🎉 ⭐ Top TEN Books Read in 2020!!! ⭐ 🎉

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I'm so glad this year is coming to an end. Who would have thought that the year was going to turn out the way it did. Yet, I'm so happy that we can put it behind us soon so we can look forward to the new year. It's also the time of year when a lot of us look back at what we've read and today I'm rounding up my top ten books that I've read 2020. 

Let me know what your favorite book was of 2020 and see you guys in 2021!

Wishing everyone a happy New Year filled happiness, health and lots of books! May 2021 be the better than 2020. 🎉

Here are my top ten books that I read in 2020 {In no particular order!} 

1. 

P.S. It's Always Been You by Lauren Blakely

Lauren Blakely always makes it to my lists, her books are filled with great storylines and this book in particular had me intrigued from the very start. It has everything, from romance to solving a mystery that turns out to be a great adventure for the main characters. It was a fun read that I would highly recommend.💖🌎

→ My Review ←

2.

The Breaking Season by K.A. Linde

I loved K.A. Linde's Cruel Series last year and I couldn't wait to read this year's Seasons Series. The Breaking Season is the perfect marriage of convenience story between two Upper East Side villains, Katherine and Camden (characters that we are introduced to in the Cruel Series). It's steamy, romantic and it has a great ending! 🔥😍

→ My Review ←

3.

The Honest Affair by Nicole French

I absolutely loved the Rose Gold series, but The Honest Affair had me captivated with its twists and turns. It's swoon worthy and a must read! 💝

→ My Review ←

4.

Royally Screwed by Emma Chase

I've been meaning to read this book for a while and didn't disappoint at all. Great royal romance with a great twist in the end. 👑😍

5.

The Ruthless Knight by Jeana E. Mann

This was a much darker story, full of suspense, mystery and lots of secrets. It definitely has some very interesting moments between the characters as they face the Columbia cartel and they have to rely on each other to make it out alive. It's a rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end. Would highly recommend checking it out! 🔥

→ My Review ←

6.

Tell Me You're Mine by J.S. Scott

Such a great chemistry between the main characters, Damian Lancaster is going to steal your heart! 😍

→ My Review ←

7.

My Brother's Roommate by Kendall Ryan

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Kendall Ryan, her stories are always sweet and full of emotions. Everyone is going to fall in love with Wolfie, he is a kind and totally swoon worthy! 

→ My Review ←

8.

Van by Melanie Moreland

I couldn't decide between Van or Sandy to add to my list, so I have added both for different reasons. Van completely stole my heart, he has so much love to give and out of all the books that I've read this year, he is the best hero/male protagonist by far. I would highly recommend checking out the Vested Interest Series, you are not going to regret it! 💞

→ My Review ←

9.

Mafia Casanova by M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken

I love a good mafia romance and Mafia Casanova was favorite this year! It had me hooked from the very start, the characters are magnetic and have an undeniable chemistry to have you reading until the very end.

→ My Review ←

10.

Sandy by Melanie Moreland

This book surprised me in the best way possible, it was emotional and heartwarming. I can't say how many time I might have cried while reading, it was such perfect. You do need to read the rest of the Vested Interest Series to get a full grasp of Sandy's story and how she got to where she is. But you are going to love it, this book concludes the whole series and it does perfectly. I wouldn't change anything about it and the ending was everything. A must read! 😍

→ My Review ←

🔖  Hope you guys check out any of the books that I've featured in this post. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from these authors in the future!

*Don't forget to check out my Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2021 list!*

Thanks for stopping by! 📚

🔖 COVER REVEAL 🔖 The Crush by Penelope Ward

The Crush by Penelope Ward

Release Date: February 22nd 2021

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone, second-chance story of forbidden love…

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.

He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.

Fast forward a decade.

We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.

It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic.

Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.

But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven.

And he was torn.

The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.

Still, I assumed he would never…go there.

Nathan would kill us.

The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.

Eventually our slow burn exploded.

But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection.

We just couldn’t get caught, right?

That sounded simple.

Until it wasn’t.

This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance. 

PRE-ORDER NOW

Apple Books, Paperback, Amazon Release Alert

AUTHOR BIO

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

Facebook, Facebook Group, Instagram, Twitter

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

The Anti-Boyfriend

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, Audio

Just One Year

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, Audio

The Day He Came Back 

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, B&N, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, Audio

See more books here: http://penelopewardauthor.com/books

Thanks for stopping by! 📚

🔖 RELEASE BLITZ 🔖 Campus Player by Jennifer Sucevic

Campus Player by Jennifer Sucevic

Release Date: December 26th 2020 by Jennifer Sucevic

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Trust me when I say that Rowan Michaels fever is alive and well at Western University. His fanbase is legendary.

The guy is a major player.

Both on and off the field.

Girls fall all over themselves to be with him. They fill the stands at football practice, show up at parties he’s rumored to be at, and basically stalk him around campus.

It’s a little nauseating.

Don’t these girls have any self-respect when it comes to a hot guy?

Fine...I’ll admit it, he’s good looking. If you’re into that kind of thing. Which I’m not. I’ve got school and soccer to keep me busy which is exactly why I avoid him like an unfortunate clap diagnosis.

Too bad for me that Rowan is my father’s star quarterback. He’s practically part of the family, attending Wednesday night dinners with us. To make matters worse, we’re in the same major and get stuck together in classes every semester. It’s like the universe is trying to play a cosmic joke on me. The one guy I’d like to steer clear of is the very same one I can’t seem to get away from.

But what if Rowan isn’t the manwhore I pegged him to be?

What if one little secret has the capability to change everything between us?

*This is a mature New Adult novel with strong language and sexual situations intended for readers over the age of 18* 

Meet Jennifer Sucevic:

Jennifer is a USA Today bestselling author who has published seventeen New Adult and Mature Young Adult novels. Her novels have been translated into both German and Dutch. Audiobooks are also in the works. She has a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She spent five years working as a high school counselor before relocating with her family. Jennifer lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children.

Website, Facebook, Instagram

Thanks for stopping by! 📖

🔖 RELEASE BLITZ 🔖 Personal Foul by Brooke O'Brien {GIVEAWAY!}

Personal Foul by Brooke O'Brien

Release Date: December 17, 2020

Series: Men of Blaze #1

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Sydney Carr knows better than to mix business with pleasure. She’s had a long, hard road to get to where she is now. She landed her dream job, and she’s not about to risk it all for the newest basketball recruit.

The stakes are high for Colson Rush. When he’s traded to the Miami Blaze, his focus is on one thing—winning. But when he helps a fiery redhead fight off a mugger, he can’t deny the sparks between them. Although she tries, neither can she.

Too bad she’s his new coach’s daughter.

Giving into the temptation is one personal foul neither of them can back down from.

Personal Foul was previously featured in the Playing to Win Anthology and is now expanded to a full-length novel.

Universal Link, BookBub

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brooke O'Brien is an author of steamy and swoon-worthy contemporary romances.

She believes a love worth having is worth fighting for, and she brings this into her stories where her characters risk it all for love.

If Brooke's not writing or reading, she's probably spending time with her family, binge-watching the latest crime documentary, indulging in chocolate, or watching Hawkeye football or NBA basketball.

She loves to interact with readers! Keep in touch with Brooke by following her on social media, subscribe to her newsletter, and join her exclusive Reader Group at authorbrookeobrien.com/follow.

Website | Join Brooke's Rebel Readers Group |Facebook | Amazon | Bookbub | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

{GIVEAWAY!}

Click Here

Thanks for stopping by! 📖

🌟 Book Blitz 🌟 Her Marine Next Door by Aliyah Burke {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

Her Marine Next Door by Aliyah Burke

Release Date: December 14th 2020 by Entangled Publishing LLC (Brazen)

Pages: 150

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

My next door neighbor Parker Jax is not my type. He’s covered in tats, rides a motorcycle, and his parties keep me up all night. The fact he’s sexy as sin doesn’t change the fact we are oil and water.

I’m a quiet artist. He’s a rowdy marine. I’ve got a broken heart. I’m convinced he doesn’t have a heart at all.

Thankfully, my bad-boy neighbor is on leave from the Marines for only thirty days. But then the jerk has to go and show me that he has a soft side beneath all those hard muscles. He actually leaves his own party to help me, and he didn’t even have to.

Fantastic. Now I owe him.

I’m not worried, though. What are the chances he’ll need me to do anything before the month is up?

But when a woman shows up with a kid at her side, knocking on Parker’s door, it turns out those chances are pretty good…

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play

{EXCERPT}

Three hours later, Skylar hollered at him from her bedroom. “Are you sure this will be okay? I can wear a different dress.”

“Woman,” he growled. “If I come back there, that dress is coming off you and we’re not going at all.”

“Not helping here. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to go.”

“Can I bribe you?”

She smiled at her reflection, willing the sadness away from earlier. She had to get her game face on as it was time to meet the parents. “Probably. I’m pretty easy.”

“Not even close. You’ve played hard to get for over the past year.”

She cut her gaze to the door and had no doubt he was there leaning against the wall waiting for her to summon up her rapidly waning courage. Baby momma had already met them. Something Parker wasn’t telling her and part of her wanted to ask, but she decided it wasn’t any of her business.

This was what happened when you had a fake arrangement set up. Feelings got hurt and she would just have to live with it. She’d given her word and no matter how difficult this was becoming for her, she wasn’t going to quit.

Besides, it’s not permanent. He will be back to work soon and gone. Then I will be back to my old life.

Running another look over herself, she wished she felt better about this. She’d piled her hair up in a high ponytail, allowing the curls to fall free. Her burgundy dress had long sleeves, ruching down the front bodice, scoop neck, and hit her at the knees. Respectable to meet the fake in-laws yet flattering to her figure. Gunmetal strappy heels with a four-inch height were sleek and hopefully sophisticated enough for her to pull this off.

“Please don’t let me fall on my face.”

“What was that?” he called out.

“Nothing. I’m coming, I know we have a reservation.”

She stuck her tongue out at herself and tried to provide another mental pep talk. The last time she had gone to see someone else’s parents she’d been— Another door slammed on the memories she didn’t need to revive tonight.

With another much needed deep breath, she opened the bedroom door and froze. Holy shit. Parker was leaning against the wall, much as she’d suspected but what she hadn’t counted on was how damn delicious he would look in a suit.

All her lady parts were wide awake now. The man slayed in jeans and a tee-shirt. This was that on another level. The broad shoulders he had even more amplified and the muscled legs made her weak in the knees.

“Shit you’re gorgeous.” He pushed away from the wall and neared her, taking up what little common sense she had left. Parker stopped in front of her and ran his hungry gaze over her again.

“Thank you.” She reached up and adjusted his tie, not that it needed it, but she had to have some excuse to touch him. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”

“They can eat alone.” He prowled closer.

“No. Stop.” He drew up short, lust overflowing in his eyes. “We have a dinner engagement. Let’s go.”

“Ballbuster.” The smile tilting up his kissable lips removed any sting there would have been.

“It’s what you get for agreeing to this in the first place.”

She made sure Alpin had water and gave him some treats as they went out through the garage to her truck. Parker led her to the passenger side and helped her in.

“Just so you know, I’m going to be hard and uncomfortable all night because of that dress.”

She gave him a sugary sweet smile. “Be glad you’re not in a thong, those aren’t exactly comfortable you know.” Guess I’m getting the hang of this flirting thing.

“Killing me here, baby.”

She patted his cheek. “My misery is your misery. Let’s go. Don’t want to be late.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at http://aliyah-burke.com/blog/contact/

She is married to a career military man, they have four Borzoi. Her days are spent sharing her time between work, writing, and dog training/showing.

Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads

{GIVEAWAY!}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! 📚

🌟 Book Blitz 🌟 The Art of Loving Ellie by Loren Beeson {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

The Art of Loving Ellie by Loren Beeson

Release Date: November 14th 2020

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Smart, beautiful, talented, and… awkward.

Ellie Clark has big dreams of moving to the city to become a well-known artist. With the help of her eccentric boss, Alex, and his influence in the New York City art scene, everything should go according to plan. Until suddenly, Ellie comes to realize that her passion for painting has vanished with no explanation.

Despite her best attempts at avoiding distractions, she not so gracefully tumbles into a sexy stranger, adding more chaos to her already unsteady life. He continues to challenge her to the point of losing her grip on the one thing that keeps her grounded—her control, and to make matters worse, a past she had long ago made peace with is ripped wide open when she receives a phone call from a ghost of her previous life.

The refuge of her comfort zone is her greatest dependency, but Ellie doesn’t see the bigger picture. Can she risk opening her heart to this exciting, overconfident trouble-maker, or will she embrace the trauma of her past to discover that second chances aren’t just for the storybooks…

Amazon

{EXCERPT}

The wind whirls around me on my walk from the train to the office, and I continuously have to pull my hair out of my sticky lip gloss. My scarf has come loose from my coat and is flapping around, slapping me in the face repeatedly, and I’m starting to get irritated. I promised myself today would be a better day and dammit, I’m not going to let a little wind ruin it.

I’m attempting to wrangle my scarf and push the door open, all while trying to somewhat maintain my composure so Margaux doesn’t think I’m a total twit. Judging by her squinted eyes and puckered face, I can see that I’ve less than succeeded in that mission.

Finally getting inside the building, I turn around to scold the doors and realize I’ve dropped one of my bags in all of the chaos. I huff as I walk over to grab it off the floor, and turn to make my way back toward the elevator.

Instead of advancing forward to my desired destination, I’m propelled backward when I full-on body slam the solid form standing in front of me. Without even knowing who I’ve run in to, I start to sputter, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Reaching out to try and stabilize us both, my hands wrap around what I realize are firm, male biceps.

My eyebrows rise in shock as my eyes adjust to what they can only perceive as the most attractive man in all of New York City. I’m struck by the curious way he’s staring at me, making me feel like a bug in a petri dish. The warm amber scent of his cologne slams my senses, and I feel a quick head rush. I expect him to be annoyed by my clumsiness, but to my surprise, he appears amused.

He lightly chuckles, “Whoa there, Windy.”

His deep, masculine voice rumbles between us, and I have to blink a few times to keep myself focused. The long sleeves of his shirt are folded halfway up his forearms, showcasing a tan that practically glows with warmth, and my fingers twitch with wonder at what it would be like to run them across his exposed skin.

The humor in his eyes shines bright, and he appears to be laughing at me. Did he happen to see the scarf display? Surely he didn’t.

“I thought that scarf was going to strangle you before you even got through the door,” he says teasingly.

Dear God, he did. My heart beats loudly in my chest, and I feel my face burning hot. My gaze follows his movements as his arm flexes to fix his disheveled hair. His shoulders are wide, and even under his button-up shirt, and form-fitting vest, I can tell he is physically fit. His slacks hug his legs in all the right places, and I’m immediately drawn to his warm, welcoming presence.

His laughter is gentle, but I feel awkward standing here in front of this gorgeous guy, looking like a klutz. The man is taller than me, and I have to bend my head back slightly just to look up at him. He blinds me with a bright white smile as my eyes travel to a small scar on his left cheek just below his eye, and I’m curious as to how he acquired it.

There’s something about him I can’t put my finger on. He’s attractive, sure—but he’s unlike any guy I’ve ever met before. A lazy, confident smile graces his lips, and the way he crowds me while keeping just the right amount of distance causes my skin to flush.

I feel self-conscious, so of course, I have to blurt out something super embarrassing. “Yeah, this scarf is a real bad boy!” My eyes practically bug out of my head in shock.

Please, tell me that did not just come out of my mouth.

With a hand cupping my eyes to block him from my sight, I try to skirt around Mr. Attractive to find anywhere to repeat to myself what a big, awkward idiot I feel like.

“Hey, wait a second!” he calls after me. His large hand wraps around my arm gently, the casual touch warming its way to my skin through my layers. I turn toward him, halting my escape.

“Look, I—I’m sorry that I ran into you, and I’m glad I could give you a good laugh, but there’s no need to carry on.” I rub the back of my neck nervously with my free hand.

Trying to move around a man who's a good foot taller than me is a lot harder than I realized. His eyes, which I now notice are the most beautiful shade of whiskey brown I have ever seen, lock with mine, momentarily freezing time. Though smacking the amusement out of them is pretty tempting, I’m finding it increasingly hard to breathe around this man.

The stranger continues staring at me, making me a little uncomfortable, and I glance around the lobby nervously as I wait for him to speak. I rock back and forth on my heels, gently shrugging out of his hold. “I really should get upstairs. My boss is kind of an ass when I’m late, and god-forbid I tell him I’ve been terrorizing guests downstairs.”

Tilting his head slightly, as if something about me perplexes him, he asks, “Would you like to get coffee with me?”

“G—get coffee with you?” I stutter uncertainly. He hasn’t stopped smiling since I attempted to take him down Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson style, and I’m starting to wonder just how crazy this guy is. “We’ve only known each other for five minutes?”

My heart begins to flutter a little when he takes a step forward into my personal space. “I think I’d like five more.” He winks at me and my jaw drops a little in surprise. He laughs lightly at my reaction to his request.

“Listen, uh—” I give him a second to insert his name. When he doesn’t supply me with one, I continue, “I’m not exactly the dating type.”

“Who said anything about dating?” he teases, but there’s a confident look in his eyes as if he knows I’m going to agree.

This guy is charming, and if I had to bet—a lady killer. His light brown hair is tousled about, but it’s not too long to be unmanageable. I momentarily let my eyes roam over him and think how he favors Alex Pettyfer quite a bit.

I’m staring at the adorable way his hair curls away from his ears when he politely clears his throat. Shaking my head, I clear my thoughts, “Oh! Well, I—I suppose coffee couldn’t hurt.”

“Charlie’s?” he asks, and I squint my eyes at him in question. There are at least five different coffee shops between this block and the next, and he chooses my favorite one. It’s odd, but I can’t find a single good reason to say no, so I breathe out an unsteady, “Okay.”

“How’s noon, tomorrow sound?” I look past him to see that he’s left his bags by Margaux’s desk. Curious. I wonder what business he has here, but I smile up at him, trying not to give away my thoughts.

“Sure, sounds great.” Maybe he’s an artist too, or possibly meeting with someone to reserve space on a floor here.

“May I have your name?” He extends his hand for me to shake, and I reach out, feeling the soft heat of his palm against mine. “Elizabeth, but I prefer Ellie.”

He pulls my hand up to his unbelievably soft lips, giving the back of it a quick kiss, and the crooked grin he gives me piques my interest as he turns away, swaggering back toward Margaux’s desk.

I begin to sweat with nervousness on my walk over to the elevator, nausea coating the back of my tongue, and my stomach threatens to heave its contents. What was I thinking saying yes? Turning back toward the lobby slightly, I see him leaning over to Margaux with both elbows on her desk as they smile and talk about something that I can’t make out.

Mmhmm, he’s a lady killer alright.

She’s practically drooling. Poor thing probably isn’t even listening to what he’s saying, but he uses his hands excitedly while talking to her and I find it almost… endearing.

I get on the elevator and I’m forced to stare at them as I wait for the doors to shut. Margaux’s back is to me, but Mr. Attractive flicks his gaze up to meet mine right as the elevator doors are beginning to close and gives me a smile so mischievous, it causes my body temperature to rise to a feverish degree. The doors shut and I realize—I gave him my name, but he didn’t give me his.

AUTHOR BIO:

Loren is a dreamer, artist, radiologic technologist, and author who loves animals and people. Always writing short stories as a young child and young adult, she knew she wanted to become an author someday. The Art of Loving Ellie is Loren's debut novel.

Loren can be found in her cozy home in Texas with her nose in a book, her corgi and mini-aussie on her lap, and her son trailing along with her and her husband through their many adventures.

Facebook, Website, Instagram, Goodreads

{GIVEAWAY!}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! 📚