Welcome to another TTT! And happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2026, can you? Wishing you all the good things this year has to offer, including many amazing books! Before I look forward, though, I thought it would be nice to share my favorite reads of 2025. These are not necessarily books that released in 2025, just books I read in 2025. I read 46 books last year and 16 of them were 5-star reads for me. I’m choosing my favorite ten of those 16! I’m going to share in the order I read them because you can’t possibly make me rank these! Surprisingly, half of my picks are novellas. 2025 was a rough reading year for me, so I read many novellas and found some really amazing ones!
Desert Island Duke by Kate Bateman
Two people shipwrecked on a deserted island over Christmas! Fake amnesia is adorably used here. lol.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
This series owns me. It was mean of the author to leave us with such a cliffhanger with no idea when the next book is coming out, but I will survive because she deserve a break. lol. Cannot wait to see what happens next!
Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
I happy sigh every time I think of this book. I’m not usually one for ghosts, and I don’t like A Christmas Carol at all… but this book is perfection and may be my favorite book of the entire year. Don’t tell my books that, though. It’s our secret.
Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows
I love a STEM romance! This one is between two curators at a science museum and has a lot of depth as well as humor. And there’s major found family stuff going on here, too, which I loved!
Another Fish in the Sea by Amy Kelly
It’s wild to me that a 32-page novella had the impression on me that it did, but this was everything. I loved it so much. It’s so, so romantic. I swooned all over the place. I hope this author writes more, because I can only imagine how amazing a full-length novel from Amy Lee would be if this is what she does with 32 pages!
The Promise of a Kiss by K.C. Bateman
The Mummy movie, but make it steamy. Give me more romances set on a treasure hunt in Egypt!
Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider
Give me book 2 IMMEDIATELY. One of the best romantasies I’ve read. It’s full of adventure and twists and turns. I could not put it down.
Falling by Christina Lauren
This one surprised me a lot. I hate stories with angels/fallen angels, but this was wonderful!
Snowed In by Catherine Walsh
Catherine Walsh writes my favorite Christmas books. This was so festive and fun!
Acting Merry by Martha Keyes
This book contains my favorite book boyfriend of 2025!
What was your favorite (or tell me a few favorites if you can’t pick like me) book you read in 2025?
I’m so glad Christina’s surpassed your expectations. Those are the best kind of reads. Also, Martha’s looks really fun too. :)
Oh, it was so much fun! I wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. :)
These look really good. I haven’t read any of them. Hope you have a great week!
Thank you, you too!
I can’t believe that it’s another year! I hope that this year will be better for you.
I have had my eye on Good Spirits for a while!
Have a good week!
I highly, HIGHLY recommend Good Spirits! And I read it last summer, so you don’t have to wait for holiday reading time again! I’ve already preordered the next book in the series.
I really must put Good Spirits on my reading list for next Christmas. So many people have been raving about it!
It was phenomenal! I wish I’d read it during December, but I actually read it in July and still loved it. lol. It’s an anytime read!
I’m really looking forward to the Onyx Storm series this year. Everyone’s been raving about it! Happy 2026!
It’s one of my favorites! I’ve been considering re-reading all three this year, but might wait until I know when book 4 is coming out so I can read them to prepare for its release! Happy 2026!
Ooh nice! I had a feeling Onyx Storm would have a killer cliffhanger. I’ve been putting off reading Iron Flame for the same reason, but I’m tentatively hoping to pick that one up this year at least! Lol.
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I don’t recall Iron Flame’s cliffhanger being as bad as Fourth Wing’s, but let’s be honest… they’re all a little painful. LOL. I’m very excited for book 4! I hope some info on it is announced soon so I can start my re-read in preparation!
Onyx Storm was on my list, Good Spirits just missed out :)
Thanks for hosting!
Are you as excited for any sort of new on book 4 of The Empyrean as I am?? I hope we hear something about it this year!
Good Spirits didn’t make my list, but I really enjoyed it, too! I actually asked for (and received) the rest of her books for Christmas, so I’m excited to give them a try. :D
AHHHHHH you’re so lucky! What I wouldn’t give to read all of B.K. Borison’s books again for the first time! They’re all so, so wonderful. I’m excited for you!
It sounds like you had some great reads in 2025. Ive only read Good Spirits but I really enjoyed it too. It was such a pleasant surprise as I’m terrible at getting around to picking up romance offerings. I also can’t wait to try Fourth Wing & Metal Slinger. I hope you have a wonderful 2025.
Also sorry for linking twice. It autofilled my link the first time and ended up linking to the wrong TTT post 🙈
I hope you love Fourth Wing and Metal Slinger! Both are amazing fantasies that I can’t stop telling people about!
And no worries about linking up twice! It doesn’t mess anything up, and I never would have even noticed if you hadn’t said something. :)
Thank you 🥰 I’ve seen fantastic things about both so I’m really hoping to become another fan.
Ah right thats good to know. I panicked when I realised but couldnt figure out how to change it, only how to add the right one 🙈
I bet we will see Good Spirits a lot this week.
I think so, too! It’s super unique and we love a cinnamon roll hero!
I haven’t read any here, but I love the covers ;-)
Yes, they all have such pretty covers!
So many pretty covers in your Top Ten!
I love a good cover!
So agree with you about Onyx Storm!
Will check out your others favs
I hope you find something that sounds good to you!
2025 was just an okay year for books for me too. I read 86 books, but I didn’t have a huge amount that I could say I adored.
86 is still an amazing number, so great job! I hope 2026 reading is better for us both!
Thanks for the recs! A lot of these were on my radar, but I hadn’t heard of Give Me Butterflies and it sounds great! Just added to my TBR.
Oh yay! I hope you enjoy it! It’s so sweet, and the second book comes out this year!
Acting Merry made my list too, not surprising, is it?!
Haha, nope! It’s probably good it’s one of the last books I read in 2025 because I have not been very quiet about it. LOL.
As always, delighted to walk away with some recs! And I agree, Finn & Millie were such a great couple. (I just couldn’t with the bedroom scenes).
Ah yes, I skim through bedroom scenes looking for dialogue that is important to the story development. They’re not really my thing either! If you’re looking for closed-door options, Acting Merry and Another Fish In the Sea both don’t have any on-page steam!
I like the sound of Good Spirits! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
It’s so wonderful!
Thanks for visiting!
Happy New Year! I saw Onyx Storm a lot on social media. It looks like it’s living up to everyone’s expectations. I hope 2026 is a great reading year for you.
Thanks, Carla! I hope 2026 brings you lots of good books, too!
Hey Jana, I am pleased to see you found so many amazing novellas to get you through what was a hard year of reading for you. Blessings, Jessica 💌
Thanks, Jessica! I was never much of a novella girl, but I’ve grown to love them over the last few years. Sometimes my attention span is too wonky for a longer book. :)
Onyx Storm was on our lists too!! Metal Slinger I have heard so many good things about it’s on my wishlist.
The sequel to Metal Slinger comes out this summer and it’s a super pretty special edition with gilded edges and a foiled cover. Metal Slinger is coming out with a matching edition next month and I am so excited for it. It’s the perfect time to get them! I hope you love them when you do!
It was nice looking back on last year’s reading list and choosing my favourites. Thanks for that.
Glad you enjoyed it, Marianne! It’s always fun to look back on everything I read in a year, even though I typically read fewer books than other bloggers. Oh well! I do my best! :)