Well, I’m only a month late on my end of year post but who’s counting? 2019 has been a crazy year for me in Booklandia. I got asked to be on my first ARC team, and then I got asked to be on several more. I attended two fantastic book signings. I’ve made some forever friends, and I’ve learned a lot!
Going into book blogging, I didn’t have any high expectations for myself. More than anything, my goal was to have a central place that I could talk about books, and interested people could easily access the information. I feel for the most part that I accomplished this. What I couldn’t imagine is how competitive the blogging world is. Not in a cutthroat, non-friendly way, but the pressure to keep on-trend and be the blog that the authors mention. Read more books, post more beautiful unique pictures, do more giveaways, what’s new, what’s next. I allowed myself to get caught up in it for a while, and it burned me out. So my goal for 2020 is to continue with whats me and if you like it great and if you don’t? Well, there are a lot of amazing bookish peeps out there to choose from, so I know you’ll find the one that fits you!
Another take from 2019 that I’m bringing into 2020 is my love for the LGBTQ+ romance community and their books. You’ll be seeing more from this genre from me, and I hope you fall in love with the stories as much as I have been. I’m a pretty boring, straight white woman from the middle of nowhere, so I hope that anyone from the LGBTQ+ community reading my reviews feels like I am doing them justice!
I’ll leave you with this fun list I put together of some of my favorites from 2019. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest romance book info!
The book that made me cry so hard I could not physically function for days after- The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
People, if you haven’t read this book, please do! The Last Letter was my first book from this author, and I stayed up all night to finish and could not function at my job the next day. It GUTTED me, but it is so so soooooo worth it.
The book that changed me- Impact by Haley Jenner
Another new to me author, but this book sealed them as a one-click for me. Impact is more than just a love story; it’s a story of healing. And as a woman, I believe that if you haven’t, you need to read this book. Trigger warning: The storyline deals with the aftermath of sexual assault.
The book that took sexual tension to another planet- Halo by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine.
Halo was my first M/M book of 2019, and I decided to read it based on its fantastic cover. What I didn’t realize was that the words on the inside would be even hotter. This rockstar romance has a build-up that explodes by the end, and what’s better its a trilogy, so there are two more books after Halo to get your fix.
The book that nails paranormal romance- Heartsong by T.J. Klune
If you are already a TJ Klune fan, then there is no explanation needed for why this book was a favorite of mine in 2019. If not, then jump on this bandwagon ASAP! I found TJ’s Greencreek Series in June of 2019, and I cannot even explain the depth of which I love this series. Paranormal romance is hard to sell me on, but this series nails it, and it’s LGBTQ!
The holiday-themed book- There Better be Pie by Jessica Gadziala
I love Jessica Gadziala, her book Regin is one of my all favorite time books, but when she said she was doing a Thanksgiving-themed romance this year, I was hesitant. No matter how much I may binge watch Hallmark during the holidays, I’m not a big holiday-themed book fan. There Better be Pie was beyond just a holiday book. Yes, it takes place over Thanksgiving, but this enemies to lovers had beautiful characters that I instantly fell in love with. I laughed, I cried, I love, love, LOVED it!
The favorite new book of a long-running series- White Lies by Autumn Jones Lake
For those of you that know and follow me, Autumn Jones Lake is the author I probably obsess over the most. Not only are her books phenomenal, but she and her husband, Mr. Lake, are genuinely amazing people who make time for her readers. White Lies is book fifteen in her Lost Kings MC series, and for those of you that are or have read her series, the “White” books are whatever couple is featured wedding book. White Heat, which is Rock and Hopes wedding book, is an all-time favorite of mine by Autumn, but White Lies tried hard to beat that out. As I tell everyone who asks or will listen, READ AUTUMN! And if you are reading Autumn and haven’t made it to White Lies yet, I am so excited to hear what you think!
2019 was a great year in books for me and my first year blogging! Please check out my reviews from these books and all my other favorites. Can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for A Bit Smutty!