I didn’t really do too well with reading this month. Only 5 books. 1,888 pages. An average of 61 pages a day. Which is all way below my average
The War Orphan by Anna Stuart (387 pages). In 1945, the war is almost over. But 16 year old Tasha Ancel and her mother Lydia are cruelly ripped apart. Tasha remains at Auschwitz with the other children, Lydia is forced on the death march. But they swear they will find each other. Alice Goldberger escaped Germany before the war truly began, but had to leave behind her beloved brother, sister-in-law and niece. But she finds a new purpose helping with war orphanages. Tasha finds herself under Alice’s care, in England. But she cannot shake the feeling that she will one day find her mother. Along the way, she gains an adopted little sister, the love of her life (a fellow survivor) and a new life skill. But her desire to find her mother never leaves her and her guilt at surviving seems almost overwhelming. Y’all know I love some WWII historical fiction. And this one was great. Alice was a real person, a woman who dedicated her life to the care of war orphans. And the places the children lived in England were also real places- Windemere in the Lake District and Weir Courtney estate in Surrey. And these were aspects of WWII I knew nothing about. So of course I stumbled down that rabbit hole. Loved it! I finished in 3 days.
Hexed by Emily McIntire (505 pages). A new book in the Never After series! Venesa Anderson and Aria Kingston grew up in South Carolina, Aria the pampered princess daughter of the most powerful gangster in the South and Venesa the cousin who works as his enforcer. When Venesa heads up to New York to check on Aria, they save the life of Enzo Marino, a young man whose father is involved with the Cosa Nostra. And Enzo falls immediately into lust with Aria. But a year later, Enzo finds himself engaged to Aria, at the behest of their fathers. And when he meets Venesa, he realizes Aria was never the girl for him. I loved having this as a mafia love story. It was great! And in typica McIntire fashion, the callbacks to the movie/story were great. Characters named Bastien or nicknamed Guppy, a bar called the Lair. Good stuff! I finished in 4 days.
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone (346 pages). This was the special Christmas box from Once Upon a Book Club. So gifties on social (per usual). Lexie has been estranged from her father for years. So when she learns that she has inherited half of his business at his death, she is shocked. Especially when she learns that his employee Theo has inherited the other half. The caveat? They must run the business together for one year before they can sell it. But this business is going to be hard for Lexie. Her father started a travel company that focused trips around celebrations and holidays around the world- something that he had done with Lexie before he left her and her mother. So it’s a tough pill for her to swallow. Not to mention that working with the handsome Theo is no picnic. But sparks fly on one of their recon trips. And Lexie begins to realize that the father she thought had abandoned her had never really stopped thinking about her. Y’all know I love a rom com. And a holiday themed one that made me want to travel was even better! I finished in 4 days.
One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus (356 pages). The third in the One of Us Is Lying series. The original Bayview Four are now part of a larger group after younger siblings and friends got pulled into another cat and mouse game. This time around, the Bayview Crew is facing another fight for their lives. But there are always secrets. And like Simon said before (and after) he died, secrets always come out. Especially when Simon is a part of those secrets. It was fine. It had been so long since I’d read the others in the series that I had a hard time getting back into the characters. I finished in 4 days.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (294 pages). The McTavish family is old money in North Carolina. And I do mean OLD. When matriarch Ruby passes away, she leaves everything to her adopted son, Camden. But Camden never wanted anything to do with the family or the money. He finally goes home to Ashby House with his wife Jules. And family secrets start coming out. Because Ruby lived a life- she was abducted as a child, widowed 4 times (under questionable circumstances each time) and adopted Cam late in life. I liked all the family secrets that came out while Cam and Jules were back at Ashby House. I finished in 3 days.
This month’s favorite is……The War Orphan. Y’all know I love historical fiction. Although honestly, I really enjoyed all of the books I read this month!
But it’s also the end of 2024. So here’s a rundown of what I read this year
91 total books read
32,195 total pages read
An average of 88 pages a day
The year’s favorite(s) were The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Women
