Top Ten Favorite Reads for 2022 #read

I didn’t put one of these together last year. Just didn’t have the energy, you know? When I started to think about my list at the beginning of December, I wasn’t sure that I would have a list because I reread old favorites about 75% of the year. I’m a big rereader, obviously, but normally it’s about equal to new reads. But I started writing my list and had more than I thought I would.

#1 Favorite is a series by Martha Wells. The Murderbot Diaries is… give me a moment, I’m trying not to wax poetic, but this series was a big deal for me, and it took me time to figure out why. I mean, when I finished reading the series for the first time I got teary-eyed when I thought back on the story, and I didn’t know why I had that reaction. There were a lot of things that spoke to me such as Murderbot struggled with its emotions, not having context to explain what it was feeling until it had access to his serials. The struggle with interacting with people, being overwhelmed and not having the shield of its suit to protect it. There are a lot of little things that’s shown but not delved into as Murderbot grows as a person and discovers what it is it wants to do. Things that you either get or you don’t and you get it because you’ve been there. I’m only scraping the tip of the iceberg here. This series became my number one reread this year. There were months where it was the only thing that I read. I’d finish the series only to immediately start over again. I highly recommend this series.

Side note: the rest of these aren’t going to be in any particular order.

#2. White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton. Really enjoyed this slightly spooky urban fantasy. The family struggles/drama are and aren’t a big part of the story. The author did a great job of weaving it all together and making it all matter equally instead of being too heavy on any one topic. I still need to read the next two books, it’s on my list of to-dos. LOL

#3. Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher. This is a YA fantasy and I enjoyed it so much. Our main character is only 12 years old and his journey was fraught with so many different dangers. I do wish there was an extended ending when he’s reunited with his mother. That one glimpse of her wasn’t enough for me, but the story was wonderful.

#4. Junk Yard Cats by Faith Hunter. This is a futuristic dystopian fantasy. I used to read Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series, but stopped after book… 4 or 5? I don’t remember exactly. I have read the odd novella set in that world and usually those just remind me why I stopped. It’s not bad. The world building got better with every installment and her characterizations are better now, too, but that world had a pawl of depression, that sense that nothing will go right and things will just get a little bit worse. I can’t read stories like that anymore and it was the reason why I never picked up the Junk Yard Cats. Then it was recommended in a discussion group and I thought why not. There are only two books in the series so far, but the world building, plot, and characterizations are great. I wish there were more coming soon, but I’ll try to be patient to wait.

#5. The Akseli (The Aldebarian Alliance, 4) by Dianne Duvall. I really love this series. Vampires from Earth in space. Well, they aren’t vampires but Gifted Ones and if you’ve read Duvall you know what that means. The Segonian is still one of my favorite rereads and The Akseli has been added to the lineup. Simone is awesome. And space pirates. Enough said.

#6. The Forgotten Dead (Outfoxing the Paranormal, 1) by Jordan L. Hawk. What a spooky engaging story. I read in the evenings and realized my mistake when it stopped at 11pm to got to bed and realized I was analyzing all the house noises and giving them more meaning that I should. I stayed up longer to read something else to get my mind off the spookiness. I look forward to the next book and the adventure this ghost hunting team is going on.

#7. Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by MJ May. This was a story rich book. The setting is today’s world but with paranormal people in the open with humans knowing about them. The romance is slow burn which was perfect for what was going on. The world building and characters are great. I enjoyed every page.

#8. Embrace: Savage Planet by Kassie Keegan. I wish there were more Sci-Fi romances like this one. Rich world building, alien culture, lots and lots of consent everywhere. I wish it was on audiobook which would make it easier for me to reread. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

#9. The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer (Murder Sprees and Mute Decrees, 1) by Jennifer Cody. Full disclosure, I just plucked this one out of the ‘Cody List’. I gobbled up most everything Cody had to offer (a couple of the Houston Hub shorts I haven’t read) and I loved them all. Even the series with heavy BDSM romance (I sorta skimmed those scenes) because the overall story was fantastic. If BDSM isn’t for you either, she has stories that doesn’t have it in them. The series I’ve listed here and both Hammer and Fist books. I would rebuy everything I’ve read in audiobook, just sayin’. I’m looking forward to all her 2023 releases.

#10. Necromancer’s Light by Tavia Lark. This was my fist book by Lark and it won’t be my last. Great storytelling and heart in this book. The world is rich and the plot kept me turning the page. I really appreciated that there was angst but it wasn’t heavy handed.

These are bonuses:

#11. The Rabbit’s Foot by Parker Williams. Paranormal romance with a bit of a twist with a rabbit shifter as the romantic interest. There’s danger and love and an alpha wolf who doesn’t want to be responsible for people. I hope there is more to come in this series.

#12. Get It Together (Undead Detective Agency) by Shelby Rhodes. This was fun. A human is hired by the agency to be a driver and he doesn’t know about the paranormal world. Oops. This was cute and lightly humorous. The next book is coming in March. That feels like a long time away. LOL

#13. Gary of a Hundred Days by Isabel Murray. This a fantasy friends to lovers romance. Gary is quite naïve and adorable. There is a bit of humor and it wasn’t as angsty as it could have been which was perfect for me.

And that’s it! Those were my favorite reads for 2022. What were yours?

Thank you for stopping by and reading!

What's on the Reading Radar? #read #WishList #TBR

December is chugging along and there is a list of things that I need to do... that I keep forgetting to do. :) Story of my life, yeah? Writing is going alright. 200% better than October and already 100% than November. 

Reading has been alright. 

Title: Minor Mage

Series: 

Author(s): T. Kingfisher

Length: audiobook is about 5 hrs

Genre: Fantasy / YA

Notes: I needed something outside what I normally read because I was in a reading slump and my mood-reading-meter wasn't helping me. I'd seen this a few time and I think it was on my wish list a while ago but I moved it off because... no real mood for YA. But I listened to the sample and went for it. I really enjoyed the book and following Oliver and his adorable familiar on his quest to bring rain to his community. There are lessons here about the price of betrayal, types of courage, and how to value yourself even though you aren't who/what you want to be. My only complaint is that I wanted more of a reunion scene at the end. I loved Oliver's mother just as much as he did and I really wanted to see them interact.  

Blurb: Oliver was a very minor mage. His familiar reminded him of this several times a day. He only knew three spells, and one of them was to control his allergy to armadillo dander.

His attempts to summon elementals resulted in nosebleeds, and there is nothing more embarrassing than having your elemental leave the circle to get you a tissue, pat you comfortingly, and then disappear in a puff of magic. The armadillo had about wet himself laughing.

He was a very minor mage. Unfortunately, he was all they had.

Title: Perfectly Imperfect Pixie

Series: 

Author(s): MJ May

Length: 367 pages

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy-ish / Paranormal / Gay / Reading

Notes: I'm about half way through when writing this post. Phil is one of those sunshine characters that you want to shelter and keep safe. There is a lot going on plotwise, which I love, so the romance is on the slow to medium burn rate. It's taken Sed a few to actually see Phil. The villain has been introduced and though their HEA is promised, I'm still biting my nails.

Blurb: Size matters. Pixies are supposed to be petite, beautifully lithe creatures with gossamer wings. Sporting luscious, ombre pink hair and fluttering pink wings, Phil meets two out of three of those criteria. At over six feet tall, no one would dare call Phil petite. As a home-and-hearth pixie, Phil yearns to find a home and family he can bond to. When no one’s willing to hire a pixie of his stature, Phil is forced to find work elsewhere. Turns out, pixies make terrible bouncers.

The sudden death of Sedrick’s brother and sister-in-law left Sedrick Voss a pack of one—plus two young, traumatized were children. Sedrick needs help. He needs a home-and-hearth pixie. But pixies are small, delicate creatures nowhere near sturdy enough to stand up to a couple of growing werewolves. Phil seems like the perfect answer—a pixie that might be able to physically withstand small werewolf teeth and claws.

Phil is overjoyed, finally able to do a job that speaks to his heart and soul. But peace is a hard-won commodity. Sedrick is in the middle of a nasty custody battle with his niece and nephew’s maternal grandfather—one of the most arrogantly deceitful werewolf alphas to ever lead a pack. If their grandfather gets custody, Sedrick’s niece and nephew are in for a lifetime of manipulation.

Between the custody battle, noxiously invasive garden gnomes, and fairy lawyers, Phil and Sedrick struggle to keep their home and family safe. Werewolves and pixies don’t mate. Phil and Sedrick are about to challenge that misconception.


Perfectly Imperfect Pixie is a m/m standalone title with a HEA, a rough but kind werewolf, fairy lawyers, vampire bar owners, dwarf miners, questionably intelligent humans, pesky garden gnomes, and charming pixies.

Title: Worse Guy

Series: 

Author(s): Ruby Dixon

Length: 234 page

Genre: Romance / Monster Romance / Villain Romance / Sci-Fi / Alien / Curvy Woman / POC FMC / 

Notes: Since I read Bad Guy and liked it, I thought I'd give this one a try. This is another clone of Crulden with implanted memories from the real Crulden and very different from the Crulden clone from Bad Guy. There is still the element of him discovering who he was and what he wanted to be once he felt sure he was no longer a prisoner. I really like Bee. It doesn't dodge that she's been traumatized and how she uses all the tools available to her to keep herself safe. At this point in the story, it looks like there won't be a 'sex heals all trauma' aspect, which pleases me immensely. I would love to see a different kind of relationship for these two. I also really enjoy this look at the Masaka (not sure I spelled that correctly since I have the audiobooks) who are the favorable MCs in her popular Blue Barbarian series, but here they align to a more natural person scale. Bee is easier on them and their shortcomings than I would be, but she works the misogynistic alien society to her advantage where I would be yelling and screaming. I'm about half way through, maybe more, as I'm writing this. I listen to this when I'm crocheting so I probably won't finish for another couple of days. 

Blurb: Crulden the Ruiner is the most dangerous gladiator in the galaxy.

I’m his clone - equally ugly, equally dangerous, and just as feared. I’m also being held captive, since no one trusts a creature like me to be let loose.

A curvy, determined human named Bee doesn’t think I’m a creature, though. In fact, she thinks I just need a guide. She’s got half the males on this planet eating out of her hand, and she’s confident she can do the same with me.

The managing little female has no idea what she’s in for. I’m not some fool to be led around by my tail. But…the champion in me loves a challenge.

A champion also wants to win a prize. So I tell Bee I’ll go along with her plans if she kisses me…right on my tusk-filled mouth.

I never expected her to say yes…

Title: Problem Child

Series: The Wolfverse

Author(s): Sam Hall

Length: 438 pages

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / RH

Notes: There are a couple of reasons why I gave this book a try. Even though there are omegas in this world who typically pair up with the alphas (like in the other omegaverses), this is about the Beta getting her alpha wolf pack. There is also the secret child trope that tickled my mood radar and it wasn't a series. The end is an HEA and I didn't have to read more than one book to get to it. This is a series but the only real interconnectedness that matters is that it's all set in the same world, and though I'm guessing that there is some crossover from somewhere with the people at the clinic, you didn't need to know anything about them. This is a high heat story, so lots of smexy times, some of which I skimmed though I did notice that the author did a good job using those scenes as part of the character building and relationship and not just for titillation. I might try another book in this world since I enjoyed this one. 

Blurb: One night of fun with a gorgeous guy, that’s all I thought this was, but when Ben walked out my door, he left behind more than just a heart that ached a little.

There’s no way I should’ve been able to get pregnant, yet here I am.

For nine long years, I’ve been fighting to bring my daughter up right, trying to cater for all her unique needs, even as I go to bed every night knowing I’m failing her. So, when I’m offered help by Riley Taylor from the world famous Crowe Corp, I jump at the chance.

But that’s when I run into him.

He shouldn’t look that good, not after all this time and his brothers shouldn’t be clustering closer, trying to catch my scent. He definitely shouldn’t be looking at my daughter with awe and wonder, knowing exactly where her blonde hair comes from.

Ben and his pack want to be part of her life, but more than that, they want their mate and they think I might be her.

If you loved A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and wanted more of Riley and the gang’s story, join Lily as she struggles to balance motherhood, bringing up a very strong willed daughter, being a beta in an alpha’s world and being forced to consider another chance at love.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!