Happy New Year! It's time to set those New Year resolutions, including a new reading goal. But before we do that, let's look at the books I read in December of 2023.
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The Retreat by Stephanie Hazeltine
This is a fun "whodunit" that centers around Celia Marsden, who is a psychologist turned social media influencer after the book she writes gains her huge publicity. As part of a publicity ploy, Marsden agrees to host a retreat at a resort for couples and singles who are looking for help either with their marriage or getting over a marriage. What Marsden doesn't realize is that not everyone attending the retreat is a fan of the advice she gave in her book. A bit cheesy and over the top, but a fun easy read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released on January 17, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
A Wild And Heavenly Place by Robin Oliveira
I love historical fiction, and this one does not disappoint. Set in the late 1800's, it's the story of Samuel and Hailey, who first meet in Scotland. After Hailey's family meets financial ruin, her father moves them to America and Seattle, where he promises them a new life. As soon as Samuel can figure out how to get there, he takes his sister with him to follow Hailey and her family. Of course, things don't go as planned. This book is beautifully written and a sweet love story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Five out five stars!
This book will be released on February 13, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Queen Of Clubs (Queen of Thieves Book 2) by Beezy Marsh
Not my favorite book of the year. It wasn't bad, but I had a hard time with the author's writing style, and I just couldn't get into the characters. The plot seemed to go everywhere, and have no cohesiveness. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
This book will be released on January 30, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Swiped by L.M. Chilton
This is a fun one! After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Gwen finds herself on a series of bad dates that she met on the dating app, Connector. And if the bad dates aren't bad enough, things really take a turn for the worse when the men she goes on the dates with start turning up dead. Gwen's character is a bit annoying, but the book is fun and keeps you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released May 21, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
So, despite saying I'd given up on Elin Hilderbrand as an author, here I am again! Actually, I liked this one more than the others I read, and would say that my rating is more of a 3.5 than a 3. The characters were more likeable and not as pretentious, and the story was more enjoyable. I still just struggle with her writing style. It just seems juvenile to me. But, if you are looking for something light and fun, this is a good option. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
Sisters With A Side Of Greens by Michelle Stimpson
This is a really sweet story about two sister who had a falling out decades before, and work to reconnect and fix their relationship. It all centers around their Mom's secret seasoning, and how making the seasoning together helps them work through things from their past that broke them apart. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released March 5, 2024. To pre-order the book on Amazon, click here.
A Lowcountry Christmas (Lowcountry Summer Book 5) by Mary Alice Monroe
This is a very sweet story about a Marine who comes home from serving with PTSD, and struggles to find the person he once was. Loved the fact that it took place in the Lowcountry. Throughout the book A Christmas Carol is mentioned and lots of parallels between the stories weaves through. A quick read and characters you could really feel for. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Queen Of Sugar Hill: A Novel Of Hattie McDaniel by ReShonda Tate
This historical fiction novel is based on the life of Hattie McDaniel. McDaniel was the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for her role in "Gone With The Wind". And while she thought the award would open doors for her, she spent the rest of her life fighting and being disrespected by people of all colors. From the people who ran Hollywood and typecast her in roles, to people in the Black community who chastised her for taking certain roles, McDaniel had to fight for respect from them all. This is a very well written account of her life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released on January 30, 2024. To pre-order the book on Amazon, click here.
Deep Freeze (Revival Book 1) by Michael C. Grumley
This one is a great thriller with a bit different of a storyline, which was nice. Very creative. I did find it a little hard to figure out all the different characters at first, which is holding me back from giving it a higher rating. But definitely a good read for my fellow thriller fans. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released January 9, 2024. To pre-order the book on Amazon, click here.
The Silver Bone: A Novel (Kyiv Mysteries Book 1) by Andrey Kurkov
I found this one a bit of a struggle to get through. It's a mystery set in the early 1900's in Kyiv. The story's main character is Samson, whose family has all died. He decides to join the police force and solves the mystery of the silver bone. I found the story to be slow and not that interesting. I also struggled with the characters. There seemed to be a lot of sidebars that had nothing to do with the main plot. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
This book will be released March 5, 2024. To pre-order the book on Amazon, click here.
The Messy Truth: How I Sold My Business For Millions But Almost Lost Myself by Alli Webb
While I sometimes found Alli Webb's story to be a bit unrelatable, and her company - Drybar - is a service I really can't comprehend needing, I appreciate her putting it all out there. This isn't a business book and how to start one, but more about how Webb lost herself in the process. Definitely pieces to her story everyone can relate to. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase the book on Amazon, click here.
That's a wrap for 2023! In total, I read 129 books this year, which is definitely a new record for me. Now it's time to set a new goal for 2024! I'll be posting these book reviews throughout the year, so stay tuned to keep up with what I'm reading next.
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you set a reading goal for 2024? Let me know what it is! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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