Welcome to My Favourite Reads, where I share books I’ve recently enjoyed and encourage you to do the same!

I read nine books in November which was fab going. Or, it would have been, had all nine been what I hoped. Alas, a couple were duds and won’t get mentioned here. But that’s the way reading goes. It’s all subjective and there will be people out there who adore what I didn’t.

But here are the books I loved, with my favourite being…

Actually, I have two overall favourites, and they are:

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A Ladies Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Oh, this was a hoot!

Kitty Talbot has twelve weeks to find herself a rich husband and secure the futures of her three sisters. Fortunately, Kitty is a clever thing and soon has one of the ton’s most eligible bachelors in her thrall. Not so fortunately, said bachelor’s brother, Lord Radcliffe, smells a fortune-hunting rat and warns her off. But Kitty proposes a deal and Radcliffe somehow finds himself helping her to snare another rich catch.

I couldn’t put A Ladies Guide to Fortune Hunting down. It was funny and charming and moving. The banter between Radcliffe and Kitty, loosed of normal society constraints, was adorable. I loved watching clever Kitty manipulate situations to her advantage, and I especially liked her selflessness – she would marry a toad if it meant keeping her sisters safe. And the slow burn of Radcliffe and Kitty’s improbable romance was perfectly done.

Loved it. I really want to read A Lady’s Guide to Scandal now.

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And second…

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The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan

Gawd, I love Swan’s Christmas books. Not only are the chock-a-block with emotion and beautiful writing, they have fantastic settings. This one is partly set in the Himalayas.

I bought The Christmas Postcards in paperback and even though I don’t have room, it’s going on the keeper shelf. The prologue was a masterclass in how to create immediate empathy with a character. I suspect I’ll be studying that again and again trying to figure out how she had me caring so deeply in so few pages. Amazing.

As was the rest of the book. Tom was totally crushable – gorgeous, athletic, capable, and kind. And damaged. Perfect hero stuff. Even with her privileged life, I found Natasha easy to relate to as well. The prologue helped secure that, as did the flashbacks to her hen’s weekend.

Another wonderful Christmas story from Swan. The Christmas Postcards was her 2022 offering. I have this year’s, Christmas By Candlelight, on my to-be-read pile. I suspect it’ll be one of my December reads.

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The Laird’s Bride by Anne Gracie

The Laird’s Bride was a lovely novella, loaded with Gracie’s usual wit and sense of fun.

Sick of his uncle’s profligate ways, Cameron Fraser decides to trigger his ascension to lairdship by marrying the first woman he sees. Which just so happens to be mud-covered shepherdess Jeannie McLeay.

This is kind of a backwards romance, in that the wedding comes first then the courtship. It was such a joy watching these two get to know each other and come into their own strengths. The side characters were great too. I particularly enjoyed the bet-on-anything cousins, and the housekeeper’s story was moving too.

Fab stuff. I have Gracie’s The Scoundrel’s Daughter on my to-be-read pile. I must bump it up the list.

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The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave

This was a cracking thriller. One of those short-chaptered books where the tension just keeps rising and things always seem to be going from bad to worse.

Set in New Zealand, The Pain Tourist revolves mostly around James Garrett, a young boy shot in the head in a home invasion during which his parents are executed. No one expected him to survive let alone wake up from a nine-year coma. But can he remember anything? Everyone, including the men who shot him, want to know.

Meanwhile, an unrelated copycat serial killer has started operations. But as James recovers some memory, it appears there may be more than one serial killer in town.

Fantastic. Fast, cleverly plotted and very hard to put down. I have Cleave’s The Quiet People on my Kindle already.

Not sure about the title though. The Pain Tourist makes this excellent thriller sound like some sort of gruesome horror, but the title refers to people who get their jollies from other people’s suffering, and like to visit crime scenes and wallow in the pain that occurred there.

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The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

A writer buddy loaned me this book and I’m so glad she did because it was gorgeous!

Now, I have to admit I did struggle with The Bodyguard’s opening and wasn’t sure what the fuss was about, but once Hannah and Jack met I definitely got it. From there, the book ramped up and I became totally invested in their relationship.

Jack was adorable – kind, funny and extremely hunky – while Hannah was tough, smart and nice, and the development of their relationship was very well done. Jack’s and Hannah’s backstories added great depth too.

Good fun.

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All The Murmuring Bones by AG Slatter

Ah, I do love a gothic tale and this story by Australian author AG Slatter had it in spades. It reminded me of Katharine Arden’s Winternight trilogy in the way it weaved mythology and magic through a story about a girl determined to forge her own life.

All The Murmuring Bones follows Mirin, the last of the pure O’Malleys, whose scheming grandmother is determined to marry her off to recover the fortune and clout the O’Malley’s once commanded. Mirin has other ideas.

Fantastic writing, wonderful characters and creatures, and bucketloads of atmosphere. I want to read more of this author.

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The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens by Jaimie Admans

Funny, but I never used to read Christmas themed books but right now I can’t get enough of them. I must be feeling festive or something. Maybe it’s because they are so ridiculously romantic and feel-good, and who doesn’t like feeling soppy and happy?

The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens popped up in my Kindle recommendations and it seemed liked fun so I grabbed it.

And what fun I did have!

This was totally adorable. It had so much – small Welsh town, a baker heroine, a grumpy hero with a heart of gold, and a terrible threat to the town and its history. And quirky characters that added great humour and emotion. The black moment didn’t quite work for me, but the rest was so moving, cute and satisfying it didn’t matter.

I’ve grabbed Admans’ A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street and looking forward to it.

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What did you read in November that brightened your world?

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