This post has been open in editing mode for days now, and I’m finally getting around to writing it!  Yay for migraines.

Okay, on with the real stuff.

I’ve slowed down on my reading quite a lot now, for many reasons. The fall TV season started so podcasting picked up, some family issues, and that aforementioned migraine that seems to have lasted weeks. Also, Westworld.

That being said, there were some books that I just had to pick up for one reason or another. A lot of them author-based, but some just found through promotional emails, which honestly – I enjoy. I find so many new authors through them, it’s worth having a full inbox in order to get some gems.

Two notable new-to-me authors were Molly McLain and Layla Hagen.

I kept seeing their new books pop up as recommendations and in emails, and they sounded great, so I decided to check them out.

I’m really glad I did, because both of them were four star reads. Bend is the first of a series that I’m looking forward to reading the rest of, and Your Inescapable Love is fourth in the Bennett Family Series, which I read through to in order to get to this volume. It’s not like I need new authors to follow, but hey, it’s not a terrible thing either.

Here are the four books that I had to read the minute they hit my kindle app. These are four authors that I automatically read no matter what, and they’re 4+ stars always.

All four of them are great, but they cater to different audiences.

Rich Rancher for Christmas by Sarah M. Anderson is fantastic if you like Harlequin books. This one is a step above the norm though, so if you like any kind of contemporary western romance, you should give it a try. Sarah is one of my favorite authors, and I never hesitate to recommend her stuff. This is the only 5-star book mentioned in this post.

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas was really great as well. I had a love/hate relationship with the heroine, although that’s kinda the point. Good for YA and up, it took me back to my youth and forced me to remember the good and the bad things from late teenage days.

Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll by Sawyer Bennett, what can I say… Sawyer Bennett is just amazing. Her books are so varied and her writing incredibly versatile. From NA to Erotica, there’s something for everyone in her catalog. This one is a stand-alone enemies-to-lovers romance, and it’s a great book to read if you want to see if you’re interested in diving in to her series’.

Risk by Deborah Bladon is the last book I’ll talk about here. I jump on Ms. Bladon’s books the minute they’re released. Most of them are a tapestry of interwoven characters, but they can all be read independently of each other. Of course, it’s better if you read them all in order, but totally not necessary. Her characters are full of life and I just dig how she makes their meetings and situations occur organically.

Since I started writing this post, I’ve gone from 408 to 425 books read, which says more about how long it’s taken me to write this than anything else. If you have suggestions for what my goal should be for next year, I’d love to hear them!