My Favorite Books of 2025!

Hi, everyone!  You may have already seen my post over on Instagram, but today I wanted to officially share my favorite books of 2025!  It truly is a good mix of genres and really reflects my reading this year - romance, YA, fantasy, historical fiction, and nonfiction!

Sally's Lament by Mari Mancusi

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presly and Riley Keough

The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe

The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Waiting Game by Nicola Clark

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Ship Beneath the Ice by Mensun Bound

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose

Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens

What were some of your favorite books in 2025?

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Month in Review: December 2025

 

Happy New Year!  Let's recap December really quickly - we went to a holiday light show at a farm, and it was awesome!  Unfortunately, Henry got sick the next week and I had to miss my company Christmas party. Then it felt like I was sick for half the month, with a cold and then a stomach bug right before Christmas.  We took Henry to meet Santa, and it did not go well!  There were lots of tears.  We spent Christmas Eve at my dad's house with most of my siblings and their families, and then my in-laws came over on Christmas Day.  After that, we traveled up to Newport, Rhode Island for a trip with my sister, brother, and their families.  My mom, dad, and stepmom also came up, so it was a special trip.  We haven't all been able to get together, especially with the kids, in quite a long time.  We stayed in a big townhouse with a view of the beach.  We took a stroll on a snowy Cliff Walk, took in a holiday lights show, toured historic mansions, and rang in the new year together.

The Books

Promise Me Sunshine // A Merry Little Lie // The Christmas Cookie Wars // Christmas Fling

Date Night in December // Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon // Boleyn Traitor // Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder

 

 The Secret Bridesmaid

The Posts and Reviews

Nonfiction Recent Reads

Michele's Monday Picks #84

Holiday Recent Reads

Michele's Monday Picks #85

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Catch Her If You Can

Holiday Recent Reads

How are you doing?

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Blog Break

 

It's hard to believe, but 2025 is just about over!  I'll be taking a break from the blog to enjoy these last couple weeks.  Thanks for stopping by!  Happy holidays, happy new year, and I look forward to talking books again in January!

Holiday Recent Reads

 Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk (2025)

Through a series of unfortunate events, Laura finds herself pretending to be Callum's girlfriend over the holidays at his family's home in the Scottish Highlands.  Their feelings for each other start to grow, leading them to wonder how much is real and how much is fake.  I tend to enjoy Lindsey Kelk's books.  They are heartfelt and humorous and just have this ease to them.  They flow nicely and nothing feels too hard.  Christmas Fling was no exception.  I loved watching the growing feelings between Laura and Callum, and the way she stood up for him against his family, despite barely even knowing him, was touching.  When Laura's friends show up at the gathering, the story went a bit off the rails for me; I could have done without the extra characters and drama, but overall, this was a decent holiday read.  4 stars

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman (2025)

Grace and Henry both lost their spouses earlier this year, and now that the holidays are approaching, their mothers scheme to get them together.  Neither feels ready to date, but could a growing friendship blossom into something more?  This sounded quite different from my normal holiday reads, so I was excited about this story, and a lot of it worked for me!  I liked how Grace and Henry bond over holiday movies, which I think is something very relatable.  I enjoyed how they come to rely on each other, without even realizing it.  I found myself gravitating more towards Henry - Grace was a tad too blunt for me, and not as funny as she thought she was.  But Henry, his struggles, his sadness, all of it, felt so real to me.  Watching him work through his grief and finally see a light at the other side was so touching.  Like I said, Grace was not as likable a character for me, and a revelation about her deceased husband felt very unnecessary, but I did appreciate that her journey was different from Henry's, especially in light of the fact that she had two children to care take of.  4 stars

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: Catch Her If You Can

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Catch Her If You Can (Big Shots #5)

Tessa Bailey

Expected publication date: January 20, 2026

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new marriage of convenience, friends-to-lovers sports romance about a baseball catcher and the burlesque club owner he can’t get out of his head.

Madden Donahue, the newest catcher for the Yankees, has been in love with Eve Mitchell since high school, but for some mysterious reason, the burlesque club owner always turns him down. That never stopped him from being her self-appointed protector. Case in point, now that Eve’s sister has left Eve with her two children indefinitely, Madden steps in with a proposition—marry him for the much needed health benefits.

Eve has secretly harbored feelings for Madden all along, but there’s one problem—her best friend Skylar called dibs on him when they were fourteen. Eve has always put their friendship above all else, and she’s not willing to risk losing Skylar over a man. Raised by the local strip club owner, Eve is woefully short on friends and treasures the ones she has. But with Skylar happily paired off, Eve finds herself accepting Madden’s proposal—on the condition that their marriage remains strictly private. She’s not about to let her unique profession and maligned reputation destroy Madden’s shiny new career.

Madden won’t let Eve get away that easily, though. What starts as a marriage of convenience soon ignites into something much hotter, and now it’s up to Madden to convince Eve that their connection is far more than a business arrangement. As the passion builds, can their fake marriage become the real deal? - from Goodreads

Michele's Monday Picks #85

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with a new little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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Graceless Heart

By Isabel Ibanez

Expected Publication: January 13, 2026

From Goodreads:

A lush, atmospheric and achingly magical standalone adult fantasy romance set in Renaissance Italy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent-a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.

There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family's enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.

Meanwhile, Ravenna's forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.

As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.

I thought this one sounded so unique and the cover is gorgeous! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Holiday Recent Reads

A Merry Little Lie by Sarah Morgan (2025)

The Balfour family is gathering for Christmas, but it seems like almost every member is hiding something - one twin is having marriage problems, the other twin has a major secret, their brother Jamie has a big announcement, and their mother is trying to help her husband deal with his recent retirement.  Can the holidays bring everyone together and fix all their problems?  Well, of course it can!  It wouldn't be a Christmas book without everyone figuring everything out over the course of just a couple days, with some twinkle lights and gingerbread cookies thrown in.  I'm being a little harsh, I know.  I do love reading about Christmas celebrations, and this book was enjoyable, if a little predictable.  I think things were tied up a bit too neatly and easily, but it was a cute holiday read.  3.5 stars

The Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans (2024)

Widow Melody is trying to make Christmas special for her twin boys, but she finds herself wrapped up in school politics, cookie drama, and a growing attraction to her boys' school principal.  This was a mixed bag for me.  I liked the parts with Melody and her sons - ever since their father passed away, she's been trying to hold it together.  The holidays have always been special, but she feels them drifting away, and she wants to try extra hard this year to be close to the boys.  I liked how she saw a different side to the school principal, one she actually liked, when they began to work together, but the small-town/school committee drama vibes felt off to me.  Like, are people really this petty about cookie sales?  Also, I grew up in a small town and I've never seen anything like the multiple cookie events that completely took over this community during the holidays.  3.5 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.