LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(February 2, 2022)
This meme was created by Reading Marie. It’s a great meme because it’s nice and easy to do.
Here are the rules:
Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to
This Year I Am Reading…
We met when you were just a child, but you’re a man now and need my protection.
With Christmas Eve approaching, I’ll watch over you.
Whether you know it or not.
Because no one is allowed to hurt you.
No one but me.
At 20K words, He Sees You When You’re Sleeping is a twisted take on Santa, featuring M/M romance, horror, and the holiday season.
Amazon Buy Links: Kindle| Audiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Audiobook
I just finished this Christmas horror novella. Definitely not the Santa we know and love. I love the dark, twisty take on Father Christmas. The ending was something else too!
Last Year I Was Reading…
Cold cases, old enemies, ex-lovers, and vengeful spirits are making life dangerous for psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato.
The ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless, trapped by love, secrets, scandals, and spells, keeping Simon busy protecting the living from the unhappy dead. Someone from Vic’s past is out to destroy him and everyone he holds dear, and the high-profile trial of the first case Simon and Vic worked together puts them in the spotlight—and put a target on their backs. As a deadly trap closes around them, can Simon and Vic tie up the loose ends to stop the threat, or will they become the newest ghosts of the Grand Strand?
Loose Ends is an urban fantasy MM paranormal romance with spooky supernatural suspense, hot sex, hurt/comfort, feisty friends, found family, ghosts galore, and dark magic. It is part of a series but can be read as a standalone and features an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels. Intended for readers 18 years of age and older.
Bookshop: US | UK
Amazon Buy Links: Kindle| Audiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Paperback | Audiobook
The 3rd book of Badlands restored my faith in the paranormal series. Much improved writing resulted in a more natural romantic development that sees the happy couple going from strength to strength and a well-executed plot that deftly ties everything together.
My 4-star review here.
Today we have two paranormals. The current is a dark holiday redemption novella that puts a different spin on a Christmas icon. This has some dubcon/non-con scenes, suicide attempts, and child abuse. There are also fluffier moments that keep things from becoming pitch black. Last year’s book is a sequel to a psychic procedural. It has dark elements as well but the overall mood is lighter. This has an established couple in a happy and healthy relationship dealing with external conflict.
Both books feature a mystery. The current slowly reveals the identity and history of the MCs. This has more plot twists, keeping the readers well in the dark until the crucial moment. Last year’s has the MCs actively investigating a crime. The perp is already known but is yet to be found.
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping is told from the 3rd person POV of Kris, a creature trapped in a state of timelessness by his duty to deliver gifts to children who believe in Santa on Christmas Eve. One day, he sees an abused child, Jack, on the brink of losing his faith. He rescues the child and gives him a magical snow globe he can use to call him when he’s in grave danger. One day, he was called by the magic snow globe and then he realized, time has passed and Jack is no longer a child.
Their initial interactions as adults were super cute. Seeing Jack is in constant danger, Kris decided to watch over him. This is where things turned stalkerish and rape-y. Since this is a second chance/redemption story, there is a thread of hope that runs throughout. It connects to how and why Kris became duty-bound to give gifts. The ending did one heck of a turn, giving the story the brightest holiday glow. This novella is best experienced by coming in with minimal info and sticking through to the very end. Fucked up but also adorbs!
Loose Ends is told in dual 3rd person POVs of Simon Kincaide and Vic D’Amato, a psychic and a cop. This story finds the couple in a happy place with exes and family members trying to tear them apart. Vic is hatching plans to put a ring on it. Meanwhile, Simon’s psychic abilities unearthed a dead body.
It’s nice to see an established couple generally being happy together without becoming boring. The paranormal elements came wonderfully into play, something the series has always excelled at. The story moved fast and the plot did a great job tying everything together, making clever use of ghostly characters and magic. It certainly lived up to its promise of spooky paranormal suspense with all the romantic feels.
Between Santa and psychics, tying up loose ends by putting ghosts to rest feels as good as waking up to a new day with the gift of a fresh start.
I’m ending the post with a book I’m looking forward to reading.
An angel and a demon walk into a bar… It should be the start of a joke except Emmett and Phoenix loathe each other the moment they meet. Reluctant and mismatched partners they may be, but they’ve been given a job to do on Earth: persuade the newly dead to move on to the next world.
A friendly word here, a nudge there, all the dead should need is a push in the right direction—but unknown dark forces are working against the pair, and the mission takes a dangerous turn.
From hate at first sight, to toleration, to something more… The clock is ticking. Time is running out and soon Emmett and Phoenix will be torn apart and returned to the worlds they came from. Though neither is willing to go back without a fight…
…. Because being dead has never felt more alive.
Book 3 in the Lost and Found series but all books are standalone reads.
What’s better than an angel or a demon is an angel and a demon together. I’m feeling the enemies-to-lovers Good Omens vibe!
What were you reading this time last year?
(I hope it’s as riveting as Morticia’s book)
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