I want to share with you the top 5 books I read in 2020. I only read 17, so it was a short, yet difficult list to choose from. My mind was a little mushy this past year, so some books I read left impressions and feelings, but I have little recollection as to what they were about. Let’s start from the top.
1. Forbidden Harmony by Elizabeth Kelly
Forbidden Harmony is the third in the Harmony Falls series by Kelly and is a contemporary romance. The story is about a school teacher, Addison, who recently broke off her engagement to the man she’s been dating since high school. Left lost and heartbroken after finding him having an affair with his assistant, she does the things he thought were beneath her, or rather him. That leads her to the tattoo parlor owned by Preacher. She’s not attracted to him at all, at least that’s what she tells herself. And then all the sexy things happen.
I love reading anything by Kelly. She knows how to build tension. She knows how to develop characters I love to love and those I love to hate. And her sex scenes are off the freakin’ charts. If you pick up this book, be sure to have a fan handy. You’ll need it to cool yourself down.
2. Wildfire Hellhound by Zoe Chant
Wildfire Hellhound is the fifth of the Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew series and is a paranormal romance. Fenrir is a hellhound that thinks he’s an ordinary wolf. He doesn’t know he’s a shifter, but now he knows better and he’s found his mate. Darcy is a PI that is just trying to find her client’s husband when she sees a very naked man pass out in the middle of the road. Her life is about to change forever.
I have waited for this specific book to come out for over a year. I even reviewed the second book in the series. I desperately wanted to know the background of the fire crew’s resident hellhound and why he wouldn’t shift. This book was worth the wait. Wildfire Hellhound is one of the most complex story lines I’ve read from Chant, and I loved it. Chant’s sex scenes aren’t anything to sneeze at either, so hold on to your seat.
3. I Should Be Writing by Mur Lafferty
I Should Be Writing is a professional book on writing that I read at the end of 2020. If you are thinking about writing, I recommend you read this. It is nice to have an author tell you that everyone has their own way of doing things and you need to figure out what works for you. She includes tips and tricks to try yourself and includes a great section on how to edit. If you are looking for professional writing books, I Should Be Writing should be on your list.
4. Edge of Night by Ramona Gray
Edge of Night is the second of the Shadow Security series and is a paranormal romance. Daisy is the admin for a security firm owned and run by shifters. Shifters terrify her, but she can’t keep her eyes off of her boss. Her boss, Cooper, has had his eye on Daisy since he hired her. He is determined to help her get over her fear and into his bed.
Gray builds up the anticipation with this novel. The tension between Daisy and Cooper is tangible and delightful. The two character’s fit so well together. The dance they do before they commit is worth the read. This is another ‘fan yourself while you read’ novel.
5. License to Shift by Kathy Lyons
License to Shift is the second of the Grizzle’s Gone Wild series and a paranormal romance. (Do you see a theme yet?) Mark is a grizzly shifter that is slowly going feral. When he can no longer shift back, they will put him down before he hurts someone. But the one who got away, Julie, is back in town. There may be time for him to make amends to her and show her how he feels before he goes wild. Julie is questioning everything she knows about the world and about her own buried feelings for Mark. Mark is fighting his inner grizzly for one more moment with Julie while fighting off enemies looking for her father’s research.
License to Shift is full of action and tense situations. Mark and Julie fight each other as much as they fight the enemies. The anticipation builds towards the last moments of the last one question you’ve had since the first book in the series. Will Mark go feral and die? Honestly, it could go either way until the very end. This book is a wild ride. Get it? Wild…ride?
I hope you enjoyed this rundown of my 5 favorite reads of 2020. Looking over my list I see one book I need to re-read, because I have strong warm fuzzy feelings towards it, but I just can’t remember what happened. August was a stressful month of quitting my job and teaching my son at home. E-learning is great, but exhausting. Kids know how to push their parent’s buttons. Anything else that happened in August is in the mush part of my brain. Sorry August book I don’t remember. ☹
Let me know what books were your 2020 favorites and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Subscribe to my blog and newsletter for updates. Go to my “About the Author” page to subscribe today!
*Book covers are not my own and are property of the authors named.
