It’s been another crazy year of reading, with my current total at 343. Much of that has been kids/teens reading through homeschooling and Cybils Awards first round panelist reading. So, like last year, I’m not picking favorites but highlighting my 5 star reads by category.

As I pulled my 5* reads I noticed that this was my year of romance. I’ve always loved romance, but have read less over the years. This year I discovered and went on a bit of a reading binge on two of the authors on this list! I read my first three books by Ali Hazelwood and Katherine Center.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry. 377 pages, 2022

What a great modern day romance! I’m partial to historical romance, but love it when a contemporary is done well. I read People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and liked it, but this one hit the sweet spot for me.

Literary agent Libby and book editor Charlie had a rocky start, but when they meet in an unexpected place feelings start to thaw and heat up. What reader doesn’t love a book about book lovers?

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The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. 309 pages, 2022

This is my first Katherine Center book and it was so much fun! In her author’s note she talks about this being a book she wrote during the first year of the pandemic and she wanted it to be full of “as much light as possible.” Mission accomplished!

Hannah was a workaholic who just lost her mother and had her boyfriend break up with her right after the funeral. She’s hired to guard Jack Stapleton, movie star and People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive,’ after he comes back home and there’s a stalker situation. Hannah steps into the embrace of the family she never had.

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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. 383 pages, 2021

This was my first book by Ali Hazelwood was so much fun! If you have a thing for smart men, are inspired by intelligent women, and love some spice then this is the romance for you! I loved this book. Stories set in academia always appeal to me. Pure escapism.

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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. 368 pages, 2021

I loved this for so many reasons, but let’s start with two. I laughed out loud many times and was brought to tears once. I loved the dry humor, the puns, and the pure escapism.

Florence is the ghost writer for a bestselling romance author in NYC about to miss an impossible deadline when’s she’s called back home to her family’s funeral home in South Carolina. There we find out that in addition to being a ghost writer Florence also sees ghosts. She’s heartbroken in more ways than one, adjusting to her family and small town once again (um, so small the mayor is a dog 😹), when a familiar face shows up on her doorstep with a shimmery aura and a body you can walk through.

Even if you think you know how it’s all going to turn out, you won’t want to miss the ride. I listened to this and loved it.

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 389 pages, 2017

This is so addictively juicy.

Evelyn Hugo was a force to be reckoned with. Abused by her father and determined to become a star, she used the assets she was born with to reach the highest echelons of 1950s Hollywood. She reaches out to Monique, a relatively unknown reporter to write her life story and we find out what can be hidden during a lifetime spent in the public’s eye.

This was a fast read with highs and lows, but always at its heart, a story about the price of fame. I loved it.

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The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd. 392 pages, 2022

I didn’t really know much of anything about it and went in blind. Finding some maptastic magical realism along the way made me happy 😁

Nell was estranged from her father and her college boyfriend for 7 years because of a disagreement at the NYPL map division, where they all worked. When her dad is found dead in his office it sets off a hunt that Nell can’t quite quit even at great danger to herself.

I really liked this one. There are a lot of characters, but one storyline. I liked learning more about map making. The mystery was good and told at just the right pace to keep me hooked. If you don’t like bits of magic in your book, you might try a different title. 

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The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C Cervantes. 368 pages, 2023

This was the perfect book at the perfect time. I love when that happens! It was magical, romantic, and fun. 

The Estrada women are tied to their Mexican flower farm. Each one of them, for generations, has been born with special powers and the ability to help others through spells, like erasing memories or bonding to another person. Harlow didn’t have any such gift and always felt like the odd one out. When she goes home to regroup after a breakup she finds the magic she’s been looking for her whole life.

There are lots of women in this family and something tells me we might see more of these women in the future. 

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The Broken Girls by Simone St. James. 370 pages, 2017

Broken Girls was such a haunting read that takes place at a creepy boarding school for girls. It has a 1950s storyline and a current day one, both equally good, a rarity. A found body, a missing girl, a dead sister, a corrupt police department, and old prejudices make this one a fast read.

Oh, did I mention the ghost? I’m not into ghost stories, really, but this one was good!

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Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught. 544 pages, 1989

This is reread number 54 of my comfort historical romance novel. Okay, I don’t have an exact number, but over the years I know it’s added up. Some books from your teens don’t hold up, ESPECIALLY romances, but this one continues to please. Lady Elizabeth Cameron is ordered to choose a wealthy husband. Ian Thornton has no intention of settling down. But, as often happens in a romance novel, sparks fly.