the more time she spends with her new family, the more she fears losing the fragile, feisty little girl and the kind, devoted, hard-working, incredibly attractive man who is her husband—but is it only in name?

Ok. I’m going to be completely honest here and say that I was terrified of this book. I read that synopsis and quickly realized that this book was going to be different than the light-hearted rom-coms Sarah has published before. And honestly, if Sarah Morgenthaler had not been the person to write it I might have decided to skip it because I do not do sad and heavy, especially at Christmas. But I love her and her books and have followed her closely since her debut, The Tourist Attraction, which I adored. I knew I had to give this book a try, so I dove right on in this past summer (also out of character for me, as I save my Christmas reads for the last two months of the year). I am so, so glad I did. I’m sitting here now almost 4 months later, wrapped up in my Christmas blanket, and writing this review by the glow of my Christmas lights. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. You read correctly. It has, in fact, been 4 months since I finished this book and it feels like yesterday. I so vividly remember this story and how I felt while reading it, and that’s really saying something! I read a lot of books each year, and very few stick with me in such detail longer than several days. Usually I move on and become fully engrossed in my next read. The details blur and fade, and I feel a sense of fondness but can’t recall character names or many details. Sienna, Guy, and Emma wiggled their ways into my heart, and I still remember my journey with them today. That’s the sign of a truly amazing story and a truly amazing author. 

2. Even though this book has the potential to rip your heart out, there’s so much of Sarah’s trademark humor and sweet moments. The Christmas You Found Me is a true romance, so I’m not spoiling anything by saying it ends with a very happy ever after. Do not be afraid to read this book. The journey of having a sick child is beautifully told and you might need some tissues (maybe don’t read the last 15% in public or at work), but it’s not the heartbreaking kind of cry. It’s the emotions of the characters and watching them navigate and process hard things. I also giggled a lot, swooned, and smiled so much. I panicked and worried and wanted to throw the book in the freezer (IYKYK), but I decided to trust the journey and trust Sarah and I’m so happy I did! I stayed up way too late and thought about it every second I wasn’t reading it. And I loved the ending. So go for it! You have the seal of approval from the person who avoids crying at all costs and is also one of the easiest criers on the planet. This is worth it, and you’ll be ok. You’ll feel everything!

3. The dog is fine. Don’t worry about him. I was stressed, because his old age is discussed so much, so I wanted to put this in here.

4. Sienna has a heart of gold. I would love to be friends with this woman. Her selflessness and courage and willingness to help two total strangers was inspiring to read about. She makes the most impulsive decision ever and it ends up being the best decision of her life. Maybe I need to take more leaps of faith!

5. Guy. Oh my goodness, this man has my heart. What he wouldn’t do for his little girl. He’s the best girl dad I’ve ever read about. He knows the ins and outs of Emma’s health issues and how to keep her as healthy as is possible, considering her rapidly failing kidneys. He works so hard and still has time to care about the people in his life that he loves. I can’t imagine living with the level of stress he’s had to endure, and I love that his trials in life haven’t made him bitter and closed off. He’s got so much love to give and finds joy everywhere he can.

6. Emma, Guy’s four-year-old daughter, is so cute. I usually don’t like reading romances with kids who play a large role in the story, but I fell in love with Emma. Chronic health issues make you grow up quickly, and she’s got this maturity and grasp of things someone her age should never have to understand. Her bond with Sienna’s dog is the cutest thing ever.

7. I love marriage of convenience stories, but this one hit harder for me because of the reason for the marriage. It’s not to gain an inheritance or mend a bad reputation or get meddling matchmaker family members off the characters’ backs. It’s because Emma needs medical insurance so she get life-saving treatment and surgery. Guy and Sienna’s meet-cute that sets everything in motion is so, so cute. lol. And awkward and cringey, but so heartwarming and wonderful. I loved how quickly they grew close, how deeply they felt for one another, and how healthily they worked through challenges together. They leaned on one another when they needed to, opened up when it was hard but right, and quickly formed the most amazing care team for Emma. When Emma is awake, it’s go, go, go. They prepare her bland food, Sienna takes care of her all day while Guy is at work, they take her to doctor appointments, they stress over her together, and they have family dinner before tucking her in. It’s nap times and night times when Guy and Sienna can talk and actually get to know each other. They have some very deep and touching conversations about their individual lives and the new life they’re sharing together. There are some incredibly romantic and swoony moments, although everything fades to black. There’s no on-page spice.

8. The struggles and tough times all felt very real, but not too heavy. Emma’s health plays a critical role throughout the story, but it’s not the focal point. Sienna’s former relationship is also discussed, as is Guy’s. Some other obstacles get in the way, but overall there’s a lot of hope and positivity. Forgiveness, rolling with the punches, resiliency, healing from the past, and being grateful for what you have. I felt uplifted and contemplative. Guy, Sienna, and Emma make the sweetest found family. They really knit themselves together, and I loved that so much.

9. There’s also so much light and fun. There are some really wonderful secondary characters, major Christmas vibes, the cutest old man of a dog, beautiful mountain scenes, sexy pull-ups and nighttime workouts, secret cookies, snow, quirky animals, arts and crafts, a party, and more.

All in all, I loved this. I pushed myself a little out of my comfort zone since I usually avoid books involving chronic health issues (hello, I’m a spoonie and like to escape my own health), but this book did it so right. I would have loved to have someone remind me that this is a romance and it follows the traditional romance formula, but I read this so early that nobody could do that. And I was on pins and needles for most of the book. lol. So I am that friend for you. This is wholeheartedly a romance, and it’s one of the most tender and heartwarming ones I’ve read in a long time. Sarah’s writing is amazing. She really knows how to touch your heart and make you feel. The Christmas You Found Me is going to stick with me for a very long time, I think.