Novelas Romanticas Gratis

Here it is...the last day of 2018. I'm going to spend the evening with my boyfriend at his house, watching a remake of Overboard (I have a deep fondness for the original with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell), sipping Prosecco, and nibbling on roasted shrimp dripping in garlic and butter. There may also be a chocolate pie for dessert, too. And bread, because why not end the year right? I've already signed up for the Beat the Backlist Challenge with NovelKnight (you can, too!) as a tool to help me read from my bookcases and if I'm lucky, the boxes of books I have in my basement. I always start out ambitious and then life says "Oh no, hang on. Here's a few other things you need to do first" and then I hit a snag that slows down my reading. The only thing I really enjoy about January is having plenty of time to be home at night and on the weekends to read and chill out. I most definitely become a hermit until around March. However, I remain optimistic that I will go...

I looked over my list of read books for 2018 and I have to say, I was underwhelmed. All I kept seeing were the ghosts of books I should have read, and didn't get to for one reason or another. Or all the books I started, and didn't finish. Of course, I should be happy and thrilled I read more this year, and I certainly am; I just think my reading choices weren't always the best. I did read more graphic novels, and I'm grateful for diving into that genre. I hope to read more of them in 2019. Non-fiction took a hit for me this year; I just didn't get to read all that much--another goal for 2019. SciFi/Fantasy--where are you?! Just a few made my reading list this year, darn it. I read a lot of novels that were darker than my usual taste. I didn't read much at all of what made the bestseller lists, even though I have quite a few on my shelves at home.  I guess my reading list reflects the mood I was in for most of the year: avoiding politics, news, and dealing with t...

I've read a few of Wendy Webb's novels, and they fit right into one of my favorite genres: modern gothic. Wendy writes what I like to think of as Midwestern Modern Gothic; novels set in the United States Midwest. Carol Goodman is another author who writes modern gothic. I can't go wrong with either of these authors.  Daughters of the Lake takes place along Lake Superior, with dual timelines of the early 1900's and the twenty-teens. Great Bay is a small town on the shores of Lake Superior, and one morning a woman's body floats to shore. She's dressed in a white nightgown, and looks like she's peacefully sleeping. But she's dead, and nestled near her side is a small baby, also dead.  Kate's father Fred discovers the body, and when Kate sees the woman, she's visibly shocked. Her reaction peaks the interest of the local authorities, who think Kate may know more about the mysterious woman than she's letting on.  Kate herself has just come to stay ...

I decided to deviate from my planned holiday reads and picked up Fannie Flagg's A Redbird Christmas after spotting it at the library and realizing it was time to finally read it. I've spent many Christmas retail years putting this book on endcap displays and holiday book tables, but never planned on reading it. I guess I had to wait for the right time.  The holidays can be a really tough time for many folks. It seems like loss is amplified, surrounded by what should be a cheerful, exciting time of the year. I've had two family members pass on during this time: one at the beginning of the season, and one just after Christmas. It's now become a bittersweet time of year for me. I love the music, the lights, the excitement, but it's become more of a reflection and remembering of what Christmas was for me as a kid and young adult. Now it's a chance to reconnect with friends, even if only for a few hours. It's a time to be home, spending quiet time reading or just...

When someone hands you a book and asks you to read it so they can discuss it, you read the book so you can discuss it. This was a novel that had me at turns disturbed, disgusted, intrigued, and reluctantly cheering Eileen on towards a better life.  Taking place in 1964, and told from a much older Eileen's lens, this is one weird ride. Even when I was completely grossed out, I kept reading--the writing is just that good. Tiny little details that keep you compulsively turning the pages. Are you intrigued yet? Eileen is twenty-four, and living at home with her alcoholic father. The home is completely filthy; neither has cleaned the house since Eileen's mother died years before. Her father is such an alcoholic that he sits in front of the open oven for warmth, drinking bottles of gin all day, every day. He's a retired cop who still has some odd kind of respect from the hometown police force--a polite, turn your head away respect. He's gotten into so much trouble in his drun...

I had my doubts about this one when I started reading it. It's so much like a Hallmark Christmas story that I thought surely the "soon to be a major tv movie" blurb on the cover meant for sure it was on Hallmark. But it's not. I've checked Karen Schaler's website and scoured the internet and while it is going to be a TV movie, there's no date and no telling which network will air it. And interestingly enough, the movie was written and produced, then the novel was written--just in time for a holiday release in bookstores.  I ended up enjoying this novel for a few different reasons. At first, I wasn't connecting much with Haley Hanson, the main character. She's risen in the advertising world, and now is just one step away from becoming partner in her Boston advertising agency. She works round the clock, and has been very successful. Her Christmas holiday involves taking her parents to the Caribbean for a week of no Christmas, just sun, sand, and be...

Still on my holiday reading groove! I have to admit I've begun reading a few non-holiday novels just to balance out the sweet. I found this author at my local Barnes & Noble and I must confess I  immediately  bought every book of hers they had on the shelf, and ordered a few more. I know most of her novels are available as ebooks, but since my e-reader is out of commission, that's not an option.  Holly Martin is a British author, in the genre of Jenny Colgan chick-lit type novels. I was astounded at everything she's written! Needless to say, she doesn't just cover the Christmas season, but you've got a chance to enjoy her novels all year round. Check out her extensive title list on Goodreads. Some are available in paperback in the U.S., but many more are available as ebooks.  Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky is a full on holiday experience. Set on Juniper Island, a island north of Scotland, the folks of that tiny island have partnered with the owner of the Stardu...

There's nothing quite like a holiday romance set in London. This novel is sure to be a must-read for anyone who loves the movie Love, Actually.  I had a chance to spend Sunday at home, Christmas tree lights twinkling, snowflakes slowly drifting in the air outside. Perfect day to stay home and read, and that's exactly what I did! Laurie is on a crowded bus, on her way home to her flat after a long day working as a hotel receptionist. At a bus stop, she sees a handsome young man sitting, reading a book. Somehow, someway, he sees her, and BAM! It's love at first sight. Does she get off the bus, or does he get on the bus?  NEITHER. Off the bus goes, and Laurie spends the next year looking for "bus boy", along with her best friend Sarah in every bar and every place she goes. Finally, after a year, she's given up ever finding him. At their annual holiday bash for friends, Sarah finally introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend. Yep. It's bus boy. Jack is his name, ...

Well, here's number 2 of my holiday reads, and the cheese factor on this one was pretty high.  Abby is a single mom who has a natural talent for interior decorating, but chose the practical career of nursing to be able to provide a steady income for herself and her son Max. Caring for an elderly woman as a private nurse, she's given the chance of a lifetime: decorating a mansion for millionaire Nick Sinclair, the grandson of her client. Nick's rich, a workaholic, and very alone in his sparsely filled home. His family is coming to his home for Christmas, so he's got to have it decorated ASAP. Based on his grandmother's recommendation, he gives Abby the job, his credit card, and the opportunity to do whatever she wants to his home. He also pays her a tidy sum, one that will help her provide for her ailing Grandfather and provide a Christmas for her son that she's never been able to do.  Of course Nick is handsome, and plays a mean piano. He also writes h...