December Wrap Up | 2020

Hey pals and welcome to my December wrap up.

Back in my December TBR I said that I needed to read 13 books this month to hit 100 reads and well, I managed to read 15… so far anyway! This is technically a liiiiiittle early, but I’ve got some New Year content planned so if I do end up reading more I’ll add a tiny edit on to the end.

December was such a good reading month. Not just the number of books but also the quality of the books that I read too. Honestly I’m still daydreaming about some of them.

There are some lovely festive reads, some exceptional fantasy books and a lot of romance. This has probably been my best year for romance and it has been an absolute godsend when things have been getting a little slumpy.

Let’s get stuck into my December wrap up!

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

This book is a hate to love F/F Christmas novella set in Edinburgh featuring two women from the Dominican Republic with major Great British Bake Off vibes and it was SO GOOD. It had all of the cosy, festive vibes with some super steamy moments – more than I was expecting actually! Here is my full spoiler free review.

The Boss Who Stole Christmas by Jana Aston

An enemies to lovers in the workplace Christmas novella? Yes please! Holly and her new boss, who she thinks is like The Grinch, take a work trip together at Christmas and you can probably guess how things pan out… This was a short, sweet and smutty read and was exactly what I was looking for. Plus you can find it on Kindle Unlimited!

Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert

Talia is one of my fave romance authors so before I even picked this up I knew I would love it. Featuring a grumpy, tattooed male love interest and a smart and sweet female character, I loved how the two worked together, each surprising the other as there was more than meets the eye. This novella was packed with some really heartwarming moments, alongside Talia’s trademark smut.

The Mime Order, The Song Rising and The Dawn Chorus by Samantha Shannon

So this month I completed my re-read of The Bone Season series before I picked up a very exciting arc of the latest instalment. This is one of my all time favourite series and it was so good to revisit these stories and refresh my knowledge before diving into the next book. This world is so exciting, unique and complex and I’m already looking forward to my next re-read.

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

Oooooh here we go! I don’t even know what to say about this book except ARGHHHHH. It was absolutely everything – I was hooked from beginning to end! The Mask Falling was action packed and fast paced, and was like The Bone Season x 10000. It’s now officially my favourite book of the series.

The book featured everything we have come to know and love about this world and Samantha’s writing, but with added depth as we visit a new country and see the world unfold and expand even more. There were also some 10/10 scenes between Paige and Arcturus but honestly the book had me shook. The ending? I mean… when do we get book five?! You HAVE to pre-order this book.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

Another one of my most anticipated releases of 2020! Reading this book was just like diving right under a huge and comfy blanket. Like The Bone Season, this is one of my top series and I loved being able to read from Cardan’s point of view as we revisited scenes from the original trilogy, learn about his childhood and get to see how he and Jude are faring in the human world. As this was a collection of short stories I absolutely flew through it, but the beautiful and intricate illustrations dotted throughout were so enjoyable and added another layer to the story.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

I’d been looking forward to picking this up ever since I first heard the synopsis. I mean how could I resist a Christmas romance with a Groundhog Day-esque time travel element? I couldn’t! Plus I always enjoy a good Christina Lauren book, and this was no different! I devoured it on one lazy and cosy evening, with a hot chocolate and a mince pie and it was the perfect evening!

The Naughty List by Ellie Mae MacGregor

I came across this book at random and it was such a fun read. It’s basically about exactly what it looks like: Santa comes down the chimney to find a woman in the living room and…. I guess you can work out what comes next. It was unexpectedly sweet too!

Someday at Christmas by Lizzie Byron

What a gem this book was! I saw it recommended by a few people on Twitter and it was 99p on Amazon so I decided to give it a go and wow am I glad I did. It was the most heartwarming festive read with a diverse cast of characters (who I need more of), fat rep, a beautiful and historical department store, and all the MUA and romance goals!

The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland

I’ve really been loving Kindle Unlimited books this month huh. And it was another office enemies to lovers romance set at Christmas too, I really do have a type it seems. It was fun and flirty but I think it would have been better if it was just a little longer so it gave things more of a chance to develop, particularly as the events at the ending felt like they came out of nowhere.

Your Dad Will Do by Katee Robert

This series is literally called “A Touch of Taboo” and it never disappoints. This is technically the first book in the series but you can totally read them out of order as they don’t follow on from one another. In this novella we follow a young woman who decides to get her revenge on her cheating ex by seducing his father. So not only do we have ‘forbidden’ and taboo romance, there’s also an age gap and lots of Katee’s trademark smut.

My Dad’s Best Friend by Katee Robert

Oh look, another Katee Robert book! And this was even better than the other books in the series I’ve read. I literally bought it as soon as I saw Katee tweet about her newest release and had devoured it a matter of hours later. Another book in the “Touch of Taboo” series, in the latest offering we read about a young woman who, after being rejected by him six years earlier, seeks help from her father’s best friend as she takes over the family business. Lots of smut and steam ensue, and also some really tender moments too. I love that these explicit books also have a storyline which make it much easier to enjoy.

Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert

As a huge fan of Talia I couldn’t believe I hadn’t already read this, especially as it features one of my favourite romance tropes – brother’s best friend! This was a super fun and quick romance read. I loved the characters and their relationship with one another; the banter was top notch! I would have liked this to be a little longer as it felt it ended kind of out of nowhere, and there weren’t too many explicit scenes which may not necessarily be a bad thing but I just felt like I needed more in some way.

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Okay – phew! There are all the books that I read (so far…oops) this month. It’s been such a great month and I’m super happy with how much I got read, and the fact that I loved so many of them.

What was the best book you read this month?