According to Goodreads, I’ve read one hundred fifty books this year.
Having read so many books, which were the best ones? The ones that stuck with me, that I want to grab you and tell you to read this book now. Here are ten, in no particular order.
Buy Hamilton’s Battalion here
This is an anthology of three novellas perfect for the Hamilton fan
in your family. All the stories touch upon Alexander Hamilton, but they
are not about him. Rather he serves to act as the connecting thread
through three very different stories.
My favorite is Promised
Land by Courtney Milan. It’s the story of Rachel, a woman serving in
the continental army as a man and Nathan, who she tackles, thinking him a
British spy. Reasonable, given his sympathies when they last spoke.
Awkward, given that her husband thought she’d died of yellow fever.
Rachel and Nathan are both great characters, and they have issues to
work through (even putting aside the failed her own death thing) that
make the story compelling.
Buy A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole here
A Princess in Theory is the first book in the Reluctant Royals series by Alyssa Cole. I couldn’t
put this book down. Ledi and Thabiso’s story is part modern fairy-tale
(a prince in disguise) part secret identity exposed (prince? Or
fuckboy?) and a hell of a lot of fun. I love that the heroine is a
scientist and completely dismissive of Prince Thabiso, who has never
been treated that way before. When an unknown disease hits Thesolo,
Thabiso convinces Ledi to go there with him and help find a cure. Oh,
and they’ll need to pretend their childhood engagement is back on. (I
love the fake relationship trope)
Book 2 in the series was great, and I’ve pre-ordered book 3 (April 2019) and the novella that will act as book 2.5 (Jan 2019).
Buy Rosemary and Rue here
So I’m actually going to use this space to encourage you to read the
entire October Daye series–I devoured the first twelve books in only a
few weeks. I will say that books 1 and 2 are good but a little shaky,
but once they take off in book 3 they only get better and better.
October Daye is a half-human half-fae in this urban fantasy series.
It opens with her on a case as a private detective–but instead of
recovering the missing people, she is turned into a fish for fourteen
years. That loss of time informs the rest of the series because her
partner moved on, and her daughter wants nothing to do with her. She
turns her back on the world of Fae until she’s dragged back into that
life by a binding spell. The secondary characters are compelling, Toby
is a flawed but awesome heroine who anchors the series. I love Seanan
McGuire’s books almost without exception and I’m already dying for book
thirteen.
Buy Puddin here
If you’ve read or seen Dumplin’ (and you SHOULD), you’ll want to read
the sequel, Puddin’. If you haven’t, Puddin’ works as a solo book, but
Dumplin’ is so good, I encourage you to read both. Puddin’ is the story
of Millie Michalchuck, who has gone to fat camp every year, but is
determined to go to a journalism camp this year instead. Callie Reyes is
in line to be the next dance captain until she leads an act of
vandalism, and Millie identifies her. Callie has to work with Millie at
her uncle’s gym as her punishment. An unlikely friendship forms…until
Callie finds out that Millie is the one who turned her in. Millie has to
battle her mother and the world’s expectations of fat girls to follow
her dreams. Julie Murphy is great.
Buy Me Talk Pretty One Day here
This is actually a recommendation for the audiobook rather than the
physical book. While reading the essays can give you a giggle, it’s
hearing David Sedaris’s voice with all of its inflections as he reads
his work that will make you die of laughter. I recommend all of his
books, and just finished Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls on audiobook
about a month ago.
Buy Heretics Anonymous here
When an atheist is enrolled at a Catholic school, how will he ever
make friends or fit in? How will he survive any day without his eyes
rolling out of his head? This is a great YA novel about faith, falling
in love, and growing up. Definitely worth a re-read.
Buy Big Fat Bitch here
I gave a rave review to Big Fat Bitch here,
but my fast review is that this slow burn romance is a great take on
Beauty and the Beast. I love that the “beast” in this book is the woman.
But it’s so much more than a romance. If you like deeply complex
narratives, love stories, and books making you cry, pick this one up.
Buy Media Darling here
I reviewed Media Darling here, but my fast pitch is that this f/f
romance between a movie star and a media writer is possibly my favorite
romance of the past year, period. Both Emerson and Haley are well
written, three-dimensional characters. They make mistakes, make love,
and while it’s hard fought, they get their happy ending.
Buy The Autumn Bride here
I got this book from The Ripped Bodice
(indie romance bookstore–buy from them!) as a “blind date with a book.”
I haven’t read much Regency era romance, but it was my blind date, so I
decided to give it a chance. Abigail and her three closest friends are
practically starving. So Abby does something she’d never imagined–she
goes over some rooftops and breaks into a house, desperate to find
something to buy–or eat. Instead she finds Lady Beatrice, an old woman
being abused by her servants. Abigail and her friends save Lady Beatrice
from her servants and are promptly adopted as her “nieces”–the Chance
sisters.
When her real nephew, Max, returns from abroad, he’s certain that the
girls are gold diggers at best. Sparks fly between him and Abigail, and
the rest is history. Each of the four books (Autumn Bride, Winter
Bride, Spring Bride, and Summer books) works as a stand alone, but
they’re better read back to back as a series.
Buy Nate Expectations here
Nate Expectations is actually the third book in Tim Federles’ series
about Nate, a small town boy who becomes a Broadway Actor. In this book,
Nate’s show closes down and he has to go back to small town life. When
he’s assigned a project on the book Great Expectations, he decides to
put on a musical. The book centers around this. There’s great secondary
characters and Nate continues on his journey to figuring out who he
really is.
You don’t need to read the first two books in the series, but if this book appeals to you, read them first.
What was/were your favorite book/s of 2018? If you want to see what I’m reading in 2019, keep up with me on Goodreads.
Filed under: book reviews, LGBT | Tagged: A Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole, Anne Gracie, atheist, beauty and the beast, Big Fat Bitch, Contemporary Romance, contemporary ya, courtney milan, David Sedaris, enemies to lovers, essays, fae, fairies, fake relationship, Fantasy, fantasy series, fiona riley, fish out of water, gay romance, Ginger Voight, Goodreads, Hamilton's Battalion, Heretics Anonymous, Historical Romance, Julie Murphy, Katie Henry, lesbian romance, Me Talk Pretty One Day, media darling, memoir, nate expectations, Prince in disguise, Puddin, queer romance, Regency Romance, retold fairy tale, romance series, Rose Lerner, rosemary and rue, Seanan McGuire, The Autumn Bride, Tim federle, YA, ya series | Leave a comment »