I feel like I ended 2022 on a good note as far as reading goes, despite being sick and sleeping for the better part of a week in December. I crossed a few things off my TBR list, tried a genre that I don't typically read, and found a dragon series I hadn't yet read. In total, I read eleven new books in December, reread one complete series, and started rereading another series.

A Very Merry Mishap (Trellis Family novella)

Author: Maggie M. Lily

I rarely read holiday-themed books, but when I saw this holiday novella that's set in the world of my new loves, the Trellis family, I had to make an exception. This book is set in between the Building the Circle and Peacekeeper series and stars the youngest members of the Trellis family: Ree, Mia and Meg. There's really no way for me to give you a summary without giving spoilers for one of the books in Building the Circle, and you really need to read that series before this novella anyway.

Red Handed & Thieves' Honor (The Gentlemen series)

Author: Kate King & Jessa Wilder

Raegan is the daughter of the leader of an Irish gang. When her sister is threatened, she and her sister are forced to move in with the leaders of their rival gang, The Gentlemen. That's a pretty short summary, but I did not finish this series. I started book three but was just kind of over it. I kept waiting for the why to be revealed and it just felt so needlessly drawn out. I shouldn't be surprised, though, since mafia books aren't usually my thing. This series has tons of good reviews, however, so if you are into mafia romances, check it out.

Author: Audrey Grey

I feel like I waited forever for this series to be completed before starting to read it, but it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed this trilogy. It was originally meant to be four books, but the author realized she could end the story quite nicely with just three books and didn't needlessly draw it out. I was already a fan of Audrey Grey, and this series just added to it.

Summer is caught stealing food from the fae for her adopted family and sentenced become a shadow at the infamous Evermore Academy where she gains the unwanted attention of the Winter prince. But turns out, Summer isn't the mere mortal she's always believed, and her true identity comes with a ton of responsibility and secrets.

Author: Pip Williams

I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to read this book. It felt way too serious most days for what my mindset happened to be, but I finally committed to finishing the book over my winter break. If you read my Best Books of 2023 list, you'll already know that this book made the final cut.

Esme's father is one of the editor's of the first Oxford English Dictionary. As a widower, he brings Esme to work with him where she spends her days beneath the cutting table. When she realized that some words aren't being included, Esme begins to collect them herself, an endeavor that turns into her life's work and has a ripple effect far beyond her place beneath the table. As I stated in my best books roundup, Esme struggles as most women did during those times, but she perseveres and makes a difference. It is truly worth the read.

Dragon Royals series Books 1-4

Author: May Dawson

The final book of this series released on December 28, but I didn't start reading it until after the new year, so you'll see that one in my January book roundup. I enjoyed this series a lot, especially the main female character, Honor. She was quirky and funny and a complete badass. However, this series had quite a bit of editing issues, and they got increasingly worse with each new book. I hope the author goes back and addresses that because it was quite distracting at times, and the only reason I continued reading was because I was invested in the storyline.

As for the storyline...the dragon royals and their knights have been protecting the Isle from the scourge for centuries, ever since a curse brought them both into existence. Since the first dragon breathed fire, only males have sprouted scales, until Honor. As the first and impossible female dragon shifter in history, she disguises herself as a male to attend the academy that all shifters must go to. Of course, her disguise only lasts so long before she's discovered, and we learn that she's not just some orphan who was adopted by a noble. She's the long-lost daughter of the first dragon king. Now, Honor is on a mission to unite the shifters and end the scourge curse.