From killer romances to billionaires next door, I managed to read a grand total of 12 books in January. Some were good and some … weren’t. Read on to find out which books were my favorite and which books I didn’t quite love.
Every year I set a goal for the number of books I want to read and then promptly forget about it halfway through the year. Last year, I didn’t even remember setting a goal to read 26 books. Thankfully, I discovered a love for listening to audiobooks while creating and ended up binge-listening to 38 books between October and December.
This year, I upped my goal to 52 books for the year and am happy to report I listened to (and read) 12 books during the month of January! All of the books fall into the Romance category, which is fun enough to keep me interested, but light enough to allow me to do other things while listening (like sewing or doing embroidery). So if Romance isn’t your thing, feel free to skip this one.
The Books I read in January
Here’s the full list of what books I read in January (and a whole bunch of affiliate links):
- The Alpha (The Pack #3) by Kristin Coley
- It’s a Wonderful Midlife Crisis (Good To The Last Death, #1) by Robyn Peterman
- Who’s Midlife Crisis Is It Anyway? (Good To The Last Death, #2) by Robyn Peterman
- Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren
- A Most Excellent Midlife Crisis (Good To The Last Death, #3) by Robyn Peterman
- The Perfect Retreat by Kate Forster
- The Billionaire Boss Next Door (Billionaire Collection, #1) by Max Monroe (Disclaimer: Yes, the title is really freakin’ stupid and there is almost zero need for the whole billionaire angle, but clearly that’s what sells.)
- My Brother’s Billionaire Best Friend (Billionaire Collection, #2) by Max Monroe
- Told You So by Leanne Slade (This one is an Audible Original and is free in the Audible Plus library.)
- The Dream Guy Next Door by Lauren Blakely
- Juniper Bean Resorts To Murder by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
- A Little Magic by Lindsey Lanza
The Good
My favorite book by far was Juniper Bean Resorts To Murder. Honestly, I saw this book and knew I was going to love it because a.) it’s considered a killer romance and b.) the book cover was really pretty. Yes, I am 100% the kind of person that judges a book by its cover (and its title, apparently). I also do the same with wine labels and have YET to be steered wrong. I loved how quirky and interesting the characters were and the plot was super fun. The book touches on subjects like grief and loss, parental alcoholism, hunger and poverty, and sexual assault. I also think Aiden (one of the main characters) is demisexual, which makes for a really interesting layer to the budding relationship between himself and Juniper.
The Bad
My least favorite book from January was The Billionaire Boss Next Door. I honestly should have known from the title (and cover) alone that this one wasn’t going to be a favorite. Having two strikes against it from the start, I found it hard at times to get into it. I also found some of the characters kind of annoying, but I guess that’s to be expected with a book like this. Having said that, I still finished it and went on to read another in the series so clearly the book wasn’t all that bad. It just wan’t all that great either. Especially compared to the other books I read.
The Ones That Come Next
Books I’m looking forward to reading in February:
- You Only Die Twice by Brynn Kelly (Audible Original) — Another killer romance, this one combines my love for spy thrillers and romance novels into one. So obviously it’s the first book I’ll be reading.
- The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton — I started this one on Kindle but found myself wishing I had just gotten it in the audiobook instead. So I stopped a few chapters in and have it on hold through the Libby app. Fingers crossed it comes soon!
- Sleepless in Dubai by Sajni Patel — This one just sounded so cute and I love that the title is a play on Sleepless in Seattle.
What about you? What were some of your favorite reads for January? Any books in your TBR (to-be-read) pile that you’re excited about? I’m always looking for new titles to add to my list.
Here’s to another month full of good reads and a whole lot of love.
X+O,
Emily
PS — If you want to follow along with my reading in real time, feel free to connect with me on GoodReads.
