After reading on and off for years, I suddenly was reading like a whirling dervish the last semester of teaching and then it came to a complete stop as soon as I retired. Looking back now, I can see that is when the depression took hold and thankfully things have turned a corner.

I want to get back into the reading groove, but maybe not as such a frenzied pace, so I am starting by re-reading some of my very favorites from last year. Last year is when I first started reading contemporary romance and I am still enjoying the heck out of it so that is where I am starting.

I am all about clean slates so while I still have my Goodreads account, I am starting this phase of my life by tracking my books at Hardcover and posting here. I am by no means a reviewer, but I want to log a sentence or two about the book.

Here we go with January which has a lot of heavy hitters and favorites from the previous year.


Rocket Science by Emily Mayer
Literal rocket scientist meets a famous soccer player and has no idea who he is. The first meeting doesn't go well, but he spends the rest of the book chasing her. It is so sweet and one of my favorite reads of the year. She's nerdy, he is endearing and I love all the supporting characters.

By a Thread by Lucy Score
MMC (male main character) gets FMC (female main character) fired from a job she needs desperately, but his mom steps in and hires her to join their fashion magazine. Enemies to lovers with lots of angst and it makes me cry every time I read it. My very favorite scene in this book which I have read over and over is when he sees her dilapidated house for the first time and realizes just how desperate her situation is. The book also touches on dealing with aging parents which was very resonate with me.

Star-Crossed Letters by Sarah Deeham
Another sweet one. Pen pals (well... text pals) where MMC is a celebrity but uses a fake name so FMC does not really know who she is talking to. She meets the "celebrity" and they hit it off and she is torn having feelings for what she thinks is two people. Lots of story turns that deal with dating someone in the public eye.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Oh so much in here for my nerdy heart. A plus size cosplayer ends up on a date with one of the stars of the big fantasy epic television series that she follows. Lots of twists and turns as the star and the cosplayer navigate stardom, fandom, past relationships, and childhood baggage. Also some very pointed commentary aimed at G̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶T̶h̶r̶o̶n̶e̶s̶ the fictional television show.

Puck Me Secretly by Odette Stone
Well first off, this is one of the sexiest book covers I have run across. That smile is just perfection. whew Anyway...
FMC and MMC meet during a plane accident and have a one night stand. But oops FMC is on her way home to take her place at her dad's side as management for the hockey team that MMC is being transferred to. Angst, hockey, lots of feels.

Camera Shy by Kay Cove
Plus size woman and a photographer. Sounds right up my alley. He falls first and she has to work through some things to really believe how he is feeling towards her.

The Fixer by Jessica Gadziala
This one is more on the suspense, darker side of romances. Apparently I have a dark side. In this one the FMC is in danger and ends up having to kill a stalker. The MMC is the "Fixer" whose company specializes in making problems go away. Action, adventure, rich people, murders and love.