27th
Dec
Today it’s time to share my favorite reads of 2019 with you guys. I can’t believe the year is already almost over. And what a year it has been!
This year has had some highs and definitely some lows. The best thing about 2019 is definitely our little girl. She is the light of our lives and I’m just so totally in love with that little girl. 2019 is also the year of the move! Selling our home where we’ve spend the last ten years of our lives, living temporarily with my mother-in-law and moving into our new home.
Overall this seems like a perfect year, well.. this year has also been one of the hardest. But luckily for me I have this hobby called blogging and reading and Maureen’s Books has definitely helped me get through the hardest parts. Funny to see my reading has changed this year.. I have been in the mood for romantic reads, nothing to complicated.. and my favorite list definitely shows that. And if there is something I’ve learned this year is to do and read what you love.
So without further ado.. these are my ten favorite reads of 2019. And yes, this was a hard list to make. I’ve read so many great books this year. But these are the once that I still think about the most.
Title: Outmatched
ISBN: B07X2TRS1Q
Goodreads Rating: 4.53
What happens when a boxer finds chemistry with a geek? Parker Brown can’t believe she needs to hire a fake boyfriend. When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she’d be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are “settled.” Thankfully, she’s found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother—Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she’s stuck with the manipulative jerk. Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he’s trying to hold together his late father’s gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker’s boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he’ll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym. Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn’t so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have? They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.
“I loved everything about it and just couldn’t stop reading until I finished every single page. It really was that good.”
Check out my review here.
ISBN: 9781733596336
Goodreads Rating: 4.87
She’s always been his safe place to land. Jensen has shared a special bond with Tuck for as long as she can remember, their friendship a language that never needed words. But as life threw her one curveball after another, that secret language turned to stony silence. He’s always been her protector. Tuck has looked out for Jensen since the day she was born. As his best friend’s little sister, he’s tried to keep her firmly in the friend category. But she’s always been more. All it takes is one moment of weakness to send Tuck’s fiercely guarded walls crumbling to the ground. As a new fire burns between them, someone watches. Someone who doesn’t like the new life Jensen’s building for herself. And they’ll stop at nothing to keep her in the dark.
“Next to some awesome romance, there was some pretty exciting suspense going on in this book. And it kept me guessing and sitting on the edge of my seat.”
Check out my review here.
ISBN: B07VZ1SDV4
Goodreads Rating: 4.86
Beautiful, perfect and everything he needs. Caitie Russell's big brother is getting married. As the proud owner of Holiday Magic, Caitie is the obvious choice to organise the perfect Christmas wedding. Piece of cake, right? If it weren't for one gorgeous man-shaped problem... Her brother's best friend, Brecken Miller. He was her first crush. Her first kiss. And he doesn’t even remember it. Construction worker Brecken Miller is a modern-day Scrooge. The confirmed bachelor would rather pull his nails out than celebrate Christmas, until he sees Caitie again. Like a moth to a flame he’s drawn to her. But there’s a problem with fire. It always leaves a scar.
“If you’re looking for a fun, relaxing and very romantic Christmas read.. This book is definitely for you.”
Check out my review here.
Page Count: 379
ISBN: 1946420395
Goodreads Rating: 4.70
A best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . . Evan Bryant wasn't your typical hero. But he was mine. Broken by the worlds’ standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know. My best friend. The boy I’d given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever. The day I’d needed him most, he walked away. He left me shattered and questioning the love I’d thought we’d shared. Three years later, I wasn’t prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes. It wouldn’t have mattered if he wasn’t the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin. My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch. And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name. But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything. Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever . . .
“This book was filled with romance, friendship and also suspense. It kept me sitting on the edge of my seat, and I just didn’t want to stop reading. This book really gave me all the feelings.”
Check out my review here.
ISBN: 9780648123644
Goodreads Rating: 4.76
"She's a combat medic. He's SAS, and her best friend. They weren't supposed to fall in love." At fifteen, Jamie Murphy finds herself broken and alone, convinced she doesn't need anyone. Until she does. Bear is the boy behind the fence, the one who was there for her when no one else was. Until he's not. Left with nothing, Jamie joins the army hoping it will give her purpose. The last thing she expects is the best friend from her past to reappear in the dusty plains of a war-torn country. No longer the boy she once knew, Bear is now a man: big, bearded, and SAS—one of the army’s elite. Soon Jamie finds herself not only fighting against her enemies, but her feelings for a man who left her once before. Can she risk losing him all over again?
“Where on earth do I start?! There are books that just completely blow your mind. And let me tell you.. ‘Fighting Absolution’ did that for me. From the moment I stared reading I just couldn’t stop.”
Check out my review here.
Page Count: 346
ISBN: B07F6QPG8D
Goodreads Rating: 4.53
True love never fades... After surviving a troubled childhood, Denise can’t believe that she’s blissfully married to her partner and soulmate. She’s confident that not even Mason’s long-term, deep-cover assignment will shake their bond. And she certainly doesn’t anticipate that when he finally walks back through her door that he’ll have no memory of her, himself, or their time together… When Mason is pulled out of an operation gone bad, all he knows is what he’s told — that he was a covert agent, that he has information vital to national security somewhere in his head, and that they can tell him no more for fear of burying those hard-fought secrets even further. They tell him nothing else; not even that the beautiful woman who makes his heart beat faster is not just his partner, but also his wife. The secret she must keep wrecks Denise, who wants only to return to Mason’s arms. But despite the desire that still burns hot between them, she can’t tell him who she is—or that she’s carrying his child. But when dark forces threaten both their lives in order to retrieve the information trapped in Mason’s mind, it’s not their past that will be tested, but the tenuous new love now burning hot between them. You don't want to miss this sexy, suspenseful amnesia romance!
“The romance in this book was just so good. I loved reading about Denise and Mason. The chemistry between them was flying off the pages. It was both heartbreaking and toe – curling good to read about these two.”
Check out my review here.
Title: The Kiss Quotient
Page Count: 336
ISBN: B075HXST4P
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick. Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position... Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
“There honestly wasn’t one thing about this read that I didn’t like. And even though I read so many amazing reviews, I still couldn’t imagine how amazing this book really would be. Helen Hoang definitely did a great job and I can’t wait to read more books by her.”
Check out my review here.
Title: Under Currents
ISBN: 0349421927
Goodreads Rating: 4.14
For both Zane and Darby, their small town roots hold a terrible secret. Now, decades later, they've come together to build a new life. But will the past set them free or pull them under? Zane Bigelow grew up in a beautiful, perfectly kept house in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Strangers―and even Zane’s own aunt across the lake―see his parents as a successful surgeon and his stylish wife, making appearances at their children’s ballet recitals and baseball games. Only Zane and his sister know the truth, until one brutal night finally reveals cracks in the facade, and Zane escapes for college without a thought of looking back... Years later, Zane returns to his hometown determined to reconnect with the place and people that mean so much to him, despite the painful memories. As he resumes life in the colorful town, he meets a gifted landscape artist named Darby, who is on the run from ghosts of her own. Together they will have to teach each other what it means to face the past, and stand up for the ones they love.
“I loved it! I loved the characters, and I loved the setting. There where many thrilling moments, and the romance was just beautiful.”
Check out my review here.
Title: A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.
Page Count: 240
ISBN: 0310353629
Goodreads Rating: 4.70
More than 2.3 million people watched as Jeremy and Audrey Roloff shared their vows and committed their lives to each other. Now for the first time, the former co-stars of TLC's hit show Little People, Big World share their imperfect, resilient, and inspiring love story. As Jeremy and Audrey write, if you can fall into love, you can fall out. True love is something you choose to live out each day through your actions, decisions, and sacrifices. To find and still seek, now that is love. From the moment you meet your potential spouse, you can be intentional about shaping a beautiful love story, uniquely written for who God created you both to be. Whether you're single and searching, in a serious dating relationship, or desiring to love your spouse better, Jeremy and Audrey equip you to pursue an intentional, creative, and faithful love story by sharing theirs. The journey to their wedding day was the culmination of a bumpy and complicated dating relationship. From health problems, to emotional walls, to being separated by one thousand miles, the couple faced daunting obstacles. But their unique approach to dating empowered them to write an uncommon love story and prepared them for married life. Because as beautiful as their wedding was, the Roloffs made a point to prepare more for their marriage than their wedding day. Told through both Jeremy's and Audrey's voices, A Love Letter Life tells a passionate and persevering story of relatable struggles, hard-learned lessons, practical tips, and devout commitment. In these pages, they encourage you to stop settling for convenient relationships, offer perspective on male and female differences in dating, tackle tough topics like purity, give their nine rules for fighting well, suggest fun ideas for connection in a world of technology, and provide fresh advice on how to intentionally pursue a love story that never ends.
“‘A Love Letter Life’ has already changed me, and I would recommend this book to everyone out there. It doesn’t matter if your religious or not, if your single or in a relationship.. this book is a beautiful and inspiring read that should be on your TBR.”
Check out my review here.
Page Count: 294
ISBN: 9781797718323
Goodreads Rating: 4.07
They say opposites attract. I never believed that until I met Abby. I was an Ivy League student, the eldest son of an affluent family, living a life of luxury and rubbing elbows with D.C.’s elite. Sounds great, right? Too bad prestige comes with a price. When the expectations became too much, I decided to escape to the hills of West Virginia with my best friend for a summer of fun, some R & R and a little white water rafting. I wanted to lose myself in the outdoors, but instead found Abby. A petite waitress and all around spitfire, she knocked me off my game, making me want more than the casual, no strings attached relationships I was used to. To me, she’s not just another summer fling. She’s something that could last.
“From the moment I started reading, I really loved ‘Something That Could Last’.”
Check out my review here.
Have you guys read any of these books? What where your thoughts? And what where your favorite reads of 2019?
Thank you so much for visiting and.. here’s to another great reading year in 2020.
Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always! Facebook | Instagram
The Kiss Quotient is one of my all-time favorites! I own The Bride Test, but haven’t had a chance to read it yet.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? ☃💬
The Kiss Quotient is definitely a great read. And I know what you mean.. The Bride Test has been on my TBR since I finished reading The Kiss Quotient. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon.
Thanks for stopping by! 😉
I’ve only read one of the ones you’ve shared (The Kiss Quotient) but several others are on my TBR. Fighting Absolution and Hold on to Hope are two that I’m excited to read.
I hope you’ll get to Fighting Absolution and Hold on to Hope! They are definitely great reads. Especially Fighting Absolution really blew my mind.
Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome list!! I hope you have a bunch of 5 star reads for 2020 as well!
Thanks Erica. I sure hope so too 😀
Happy reading!
You had such a big year with the baby and the move. And you still managed to get a lot read, which is awesome. I haven’t read any of these titles, but they all sound good. I read a lot more romance than I have in the past in 2019, and I think that had a lot to do with everything going on in my life. I read so many great ones too! I hope you have a great year in reading in 2020!
I’m glad your reading year has been good too! It’s funny how our mood and the way life is going influence our reading choises.
Here’s to another great year of reading Wendy! 😉