Hey Loves! I can’t believe I made it to the end of the second month of a new year to come out with my book list. Y’all know me. I will forever have my nose in a book. Per usual, I’ve got a list of books to recommend you jump into this year. Usually, I tend to stick to books that are more of an educational or inspirational format. Not this time. This year, it’s all about the fiction! Everyone needs a good escape every now and then. Diving deep into a good fiction book helps me travel to another place and another time for a little while. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite fiction books for you to sink your teeth into.
- Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell – Laurel Mack’s daughter, Ellie, up and disappeared one day without a trace. A decade later she starts dating Floyd, a man who has a daughter who reminds Laurel so much of Ellie. Just as Laurel had began to let the obsession go, she is sucked back in by the similarities between Ellie and Floyd’s daughter, Poppy. Holy plot twists!
- Ghosted by Rosie Walsh– Have you ever been ghosted before? You think things are going well, and the other party just completely vanishes. This is exactly what happens to Sarah. She spent a gloriously wonderful week with Eddie … and then he disappeared. Sarah goes to great lengths to get answers, but the truth she finds isn’t what she expects.
- The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell – Adrian is on his third marriage. Everything seemed great with Maya, his third wife. And then she dies. Was it suicide like the police are saying? Adrian finds threatening messages that Maya had received, and begins to think otherwise. But who did it? Any man who thought his ex wives and all his children would seamlessly get along with his new wife is seriously overestimating blended families.
- The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks – I love Nicholas Sparks! This book had me in tears. (Don’t they always, though?) Basically, Wilson is on a mission to make his wife, Jane, fall in love with him again. Meanwhile, he is preparing for his daughter’s wedding. The ending screams ENERGY!! That’s all I’m going to say.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – You’ve probably heard of this book. If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend. In it, we follow the story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who always dreamed of traveling. While his adventure includes seeking out a treasure, Santiago learns much more about himself. I read this to Tiny Tot at night for bedtime, and while she fell asleep not understanding fully what I was reading, I enjoyed it a great deal.
- The Liar by Nora Roberts – The main character’s husband dies, and afterwards she finds out he lied about so much that she never knew who he really was. She returns home with their daughter not knowing that someone is following her, looking for something her husband stole.
- Up To No Good by Carl Weber – What a deliciously scandalous book! So James is a church trustee with a habit of infidelity. But then he runs across a woman who makes him want to cut off all his other women. His other women are not having it though, and neither is his daughter Jamie, who wants to woman gone. Jamie has issues of her own with a mysterious woman calling her man. And Jamie’s brother, Darnel? He, too, has a problem … he finds out the woman he’s engaged to has a lover!
- A Kiss of Adventure by Catherine Palmer – Tillie Thornton was almost kidnapped, but finds herself rescued by a complete stranger who calls himself Graeme McLeod. Call it a case of mistaken identity, but now she has not choice but to search for the treasure of Timbuktu to save her life. And Graeme is the only one who can help her do it. Hot man. Adventure. Jungle and nature. Danger. You do the math!
- Mean Streak by Sandra Brown – Dr. Emory Charbonneau has disappeared, and her husband is the main suspect. While police work to uncover clues as to her whereabouts, Emory wakes from a head injury and finds herself being held captive by a man who refuses to tell her who he is. Emory is willing to risk it all to escape her captor, and find out what happened to her. Answers that challenge everything she thought she knew. Honorable Mention: Envy by Sandra Brown
- All Around Town by Mary Higgins Clark – Laurie Kenyon was kidnapped when she was a child. She was later returned to her family, but now she finds herself the main suspect in the death of her English Professor Alan Grant. On the heels of a family loss, figures from her past are back. Laurie is in for a ride, and so are you! I pulled an all-nighter to finish it.
- The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling by Neta Jackson – These aren’t easy times for the Yada Yadas: a devastating fire, an HIV diagnosis, loss of loved ones, and possible prison time loom over the sisters’ heads. More than once, they dissolve into tears and worry. But when so much seems to be going wrong, the sisters know where to turn . . . prayer. It’s always great to have a sisterhood to lean on, and who encourages you to lean on God, or who turn to Him on your behalf!
- Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult – Nina Frost shot the guy accused of sexually assaulting her young son. As the assistant District Attorney, Nina knew first-hand how the justice system often failed children and took matters into her own hands. (Don’t blame her!) I won’t spoil this one for you, but it has a hell of a plot twist.
- Thrill by Lucia Jordan – Now this one is a series. There are four books in the series following the umm …. entanglement that is Hanna and Brandon. Yes, I read all four. How could I not? Things started out innocent and quickly turned into something much … hotter. Read it just for the steamy parts if you wish. (*insert a wink here*) BONUS: Check out the series Touch Me by Lucia Jordan … and listen to the audiobook version.
- The Lake Series by Annalisa Grant – Another series, this time three books: The Lake; Troubled Waters; and Safe Harbor. Layla Weston has lost her parents and her grandparents, and is left to live with her estranged aunt and uncle. And then she meets Will Myer. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. Lies are exposed. Truths revealed. Bonds broken. Loyalty tested. And not just between Will and Layla. Her uncle and aunt aren’t exactly saints. While you can read each of the books as stand alone reads, I highly recommend reading all three.
I have a quite eclectic taste in books. Truthfully, I’ll read just about anything. Fiction books help me maintain a healthy balance so that I don’t suffer from information overload with all the non-fiction books I read. And who doesn’t need a nice escape every now and then? And if you don’t have time to read, audiobooks are your friend! Many of these you can find in audiobook format. Happy reading, loves!
What are you reading this year? What’s one of your favorite fiction books? You know I’m always looking for recommendations so drop me a comment with a few titles!
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As always, be good to yourself.
Love it!!!