So I would have to say that 2017 was a pretty spectacular year for me…as far as reading is concerned. I far exceeded my personal reading goals.
In fact, this year I managed to read more books than I have in any of the previous year that I’ve kept track.
You can check out my year in review here on Goodreads. And I highly recommend using Goodreads to track your own reading goals and to connect with other readers with similar tastes. You can even follow me if you’d like.
This year I was able to read new books from several of my favorite authors – like Sarina Bowen, Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, Renee Carlino and Christina Lauren. As well as become familiar with new authors such as J. Bengtsson and Amy Harmon.
Here’s a rundown of some of my more memorable books from 2017:
- The Cake Series by J. Bengtsson– I absolutely loved each and every page of these 3 books. And I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for a funny and lighthearted series. J. Bengtsson’s McAllister family is one of the best written families that I’ve come across. And if you are a fan of audiobooks, these are fabulous; Andi Arndt, Joe Arden and Zachary Webber do a phenomenal job with the narration. And J. Bengtsson will be continuing on with this series in 2018 and I cannot wait to read the next one.
2. From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon – This is probably the most heart felt and poignant story that I read this year. A fictional historical story, Amy Harmon’s From Sand and Ash follow a young Jewish girl, Eva Rosselli and her family friend, American-born Italian and young priest, Angelo Bianco as they deal with the Nazi-German occupation of Italy during World War II. While Eva and Angelo are fictional characters, they interact with individuals from history and partake in actual historic events. I participated in a group read-along hosted by Amy Harmon and her Facebook group which included additional historical accounts and photos that corresponded with each chapter. It was a lovely addition to the sometimes gut-wrenching story.
3. Bleeding Hearts Series by A.L. Jackson – This was one of several book series that I’d continued to read. My only regret is that this series is now over. This series is a series of interconnected stories – each featuring a prominent member of the band Sunder. This is a wonderful series and each band member is endearing in their own way.
4. New Camelot Trilogy – American Queen, American Prince & American King by Sierra Simone – While these books were not necessarily new releases in 2017, this was the first year that I was able to find the time to read each of them. This is an intriguing series featuring a unique triad relationship between two men and one woman. Interesting as well is that the individuals involved all reside in the White House. I recognize that this type of story is not everyone’s cup of tea – but if this interests you, I’d give it a look.
5. The Bourbon King’s Series – The Devil’s Cut by J.R. Ward – The conclusion to this thrilling series by one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve been a long-time fan of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, so I knew that I’d like this series as well when it was initially released. And boy was I right. This year Ward released the 3rd and final book in this series and tied up all loose ends and answered all outstanding questions. This series takes place in Kentucky; surrounding the Bradford Bourbon Company and in particular the William Baldwine family. A multi-generation family of Bourbon distillers, the Baldwine’s are the equivalent of southern royalty. And they are now tied up in all kinds of scandal. This is a highly entertaining series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Realistically I could be here all day talking about my favorites from 2017. I’ll just keep it short and sweet with the 5 in particular that I’ve listed below. I’ll just toss a few of the beautiful covers for the others that I’d include on my list.
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