2022 Year in Review

 
2022 has been over for a good little bit now. With my health on the upswing, I am finally able to share my year in review! 

When it comes to life, 2022 was an interesting year. All in all it was just a decent year. February had the health issue with my oldest child, March was our annual trip to Wisconsin Dells, May began the remodel of our kitchen, July and August had 4 of us sick with a random respiratory illness, September marked the kids return to school which brought on a few mental health and behavioral issues during that time, and then my health issues in December. 2022 ended with us visiting Wisconsin where a fun time was had with that side of our family.

As for my reading life; in 2022 I continued to use my kindle on almost a daily basis. This seriously was the best gift ever, and one that I definitely use constantly. Goodreads and I still have a great relationship. I keep up on my reviews there, and I love the end of year stats that they roll out. Now don't get me wrong, I do have a couple of complaints with the website (and app). The biggest of which is that the page count is in accurate. I keep track of pages read, and my number does not equal their number. So Goodreads (ahem: amazon) get your stuff together. My other issue slash complaint is that I can't review all my reads on there. A lot of author freebies are not posted, so that means my end of year total doesn't match with my monthly lists. Maybe one day the app will be 100% to my liking.

2022 was also the year where I tried to focus on my blog a lot more. Now there were a couple of times that I had to take a break (summer and December), but I tried my best. I'm hoping that 2023 will have me posting here on a regular basis.

This is my third year doing this year in review! It's nice to look back at how 2020 and 2021 went with reading!

The first book that I read was Our Finest Hour by Jennifer Millikin. This was a book that I had found through TikTok, and the way the author described it just had me beyond curious. If only the hype had lived up to the promo. 

My final read for the year was Hero's Risk by Gina Azzi. I am loving her Tennessee Thunderbolts series, and this story was by far one of my favorites. Plus ending the year with a 5 star read is always a good thing. Or at least in my mind.

I read 216 books this year! So I definitely exceeded my Goodreads goal of 150. Love that for me! I will say that this number is lower than 2021, but I'm okay with that. I pushed myself way too hard in 2021, so slowing things down in 2022 was a good thing.

I calculated my page total at 55,924! (Goodreads says 31,266 which is obviously a large discrepancy.) That makes my average book length about 259 pages.

My page count is slightly up from 2021, but is no where near 2020's numbers. How did I even manage 80k in 2020?

This year I chose once again to select a favorite each month. This time though, I put them into a bracket. From there it was my top 3, and then my ultimate favorite of the year.

As you can see, Obsession by K Loraine and Meg Anne came out victorious. But considering the fact that 3/4 books received a 5 star rating, I am not surprised this was my favorite of 2022.

In no particular order:

• Gina Azzi
  
• Piper Rayne
• Natasha Madison
• Samantha Lovelock
• Kristin Turnage
• Elise Faber

I felt like I didn't read a lot of "new to me" authors, but looking at this list, I did okay.

• Jennifer Millikin
• Kayley Loring
• JB Heller
• S Massery
• Allie York
• CW Farnsworth
• Dee Lagasse
• Julia Connors
• Sophie Gonzales
• Alison Rhymes
• JS Wood
• Cali Melle
• Brooke Ramsey
• Bianca Borell
• Amanda Usen
• Tempest Phan
• Alice Hoffman

Um, as per 2021, it's Romance.

This is not new information.

Anything other than romance. 🤷🏼‍♀️

If you know me, you know that this list should be extremely long. I am an emotional person, and certain scenes and/or storylines cause me to tear up. Some hit harder than others, that's for certain.

Off the top of my head, this is a snippet of my list:

• Hero's Risk by Gina Azzi
• The Edge of Redemption by Kristin Turnage
• Only One Forever by Natasha Madison
• Filthy Puckboy by Elise Faber
• Rebel by S Massery (iykyk)
• Mine to Kiss by Natasha Madison
• Mine to Have by Natasha Madison

Series are my weakness!

My favorite of 2022 was The Mate Games: War by K Loraine and Meg Anne. The first book is called Obsession, and I was definitely obsessed with this series. It's why choose plus paranormal, and I could not get enough.

My reading goal is once again going to be 150 books. I feel confident with this number, and should I exceed my goal then yay for me.

Books I want to read that are not my usual reads:

• Spare by Prince Harry
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama 
• Spy x Family volume 1

As for reading challenges...I plan on participating again in the A-Z title challenge, as well as the A-Z author challenge. Hopefully in 2023 I can complete these challenges. Are there others I'd like to participate in? Oh absolutely. I have my eye on Buzzwordathon, and a few others. Time will tell though if I can follow through.

In regards to my blog, I am in the planning stages. Here's what I know as of now:

• I know I want to write more trope posts that offer book recommendations. 
• I also have an idea for a series on book series. I even have a title in mind for it. But I'll share that once I plan things out a bit more.
• Continue to write my reviews here.
• I'd also like to maybe do posts on my favorite authors. 

Let's talk social media...As you may know, I have a Facebook page, and I'm also on Instagram. Am I active on both? Nope. Do I  want to be? Yes, yes I do. 

Here are my plans for Instagram:

• Learn more about Reels, and post one per week. (content planning, editing, etc)
• Post 3 photos per week.
• Post stories 4 times per week perhaps discussing my current reads, or book hauls.

Here are my Facebook plans:

• Share my blog posts daily whether new or older.
• Post new releases and teasers for books I'm excited about.
• Share memes and quotes. 

Last year I talked about my goals regarding advanced reading copies and I want to discuss that again. I felt comfortable with the amount I accepted for 2022. It wasn't overwhelming, and my stress was a lot less. I loved the majority of the books that I read, and have found some authors that I truly enjoy. That being said, I am thinking of pulling back again. Here's what I'm thinking:

• Work with specific authors directly
• Reduce PR companies I team with
• Only choose books/authors I am passionate about vs just accepting any arc.

How did your reading go in 2022? Did you accomplish everything you wanted to? What are your goals for this year?

Happy Reading,

Laura

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12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 7}

 

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: seven swans a swimming.

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is ONE good animal sidekick to make a hero rock!

Who is your favorite animal sidekick?

I don't recall a lot of animals in the books I read. But I will say the horse (scene) in Vegas Aces: The Tight End was quite memorable.

Please note:

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Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 6}

 

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: six geese a laying.

Creation is a beautiful thing.

What is your favorite world/world-building?

Oh my word! There are two that stand out.

First is Ravenscroft University. It is a world that Meg Anne and Kim Loraine have created. It is where paranormals live, and I am just fascinated. I was introduced to this world in The Mate Games, and I am hooked.

The other world that I can fascinated by is Sterling Falls. This small corrupt town has different sides fighting for control, and there is everything that is happening between Kora, Jace, Apollo, and Wolfe. I absolutely loved this story that Sara Massery created, and I cannot wait to return for another story.

Please note:

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12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 5}

 

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: five golden rings.

One ring to rule them all!

Who is your favorite villain/antagonist?

Oh this is an easy one!

Have you met Savannah from the Vegas Aces: The Wide Receiver series?

She also caused trouble in the season one of the Vegas Aces, but not nearly as much as the other antagonist. (iykyk)

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Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 4}

 

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: four calling birds.

Since series typically consist of 4 or more books,

What is your favorite series?

I'm struggling with this one. There were multiple series that I was obsessed with, so how do I narrow it down? Sigh.

I'm choosing two.

The Mate Games

by K. Loraine & Meg Anne

From Book 1:

I rejected my fated mate and didn’t regret it for a second. Until now.

Shipped off to Ravenscroft University, a graduate school for the supernatural elite, I have a lot to live up to. As the heir to America’s most powerful pack, my life up to now has been spent in a gilded cage. But not for the reason you might think.

I was locked away, not to be protected, but because I was born broken. A disappointment to them all. A wolf who couldn’t shift.

This is supposed to be my fresh start, but my past won’t leave me alone. Not when he’s here. The arrogant wolf shifter who ruined my life after I turned him down seven years ago. Now, I’m a pariah, followed by the rumors my rejected mate has spread, hated by my classmates, isolated again.

From everyone but them.

A vampire prince.

A forbidden priest.

A powerful demigod.

A bully wolf.

I’m playing a dangerous game, and the rules say I can’t be with them. Then again, rules are made to be broken.

And when every moment spent with them brings me closer to finding my wolf, how can I stay away?

Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains an obsessive stalker, a foul-mouthed, inked and pierced werewolf, a naughty professor with a fondness for watching, a god of mischief, and plenty of heat. If you don’t like your books spicy, your men broody, built, and more bad than good, this is not the series for you. But if you do...read on, and welcome to The Mate Games.

Sterling Falls

by S Massery
(also, I am obsessed with these alternate covers that S Massery has released! I WANT THEM!)

Photo via the author's Facebook page

From Book 1:

How many bad choices can a girl make? Because they keep stacking up…

New to Sterling Falls, I witness the three owners of a lavish, masquerade fight club kill someone–and then they catch me.

When I refuse to leave town as they demand, I find myself on the receiving end of their ruthlessness. I have no choice but to turn to a greater evil for a loan just to survive.

Except I keep catching the attention of the club owners. And with their attention comes unwanted feelings: Attraction. Desire. Loathing.

Jace is cold and cruel, and he makes me fall at his feet when I’m at my lowest. But he intrigues me as much as he terrifies me.

Wolfe sees through my mask. Son of a biker gang leader, and a monster in his own right, I can’t help but feel oddly protected when I’m around him.

Sweet and charming Apollo… behind closed doors, he’s wicked. Addictive.

But the secrets surrounding them are dangerous. When I accidentally unravel them, it puts all of us in jeopardy.

Sterling Falls is a full-length, mature college/new adult romance with dark themes. This is a reverse harem, #whychoose novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. These books must be read in order.

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12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 3}

 

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: three french hens.

In the spirit of threes:

What is the best trilogy you read?

Rush Hockey
by Elise Faber

The first three books in this series focus on the relationship between Axel and Bailey. There is going to be another book under this series umbrella, but it is about separate characters.

Blurb:

I played hard and lived even harder.

At least until the mayor of River’s Bend got it in her head that the hockey players carousing through her small town in Nowhere, California were unwelcome.

I couldn’t care less.

My priorities were pucks, puck bunnies, and pucking my way to the top.

Only…I underestimated the mayor and her intentions to clean up the town, the Rush, and end my streak through the town’s female population.

I underestimated that her matchmaking abilities might be on point.

I underestimated that her niece might be…

The woman who would lay claim to my heart.

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

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Thank you!

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 2}

 

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: two turtle doves

Love is in the air!

Who is your one true pairing?

Ben and Kaylee from Vegas Aces: The Tight End

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12 Days of Christmas Book Tag {day 1}

 

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree.

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree.

What was your favorite stand alone?

This is so difficult as I don't read a lot of stand alone books. I mean I guess the majority of the series I read could be considered stand alone books as the story doesn't carry over. Yet at the same time I consider it a series, and the books are just interconnected.

BUT...I flipped through my 2022 list of books read, and found a couple. Yes, I'm choosing them both. They are very different as one is contemporary fiction, and the other is a comic that covers the artist's real life experiences.

So my favorite stand alone books of 2022 are:

If This Gets Out
by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich

Everything is Ok
by Debbie Tung

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Thank you!

Hockey Romances I Read {Bookmas}

Hockey Romances are what helped me find my way back to reading. I'm convinced of it. You see there was a span of 5 years, maybe 7, where I just didn't read much. Then in 2019 something changed.  In the summer I began picking up a book here and there, then in October I found hockey romances, and suddenly I was binging books like a wild woman. I could not get enough. Flash forward to 2022, and it's no different.

In 2022 I read 39 hockey romance novels. 

Did I plan on reading that many? Nope. It just sort of happened. Now many of these books are part of a series, so knowing my love of series, this also isn't a surprise. But it's what helped drive that number.

Curious what hockey romances I read? Well, here's the list! 

1. Sincerely, The Puck Bunny by Maren Moore [review]
2. Caught by Elise Faber [review]
3. The Scorekeeper by Gina Azzi [review]
4. Only One Love by Natasha Madison [review]
5. Sneaking Around with #34 by Piper Rayne [review]
6. Big Deck Energy by Kim Loraine [review]
7. Like I Never Said by CW Farnsworth [review]
8. Deking the Beauty by Crystal Perkins [review]
9. Tutoring the Player by Rebecca Jenshak [review]
10. Second Shot with #76 by Piper Rayne [review]
11. Only One Forever by Natasha Madison [review]
12. The Scorecard by Maren Moore [review]
13. Maxim by Samantha Whiskey [review]
14. Hot Shot's Mistake by Gina Azzi [review]
15. Wild About You by Rebecca Jenshak [review]
16. Ryker by Samantha Lind [review]
17. Offside with #55 by Piper Rayne [review]
18. Jock Wanted by Kate Meader [review]
19. The Final Score by Maren Moore [review]
20. Cap by Elise Faber [review]
21. Brawler's Weakness by Gina Azzi [review]
22. Big Puck Energy by Elise Faber [review]
23. Cross Checked Hearts by Cali Melle [review]
24. Asher by Samantha Whiskey [review]
25. Deflected Hearts by Cali Melle [review]
26. The Penalty Shot by Maren Moore [review]
27. Rookie's Regret by Gina Azzi [review]
28. Filthy Puckboy by Elise Faber [review]
29. Bitter Sweet Heart by H. Hunting [review]
30. One Last Shot by Julia Connors [review]
31. Playing Offsides by Cali Melle [review]
32. Playboy's Reward by Gina Azzi [review]
33. Covered by Elise Faber [review]
34. So Pucking Over It by Elise Faber [review]
35. The Marriage Arrangement by Kim Loraine [review]
36. The Faceoff by Cali Melle [review]
37. Brutal Obsession by S Massery [review]
38. The Goalie Who Stole Christmas by Cali Melle [review]
39. Down in Flames by Kate Meader [review]

That is quite the list! By the end of the year that number will actually change to 40, as Natasha Madison has a new book releasing on December 27. You know I'll be reading it before the end of the year. It's going to happen.

Are you a hockey romance lover like I am? Did you read any of these titles? Have any recommendations for me?

Happy Reading,
Laura

Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!