Spring 2019 Reading List
It’s still cold and snowy where I live, but I’m planning for better weather which means I’m making my spring reading list. I’ve been counting down the hours to spring, looking longingly at my calendar of spring book releases. Politely cursing the publishers for making me wait so long to read the books.
However, spring is a time of new beginnings – out with the old and in with the new. This is the one time every year that I ruthlessly clean out my to-read list. I go through each and every book on the list and decide if I actually want to read it.
I’m pretty generous when it come to adding to my to-read list. Usually taking the perspective that I would rather have something on my list and not read it than want to read a book and not have it on my list. Which means my list of books I want to read is often pushing 500.
Problems tend to arise when I’m looking for my next great read, and have to click-through 10, sometimes even 20, books before finding something I actually want to read.
Right now, I’m going to share some of the books that made the cut and stayed on my to read list.
What does it take for a book to stay on my To-Read list?
- An eye-catching cover. I have no problem admitting I judge books by their cover (models)and first impressions matter.
- It needs a concise but intriguing blurb. A few words to get my interested – this had better be properly formatted and proofread.
- Does it have positive reviews and ratings? I generally cut backlist books with a Goodreads rating of less than 3.75/5. I also take a quick look at the reviews, there are a few themes I don’t like reading about and I get rid of books if it sounds like they incorporate those things.
- Is the book still for sale? There is nothing worse than going to buy a book and finding out it’s not in print anymore.
Spring 2019 To-Read List
BLOCK SHOT (Hoops #2)
by Kennedy Ryan
444 Pages | September 10, 2018
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Enemies to Lovers | Second Chance | Sports Romance
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They’re two sharks in a fish tank…
JARED
If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat…
The heart everyone assumes is frozen over.
Her anger is… arousing.
Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, gets me… well, you know.
If I had a dollar for every time she’s put me in my place, I’d be an even richer man.
I’m a successful sports agent because I assume “no” means you’ll think about it.
I’m sure what you meant to say is “Coming right up.” Read More
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COMBUST
by K. Bromberg
317 Pages | JKB Publishing | January 27, 2018
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Women’s Fiction | Contemporary Romance
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Songwriter Dylan McCoy has been burned.
By her boyfriend she found in her bed… with someone else.
By the contract she signed that obligates her to work with him until the songs for his new album are complete.
By her agent when she asked Dylan to keep their breakup on the down-low.
When she finds herself in Sunnyville, she refuses to let her new roommate burn her too. Still… a rebound has never looked so good. Read More
HEARTBREAK FOR HIRE
by Tabatha Vargo and Melissa Andrea
276 Pages | TVMA Books | February 18, 2018
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Steamy | Contemporary | Forbidden Romance
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I turn trusted housewives into adulterous whores.
Let’s face it, nothing lasts forever. She may have started out as your wet dream, but now she’s your ball and chain. Let me set you free.
I’ll turn your loyal lady into a lecherous liar.
I can give you the uncontested divorce you desire, end your impending engagement, or rid you of that clingy girlfriend.
Either way, you’ll be a free man. Read More
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JUST JENNY
by Sandra Owens
343 Pages | October 21, 2016
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Love After Loss | Contemporary | Romantic Comedy
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Jenny Nance has a plan–save enough money to tour the world. The desire to traipse the globe is a dream she once shared with her twin sister. Jenny made a deathbed promise to her sister that she would go to all the places they had fantasized visiting together. Nothing will entice her to break her vow to Natalie, not even the sexy new Blue Ridge Valley police chief . . . No matter how attracted she is to him.
Dylan Conrad left the Chicago Police Department to accept the position as Chief of Police in Blue Ridge Valley. Read More
JUST LIKE THIS
by Rebecca Gallo
258 Pages | June 28, 2018
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Second Chance | Contemporary | Military Romance
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I knew he was the one for me the moment I saw him. A chance encounter while Garrett Hammond was on leave from the Army showed me exactly what my life was missing. Suddenly my life caring for my ailing father in my hometown was complete.
Two weeks was all we needed to fall desperately in love. We scrambled to make the most of our short time together before his next deployment, and then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Read More
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NERDGASM (Naughty Nerds)
by Kimberly Reese
202 Pages | June 26, 2018
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New Adult | Contemporary Romance
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nerdgasm (noun): an emotional climax at the peak of intense (sometimes sexual) excitement, characterized by a deep attraction to nerdy things and/or people.
My stutter makes it easy to become the center of attention for all the wrong reasons, so I try hard to stay out of the spotlight.
But when Addison Mitchell breezes into the class I TA for, she turns my world upside down, shaking me out of my comfort zone. Read More
ONLY WITH YOU
by Nicole McLaughlin
204 Pages | Swerve | June 5, 2018
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Small Town | Military | Contemporary Romance
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National Guardsman Aiden King has been attracted to Hannah Walters for a while, but he never made a move because of her close relationship with his best friend. But when circumstances change, Aiden is surprised when his friend gives his blessing. Problem is, there’s a reason he’s still alone after all these years, and as much as he wants her, that secret keeps him from acting on his desires.
Hannah has finally decided to wait for the kind of love you read about in books and see in movies. After her failed engagement, Aiden’s unassuming support has become a touchstone for Hannah. Read More
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THE SPACE BETWEEN US
by Alyne Hart
261 Pages | January 28, 2018
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Sports | New Adult | Brother’s Friend
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Emma f#cking Winchester.
She’s the little sister of my best friend. Well, ex best friend now…
She’s off limits like tempting forbidden fruit, and I’m the snake slithering through the grass.
She ignites a fire in me. One I can’t explain. One I sure as f#ck can’t control.
It’s raw and primal. She’s sweet, and I am not.
She’s pure, and I’m broken.
When I came back to the town and past I’d left behind ten years ago to make it big in the world of underground fighting – it was for one reason, and one reason only. Read More
UNDER THE BLEACHERS
by K.K. Allen
420 Pages | February 28,2017
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New Adult | Sports Romance | Second Chance
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One kiss can change everything.
Fun and flirty Monica Stevens lives for chocolate, fashion, and boys … in that order. And she doesn’t take life too seriously, especially when it comes to dating. When a night of innocent banter with Seattle’s hottest NFL quarterback turns passionate, she fears that everything she once managed to protect will soon be destroyed.
Seattle’s most eligible bachelor, Zachary Ryan, is a workaholic by nature, an undercover entrepreneur, and passionate about the organizations he supports. Read More
UNDER THE LIGHTS (Bright Lights #1)
by Tia Louise
350 pages | TLM Productions | January 8, 2018
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Thriller/ Suspense | Dark Romance
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Heroes don’t last long around here…
Fall in love with the sexiest girl in New Orleans?
Check.
Prepare to die for her?
Double-check.
Larissa is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
She’s the rising star of the Pussycat Angels, the hottest burlesque show in the French Quarter.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw her.
The curve of her breast outlined by sparkling rhinestones.
Slim hips wrapped in black fishnets.
Long, dark hair… Read More