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Top Ten Contemporary Romance Reads of 2022
Which was your favorite this year? I may have forgotten to include The Spanish Love Deception. And I still have all of December to read the cozy winter romcoms. Number 10 Love and Gelato by Jenn Evans Welch (4.0/5) Number 9 Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood (4.5/5)...
Review #322
I absolutely loved this unique contemporary romance by Ashley Poston. I gave “The Dead Romantics” a 4.9/5 stars. It was written all in one point of view, first person-past tense. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: Florence Day is a ghost writer for a best selling...
Review #321
The cover is breath-taking. But I’m giving this mermaid-esque fantasy novel a 2.9/5 stars. I read the first novel in this series many months ago but I'm immediately overwhelmed by too many names being dropped by page 2. To be reintroduced to all of these all at once...
Review #320
I loved her other YA books but this adult fantasy didn’t quite make the cut for me. I rated it a 2.9/5 stars but I actually skimmed the second half. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: The first chapter of "Spells for Forgetting" was about August returning to his...
Review #319
Well, “The Shadow in the Glass” started out so well but I’d give it a 3/5 stars because I skimmed pages 200-370 to get the gist of it. First of all, I wouldn’t have marketed it as a Cinderella story. Not at all. I agree with the gothic vibe, but none of the...
Review #318
“The Spanish Love Deception” earned a 4.7/5 stars for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance with a happily ever after that almost hit too cheesy at the end but not quite. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: It starts out as an office setting enemies to...
Review #317
I’ve been procrastinating to read The Light We Cannot See for 10 months and now I know why. I rated this historical fiction a 2.8/5 stars. I’ve read lots of historical fiction and yes, this one might be more realistic than the others, but it was so boring. It hasn’t...
DNF
This siren fantasy was a DNF for me. So I decided to stop at page 86/388. One of the reasons why is because so want to read stories that model the style of writing I’m trying to achieve in my novels. I don’t want to read too many pages or books that go against my goal...
Top Ten October Books
I read 12-13 books in October and the list below was my ranking. As always, check my full reviews of each at www.cassieswindon.com Have you read any of these? Do you agree or disagree with my ratings? Number 10 The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill (4/5) Number 9 River...
Review #316
I rated this dark fantasy as 4/5 stars. It’s all written in one point of view in first person present tense narrative. River of Shadows is the first in a series. I can’t really label this as a romance in any way though it’s marketed as “dark fantasy adult romance.”...
Review #315
This witchy sequel earned a 4.8/5 stars. Frances and the crew returns for more mystery, adventure and heartache. I’d definitely like it even a little more if I has reread the first one immediately before starting this sequel. Here’s my live thoughts and comments while...
DNF
I did not finish “The Witch’s Daughter” by Paula Brackston. I believe there’s a whole series, the sequel might be called “The Return of the Witch.” I learn about Elizabeth’s personality through her journal entries but nothing happens for quite a while. There’s no...
Top Ten Young Adult Reads
Do you like YA reads? If so, what subgenre: contemporary, fantasy, drama? I feel as if there's two main groups of YA: the books that middle aged women can read and be happy with and those truly only meant for teens. When there is talk of lockers and classes and...
Top Ten ‘Dark’ Reads
Hey there. If you've seen some of my rants on instagram, you know that I feel 'dark' should be subcategorized into different mini genres. I understand that some authors give content warnings and trigger warnings before some of their 'dark' themes such as rape, but I...
DNF
I did not finish “The Bone Witch” by Ron Chupeco. It would be a great fantasy read for those who thoroughly enjoy descriptive world building. However, I need more character agency to connect. Here’s my thoughts while reading: The prologue is about a bard who witness a...