If there was one good thing about 2020, it was all the extra reading time. I read a significant amount more this past year than the previous year. I read so many books, in fact, that I don't actually have a complete total, but I can say with confidence that it was over 100. Wow. And that's not counting all the books I started but didn't finish.
At the beginning of this year, I shared my favorite books from 2019. It was one of you guys' favorite posts of the year, and I do like to look back on what I've read, so I've decided to make the Best Books of the Year an annual thing. Back in July, I wrote a post about the best books I had read so far in the year, and now that we've reached the end of 2020, they've not relinquished their spots. They're joined by a few other series, lots of kickass heroines, and emotional plotlines that will have you reaching for the Kleenex.
The Designer by Marius Gabriel - Copper moves to war-torn France with her soon-to-be ex-husband, who is a journalist. When one of their colleagues unexpectedly dies, Copper steps into his now vacant role and begins her own dreams of becoming a correspondent, while simultaneously helping to launch the career of fashion designer, Christian Dior.
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover - This book hooked me from the very first chapter, and the final scene is one of the best I've ever read. A mother and daughter's worlds implode when their husband/father is killed in a car accident along with their sister/aunt. Unable to find any common ground, mother and daughter seek solace elsewhere. They each find new love in unexpected places and start to work toward becoming a family again.
Secret Keepers series by Jaymin Eve - I never would have thought a book about aliens would make it into my top books of the year, but 2020 was a weird year... Ok, so first off, aliens isn't entirely accurate as the book is about parallel universes, not space. Together, four girls - the secret keepers - along with the leaders of the four sections of the parallel world must locate and protect the magic crystal that's keeping the two worlds balanced.
The Designer by Marius Gabriel - Copper moves to war-torn France with her soon-to-be ex-husband, who is a journalist. When one of their colleagues unexpectedly dies, Copper steps into his now vacant role and begins her own dreams of becoming a correspondent, while simultaneously helping to launch the career of fashion designer, Christian Dior.
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness - This series was hands-down my favorite magical series of the year. A witch and a vampire fall in love and defy the rules of the supernatural community. Set both in modern times and the late 1500s, Harkness weaves the past and present together beautifully, and did a wonderful job of incorporating historical events into the story. The second book was hands-down my favorite, and I haven't read the follow-up book.
Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer - Another book about a journalist, except this time it's a well-established investigative journalist who finds himself thrust into a world of magic when he's hired to find and authenticate a lost manuscript written by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Ann Noble - When Maren turns into a mermaid, her sister Clara and their friend, O'Neill, set out to take her to the sea, but along the way they're taken prisoner by a family of traveling performers.
Whisper of the Moon Moth by Lindsay Jayne Ashford - This is a historical fiction based on Merle Oberon, the actress who played Cathy in Wuthering Heights, and how she spent her entire life hiding her true heritage.
The Redemption Saga by Kristen Banet - I read this series at the recommendation of an old schoolmate. An assassin turned thief thought to be dead finds herself working with a team of special agents to bring down the madman who turned her into the killer known as Shadow. This book has a strong, intelligent, and fierce female lead, and the main male characters bring a lot to the table, as well.
Rollin' On, Survivor, Checkmate, and Stacked Deck series by Emilia Finn - These four series are all interconnected. They can be read on their own, but I highly recommend starting at the beginning and working your way through them. Checkmate is my favorite, but I love all of the characters throughout and have enjoyed growing with them as the series have progressed. Stacked Deck is still in progress, fyi.
Here Be Dragons by David P. MacPherson - A knight who never achieved hero status gets his chance to leave his mark on history as the savior of the world's magic, except Orus is the least-likely hero you will ever meet. Together with a monk-in-training, the wannabe hero sets out on a bumbling adventure that will have you shaking your head and laughing until your sides hurt.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - This is a story inside of a story that meanders in the most whimsical way to tie all the different elements together. Morgenstern is a gifted wordsmith. The son of a fortune-teller, Zachary Ezra Rawlins, discovers a door to an underground library that revolves around the love story of Time and Fate, who are repeatedly torn apart. Zachary, a man called Dorian, and the mysterious Mirabel, are the key to their happy ending.
The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie - Technically, I started reading this series in 2019, but I read the majority of it this past year. Tori has never really fit in. After losing yet another job, she applies for and gets a bartending job. Turns out, the bar is exclusively for magical members of society, but they arrange it so that Tori can stay. Soon, she's made friends with three powerful mythics and finds herself in a race against time to save one of their lives.
[Bad Boy's Guide to...] Being Not Good by Elizabeth Stevens - I found this book at precisely the right time. It made me laugh so hard I cried and for 90% of the book my smile was so wide my eyes were nearly closed and my cheeks hurt. Avery is a stereotypical "good girl." When her boyfriend breaks up with her because of it, she enlists resident bad boy, Davin, to teach her how to be not good.
The Cardinal series by Mia Smantz - I started reading this series at the beginning of the year and am now impatiently waiting for the final book to be released sometime in 2021. After being kidnapped at age 11 and then stolen by a criminal mastermind after that, Callie has become one of the world's most wanted hackers. She starts communicating with the good guys and, believing she's about to be killed, gives them her current location. Callie is rescued and taken in by a secret government organization, but her former "boss" will stop at nothing to take her out.
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