January 2023 Reading Wrap-Up
I had a pretty good start to the year with my reading. I didn’t read quite as many books off of my physical TBR as I had hoped, but I am still happy with the books I read. This is my January reading wrap-up.
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January Reading Stats
Books read: 8
Average rating: 4.13
Pages read: 3,445
Formats: 2 physical, 5 eBooks, & 1 audiobook
Books Read
These are all of the books that I finished in the month of January. I will mention other books that I read some of but didn’t finish later in this post.
1. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Dec. 28, 2022 – Jan. 5, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
On a snowy evening in March, thirty-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone.
All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear. The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
2. Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 5-7, 2023
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
If there is one thing she has learned in England, it’s that not all Englishmen are created equal.
Because this guy was turning out to be a real pill.
Tired of spending the holidays throwing up on cruises with her parents and, you know, being dumped by ex-boyfriends, Claire Frost is determined to change her luck this Christmas. Taking time off from her flower shop, she follows her friend to London, ready to enjoy all-things England. And boy, does she. The frost-covered flowers. The frozen green hills. The bright red telephone boxes. The festive Christmas markets.
Also the men. Definitely the men.
Except, of course, her friend’s cousin. Liam Everhart is super attractive, super swoony, and super English. Too bad he’s also a super jerk. A super jerk whom she now has to spend every minute with. What a blessed, blessed relief that his Darcy/Poldark looks are overshadowed by his Darth Vader/Malfoy personality. She had enough Christmas baggage to deal with, so why would she ever add a swoony Englishman to the mix?
Purchase here: Amazon
3. Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 7-10, 2023
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis:
One little white lie.
That’s all it took. Now I’m suddenly having to fake-date my work nemesis to get me through a week at a Vermont Christmas lodge with my family.
The problem? I can’t stand Miles Taylor. Not only that, but I don’t date people I work with. But I can handle it. I’ve had practice faking my emotions for years. So it shouldn’t matter that Miles never lets me get away with anything. And that he happens to boil my blood hotter than a steaming pot of wassail. So when he throws his annoying grin my way or forces me on dates he knows I’ll hate, I’ll just grit my teeth and smile.
Or maybe not. Did I mention that Miles is the one person in the world I can’t seem to fool?
When my emotions begin feeling less like a sham and his arms feel way too comfortable, it makes me think that maybe Miles had a plan of his own. And I’m starting to like it a lot more than mine.
Purchase here: Amazon
4. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 12-16, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
5. The Last Chance Cowboy by Jody Hedlund
Genre: Adult Christian Historical Romance
Read: Jan. 11-18, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
With danger drawing ever closer, their only hope of saving their futures lies in each other.
As a midwife, Catherine Remington is successful in bringing new life into the world, but she’s failed one too many times in finding true love. When she’s accused of a murder she didn’t commit, she’s forced to flee to Colorado to honor a patient’s dying wish by delivering a newborn infant to his father.
The repentant prodigal Dylan McQuaid is finally back in Fairplay. As sheriff, he’s doing his best to prove to the town he’s a changed man and worthy of their trust. When a woman shows up with an infant son he didn’t know he had, Dylan is left with only complicated choices on what to do next.
Having grown attached to Dylan’s son, Catherine doesn’t want to part ways with the infant, but what she doesn’t bargain for is how easily she’ll fall for the charming sheriff, or how quickly the past will catch up with her and put their love and lives in danger.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM
6. A Not-So Holiday Paradise by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
eBook: 242 pages
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 21-22, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Things you bring on a desert island…
- Sunscreen, obviously. Because these Irish freckles of mine will burn, baby, burn, and lobster red is not a great color on me.
- An extra dose of my seizure meds, just in case.
- A backpack full of snacks, including but not limited to a canteen of Dr. Pepper, a box of mini Christmas cookies, and granola bars—the gross crumbly kind, not the chocolate chip kind, because I’m trying to be healthy.
- Sunglasses, so that when I inevitably wind up staring at my brother’s best friend—who I haven’t seen in years—no one will be able to tell. I’ve been in love with him for years, but it would never work out; he lives on a literal island, while I’m still in grad school. It can’t hurt to look, though, right?
- Also bug spray.
My packing list is all well and good for a quick port excursion as part of my family’s Christmas cruise. But when the cruise ship leaves me behind, with only the contents of my bag and my brother’s best friend to keep me company? Well, I’ve got problems—especially since I’m going to run out of medicine soon. And I don’t think they make sunscreen strong enough to block the sparks that are growing between Beckett and me…
Purchase here: Amazon
7. Class Act by Aspen Hadley
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Read: Jan. 24-29, 2023
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
It started out innocently enough . . .
Hailey Thomas is perfectly content living a quiet life as a second-grade teacher. She’s definitely not looking for a husband. But when one of her students can’t stop bragging about her single dad, she decides to do some sleuthing and what she finds turns her into a part-time internet stalker, complete with daydreams she can never admit to.
When the object of her research shows up at her school and accuses her of scheming with his eight year-old daughter, she vows to put an end to all of it and avoid him at all costs. Ford Whittaker may be a wealthy businessman and ridiculously handsome single dad, but he’s definitely not the man she’d imaged he was.
Only, avoiding Ford is becoming impossible thanks to her honorary uncle, her four best friends, and the daughter that actually is a schemer. Every week it’s something new, and the more they get thrown together, the more Hailey wonders if maybe she’d been a little bit lonelier than she realized.
And maybe Ford was too.
Purchase here: Amazon
8. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Read: Jan. 9-31, 2023
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
Other Things I Read
These are other books that I read during the month but did not finish.
Books I DNF (did not finish)
These are books that I decided to stop reading because I was no longer enjoying them.
I didn’t finish this audiobook because it wasn’t keeping my interest. It is a young adult book, but I felt like it was a little too spicy for that age group. It wasn’t bad, so I feel like it would be worth giving a try.
I listened to this book on Scribd. This is a reading subscription service that allows you to listen to audiobooks, read eBooks, magazines, and use sheet music. If you’re interested in trying Scribd, you can get a 2-month free trial using my link.
You can also purchase this book here: Amazon
I absolutely loved the first two books in this series (Lovelight Farms). I did enjoy this book, but I decided to stop reading it because it contained too much sexually explicit content for my taste. If that doesn’t bother you, then I would recommend trying it out. I would definitely read the first two books in the series first.
The first book is called Lovelight Farms, and the second book is called In the Weeds. Each book follows a different couple in the same town.
You can purchase the books at the following places:
Lovelight Farms: Amazon | AbeBooks
In the Weeds: Amazon | AbeBooks
Mixed Signals: Amazon | AbeBooks
Books that I didn’t finish yet
These are books that I started in the month of January, but I didn’t get a chance to finish them. I do plan on finishing both of these books in February.
I’ve read most of this book, and I’m really enjoying it.
It’s definitely a lot heavier than I expected it to be. This book covers so many heavy topics that I would recommend looking up content warnings if that’s something you need.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
I’ve been reading this book for a while. I feel like this book is kind of slow paced, so it’s taking me a while to get through. I’m hoping to finish it next month.
I haven’t decided whether or not I will read the sequel. It depends on how much I like the ending of this book.
Purchase here: Bookshop.org | Amazon | BAM | AbeBooks
Have you read any of these books?
Comment down below if you’ve read or want to read any of these books!