December Reads

Somehow I managed to read 16 books this month which took my total to 102! I reached my goal of 100. And let me say, I will never make this goal again. This month I felt like I HAD to read in order to reach my goal instead of simply because I wanted to. Although I enjoyed most of my reads - I still think I was a tad bit overzealous with this goal. Nevertheless, I accomplished it. Ha! 

Diary of a One Night Stand by Alexandrea Weis had me really thinking - not about her "one night stand" but maybe it takes our mistakes to teach us how to embrace our opportunities and this you're the only person you have to please in this life, because no one else is gonna do it for you. 

Luckily for me, lots of short books are released during the holidays - books I can breeze through in less than an hour if I sit still long enough to do so. Zane authored 2 -  I'll Be Home for Christmas and Everything Fades Away. There was only one Christmas Eve I did not stay at my parents' house - I tried so hard to start a new tradition, but my efforts were not appreciated and  I just wanted to be home with my family - until I am married, my parents home with pizza for dinner is where I will opt to spend my Christmas Eve. Nothing else feels right. Endless Love by Francis Ray - ever been in a relationship with a man who felt like he had to control your every move and hated that you had a life outside of what the two of you shared?! So exhausting! I never want to be in that type of relationship again.

As always Brenda Jackson did not disappoint with her latest Westmoreland novel One Winter's Night. Am I the only one who is in a rush to read Bane Westmoreland's story??? She has been talking about this character for so long, I am too anxious to see what happens with him and I know his story will probably not be released for a few more years since he is the youngest of the bunch.

Lisa Renee Jones has a series of books entitled Tall, Dark, and Deadly. They were free on the kindle and I found myself intrigued by the stories - suspense and romance seems good to me. If I would have read the prelude first Secrets Exposed, I definitely wouldn't have finished out the other 3 - Hot Secrets, Dangerous Secrets, and One Dangerous Night. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next one.. Secrets Exposed not too good - the other ones were great. I did love a line from Secrets Exposed, distractions can offer a needed break while obstacles impede progress. I found it funny how the characters were portrayed differently in some of the books. I wonder if authors forget what they stated previously or do they want to flesh out the characters more by changing characteristics established previously.  Another good quote came from Dangerous Secrets: consciously or not, greed and power are deadly partners.

The other kindle freebies I read this month: Luke Young's Friends with Partial Benefits and I loved this toast - I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your imagination, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever longed for but I hated the premise of a mother sleeping with her son's college roommate. Then there was A Second Chance by Ellen Wolf. I enjoyed this book. Then of course there were the Christmas books - Christmas Babies by Mona Risk, Secret Santa by Kathleen Brooks, and Mistletoe Mischief Stacey Joy Netzel.

I started Rachel Schurig's three girls series - I read Three Girls and a Baby and then Three Girls and a Wedding. I liked these books and will definitely read the other two. They were based on the importance of cultivating your female friendships. Quotes I loved: If my life were a chick flick, this period would have passed as a musical montage about the strength of female friendships, and its ability to heal the wounds left by bastard men. I will definitely drink to that! Then there was this: it's impossible to move on when you don't really want to. And it's impossible to want to move on when you're still in love. A place we have all been at some point in our lives: If he wanted to throw me crumbs, even soul crushing ones, I would take them grateful. And lastly: I wasn't a perfect girl - in fact, I was a girl who could make huge mistakes. But I was also the type of girl who would do whatever it took to right those mistakes.