#jay northcote

[transbookoftheday]

Second Chance by Jay Northcote

Everyone deserves a second chance.

Nate and his teenage daughter need a fresh start, so they move back to the village where he grew up. Nate’s transgender, and not used to disclosing his history, so it’s hard living where people knew him before. When Nate reconnects with Jack—his best friend from school and unrequited crush—his feelings return as strong as ever.

Jack’s returned home to get his life in order after an addiction to alcohol caused him to lose everything: his job, his driver’s licence, and nearly his life. He’s living with his parents, which is less than ideal, but rekindling his friendship with Nate—or Nat as Jack once knew him—is an unexpected benefit of being back home. Jack is amazed by Nate’s transformation, and can’t deny his attraction. Trying for more than friendship might ruin what they already have, but the chemistry between them is undeniable.

Doubting his feelings are reciprocated, Nate fears he’s risking heartbreak. Jack’s reluctance to tell his parents about their relationship only reinforces Nate’s misgivings. With both their hearts on the line and their happiness at stake, Jack needs to make things right, and Nate has to be prepared to give him a second chance.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Second Chance by Jay Northcote

goodreads

Everyone deserves a second chance. Nate and his teenage daughter need a fresh start, so they move back to the village where he grew up. Nate’s transgender, and not used to disclosing his history, so it’s hard living where people knew him before. When Nate reconnects with Jack—his best friend from school and unrequited crush—his feelings return as strong as ever. Jack’s returned home to get his life in order after an addiction to alcohol caused him to lose everything: his job, his driver’s licence, and nearly his life. He’s living with his parents, which is less than ideal, but rekindling his friendship with Nate—or Nat as Jack once knew him—is an unexpected benefit of being back home. Jack is amazed by Nate’s transformation, and can’t deny his attraction. Trying for more than friendship might ruin what they already have, but the chemistry between them is undeniable. Doubting his feelings are reciprocated, Nate fears he’s risking heartbreak. Jack’s reluctance to tell his parents about their relationship only reinforces Nate’s misgivings. With both their hearts on the line and their happiness at stake, Jack needs to make things right, and Nate has to be prepared to give him a second chance.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this romance before and I personally probably won't read it, but it sounds like a sweet trans romance.

[wbtym-pod]

6 - Trauma Bonding with Our Dicks (Second Chance) is Live!

In our 6th episode, we discuss Second Chance by Jay Northcote. This book is like a warm hug after our traumatizing experience with Get in my Swamp, and we hope you find it comforting too.   We all deserve something soft sometimes. Listen Here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sermg-14639ea The Ma'ams recommend enjoying the Bramble with Benefits—a lovely, fruity and refreshing drink—while listening to this episode. Bramble with Benefits Cocktail Ingredients:

2 parts Gin

1 part Crème de Mure

1 ½ parts fresh lemon juice

½ part sugar syrup

1 Blackberry

Slice of lemon

Crushed ice

Bramble with Benefits Mocktail Ingredients:

2 Parts Sparkling Water

1 ½ parts fresh lemon juice

½ part sugar syrup

Blackberries

Slice of lemon

Crushed ice

Cocktail Instructions:

Fill an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice

Add the gin, lemon and sugar syrup, then stir

Top with crushed ice and drizzle the Crème de Mure slowly over the ice

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a fresh blackberry

Mocktail Instructions:

Fill an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice

Muddle blackberries with the simple syrup

Add lemon juice to your muddled blackberries, stir

Pour this mixture into your prepared glass

Top with sparkling water

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a fresh blackberry

We loved this drink and can't wait for you to try it!

[booksandwords]

Why Love Matters by Jay Northcote

Read time: 1 Days Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: “I get that you don’t like to be touched,” Martin said carefully. “But surely you can deal with it if you have to?” “It makes me feel sick,” Alastair tried to explain. “My skin crawls. I blush, and go as stiff as a board.” Martin snorted and Alastair glared at him. “Not like that, you idiot!” “I know… sorry, I couldn’t resist.” — Martin Ellis and Alexander Pendleton

For a novella this review gets quite out of control. Why Love Matters is so short and sweet. Alistair and Martin are cute and made me smile, I needed it after finishing another story that was heavy. The heaviest part of this is the confrontation of anxiety. There is much focus on communication, openness and overcoming internal limitations. Oh lord the communication, we do love to see it, there is brutal honesty between Martin and Alastair. Combine that with the not quite a trope of darkness breeds courage and confidence, it was like catnip for me.

I have a couple of quotes and comments I want to share.

He had three weeks. Three weeks in which to overcome a lifetime of being uncomfortable with physical intimacy. Fuck. — I can hear this. Just the pause before the fuck. The whole line is so visceral.

Alastair stalked back to his own office and went straight to the window. He clenched his fists on the sill, looked out at the London skyline and took a deep breath to try and centre himself. — I really like this as imagery. You can feel his anxiety, you know if you were to see him you could sense it.

He enjoyed sex with women; he took pleasure in their bodies and their responses to his touch. But sex with another man was something different entirely. When Alastair picked up some guy in a club and surrendered his body to be fucked, he forgot who he was, forgot his responsibilities. All his defences were stripped away leaving him raw and wanting and vulnerable. — Alistar is written as bi but a form of bi that I don't see commonly in fiction. Bisexuality is a spectrum a person can land anywhere on it, and that includes having a physical preference for one or the other. It was a joy to read a character written with a preference.

Martin was made of contrasts. His black hair and pale skin, the angles of his cheekbones and the soft curves of his lips, the awkward grace of his lanky body. — When you realise who this is describing (Colin Morgan, circa 2010) it is a wonderful fit. Also I really just like it.

Although sexual experimentation between boys at Alastair’s public school was commonplace enough to almost be expected, it was generally assumed that as soon as you were old enough to get your hands on a girl instead, you put same-sex experimentation behind you. — Sounds familiar. I work in an all-boys school. Our boys are extremely tactile and if I had to guess experimenting (those that aren't openly LGBT). I know quite a few come from families that expect hetero-conformity even now.

I feel like I need to point out that Jay Northcote themselves admits that Why Love Matters was originally written as Merlin, presumably Merthur, fanfic as a modern au. With Alexander Pendleton for Arthur Pendragon and Martin Ellis for Merlin (Emrys? is the surname I see a lot). It was published for charity in 2016 in the wake of Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando (see this blog post). Though it is now available for free through either Amazon or Smashwords. When you look at it with this knowledge it does explain some of the extremely visual elements in the description. Particularly the line "Alastair followed as his father swept regally into his office. Alastair closed the door behind them and turned to face Theodore who sat in his high-backed leather chair as though it was a throne. He gestured for Alastair to sit.". Theodore is Uther. Props for the use of the name Poppy for Hunith even if it is unintentional. There is a link between the origins of Hunith (Hunydd) and Poppy, Hunydd partially originates from a word for sleep (yes I had to look that up).

[lgbtqreads]

Hey there! I'm looking for something mlm with either the main character or love interest (or both?) being a trans guy, if you have it. I would also love something on the smuttier side, and horror is also always a plus for me. thank you :)

Ooh write this down because you may already know them but if not, these are the two authors you must know if you love trans mlm horror: Lee Mandelo (Adult) and Andrew Joseph White (YA, but with an Adult coming). Get thee to their books immediately!

For sexier trans mlm romance, check out What it Looks Like and Sex in C Major by Matthew J. Metzger (especially if you're looking for kinky smut), Coffee Boy by Austin Chant, The Prospects by KT Hoffman, Second Chance and Starting From Scratch by Jay Northcote, and Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander.

[peachybeins]

Peachy's Dysphoria Busters Masterlist

Individual posts reviewing each book will be linked. Although might not review all books listed here as; I'm a slow reader and romance/erotica isn't my preferred reading.

🌈=TPOC ● 🏳️‍⚧️=T4T ● 🍆=bottom surgery rep ● 🐻 = Fat/Muscular TM/NB ● 🍑=bottoms anally ● ⚧️= M/NB ● ♂️ = M/M ● 🚻= M/F ●🔝=TM/NB tops ● ☢️= warning femme terms ● ✅️=No femme terms ● 🐱= front hole penetration ● ❌️= TM/NB doesn't bottom

Books

Stripped by K.M. Neuhold 🐻♂️🍑🐱🔝✅️

The Assistant by John Tristan ♂️❌️✅️

Starting From Scratch by Jay Northcote ♂️❌️🔝✅️

Love Me Now by R.M. Virtues 🏳️‍⚧️♂️🌈🔝🍆✅️🍑

Reverb by Anna Zabo 🚻🔝✅️❌️

Saving Throw by Alex Silver ⚧️🍆✅️

Bo Next Door by Duckie Mack 🌈♂️🍑🔝✅️❌️

Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander 🚻🏳️‍⚧️🍆❌️✅️🔝

Comics

Primal Noise by Michel Gerencir ♂️❌️🔝✅️

Sasha from the Gym by Otava Heikkila ♂️🏳️‍⚧️🔝🐱✅️

DRC by Homotar0 ♂️🌈🍆❌️✅️

Bathouse Company by Homotar0 ♂️🐻🌈✅️❌️

My postive rating Criteria is: no femme terms/feminising, no PIV, trans tops, diversity in age/body/racial representation, bottom surgery would be a plus, also the actual writing

Review scores meaning:

90-100% = S tier, Peak fiction as close to perfect as possible

70-89% = A, Great

60-69% = B, very good

50-59 = C, I mean it's alright I guess

40-49 = D, mediocre, bad even but could be worse

0=48 = F, Why were my eyes cursed to witness this? I want my time back

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Queer Holiday Books

🦇 Good afternoon, my wonderful bookish bats. I'm LOVING all your amazing holiday book guides, but what about adding a few queer holiday books to the list? Here are a few to consider asking for under the tree this year!

✨ Sapphic 🌟 Season of Love by Helena Greer 🎁 Under the Mistletoe by Everly James 🌟 Checking it Twice by Lucy Bexley 🎁 Under a Falling Star by Jae 🌟 Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun 🎁 In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae 🌟 Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke 🎁 The Christmas Ball by Lily Seabrooke 🌟 Christmas in Mistletoe by Clare Lydon 🎁 All I Want for Christmas by Clare Lydon 🌟 Higher by Roz Alexander 🎁 Collie Jolly by Leigh Landry 🌟 The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish (also m/m) 🎁 How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow 🌟 Monica Adams Skips Christmas by Krista Harper 🎁 Whiteout (Anthology) 🌟 Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young 🎁 Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

✨ Gay 🌟 Faux Ho Ho by Nathan Burgoine 🎁 A Boyfriend for Christmas by Jay Northcote 🌟 Glass Tidings by AJ Cousins 🎁 What Happens at Christmas by Jay Northcote 🌟 You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky 🎁 The Working Elf Blues by Piper Vaughn 🌟 Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden 🎁 Let Your Hearts Be Light by Fae Quin 🌟 Merry & Sprite by Dani Lakely 🎁 In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler 🌟 Tangled in Tinsel by Ellen Mint 🎁 The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane

✨ M/F 🌟 Meet Me in Los Feliz by Kelly Reynolds 🎁 The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese 🌟 A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

✨ Nonbinary 🎁 Sugar & Spice by Eli Wray 🌟 The First Noel by Eli Wray 🎁 Secret Santa by Eli Wray 🌟 Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron

[voidstappen]

Nothing fic related, but there's this book called ' Not Just Friends' by Jay Northcote, and the main characters' names are Max and Lewis, and I can't stop laughing since then. It was written in 2014. The author must have known something.

Oh? I have to check it out! Thank you for the recommendation, will make sure to imagine the two characters as Max and Lewis 😂

[aspiringpolymath]

July 2023 Reading Wrap Up

I've been pondering starting a bookish instagram, but in the likely event I never do, here are the monthly wrap up images I made for July 2023. (If it doesn't have a rating it just means it was too short or too . . . personal? to easily rate. I didn't track DNFs on these graphics, but I DNF'ed seven books.

*sigh*

Of course, I wrote a bunch of stuff about the books here, but then tumblr ate my words. So, on the off chance you have a question about anything I read, let me know.

I might keep posting here, if no one minds and I find it easy enough to keep up with. I'm hoping to make the graphics a little less rough and ready in future.

Also, I will list the books for accessibility purposes.

Indelicacy by Amina Cain - libby - novella - 3.5 stars

Assembly by Natasha Brown -libby - novella - 5 stars

Red’s Wolf by Beth Laycock - freeb - novella - 3.5 stars

Sergeant Delicious by Annabeth Albert - freeb - re-read - short - 3.5 stars

Sea Lover by J.K. Pendragon - smashwords - novella - 4 stars

45 and Holding by Jacki James and Jill Wexler - ku - 4 stars

The Stablemaster’s Heart by Sarah Honey - arc - 4.5 stars

Kiss Me Like You Mean It by Jacki James - ku - novella - 2.5 stars

Overtime by Marina Vivancos - arc - 3 stars

A Lifetime Kissing You by Riley Hart - ku - 4.25 stars

Like a Charm by Jordan Castillo Price - ku - short - 2.5 stars

The River’s Edge by Jordan Castillo Price - ku - short - 3 stars

The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S. E. Harmon - arc - 3.75 stars

Not Over You by Samantha Wayland - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram - libby - 5 stars

Nothing Special by Jay Northcote - audio re-read - 4.25 stars

Open Throat by Henry Hoke - audiobook - novella - 4.25 stars

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame - library - 3.75 stars

Sincerely Harriet by Sarah W. Searle - mg - graphic novel - library - 3 stars

Dirty Slide by KD Casey and Lauren Blakely - audiobook - novella - 3.5 stars

Ephemera by Briana Loewensohn - graphic memoir - library - no rating

Rockstar and Softboy by Sina Grace - graphic novel - hoopla - 3.5 stars

Like I Needed by Charlie Novak - ku - 3.75 stars

Dirty Steal by KD Casey and Lauren Blakely- audiobook - novella - 3.75 stars

The (Pet) Detective Agency by Noji - manga - hoopla - 3.5 stars

Love & Vermin by Will McPhail - cartoons - hoopla - 4.25 stars

It’s Paradise, Baby by KD Ryan - novella - 4 stars

Out in the Country by Alexandra Hale - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

Second Chance at First Love by N.R. Walker - ku - novella - 3.5 stars

An Exception by Megan Derr - hoopla - short - 3.5 stars

Use as Wallpaper by Glenn Quigley - freeb - short - 4.25 stars

Five Dares by Eli Easton - 1 star (for extenuating reasons, have liked other stuff by the author)

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera - own/hoopla audio - mg - 4 stars

Mistletango by Alexandra Caluen - hoopla - 4 stars

Paper Planes by Jennie Wood - graphic novel - libby - ya - 4 stars

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood - hoopla - graphic memoir - 4.25 stars

Quest of Fools by Megan Derr - smashwords - 3.25 stars

Fairy Wings by Sasha L. Miller - smashwords - novella - 3.5 stars

Deal Maker by Lily Morton - audiobook re-read - 4 stars - more frustrating in audio

Riding the Wave by Daria Fisher - sapphic short - freeb smashwords - too short to rate, really

Thieves by Lucie Bryon - graphic novel - f/f - ya - library - 4.25 stars

Aug 9 - Fog by Kathryn Scanlan - libby - too strange to rate

The Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely - ku - 4.5 stars - very expertly done

Garbage by Reese Morrison - arc/ku - 3 stars

Fine by Rhea Ewing - graphic non-fiction - library - 4.5 stars

Silent Sin by E.J. Russell - audiobook - 4 stars

Sweat Connection by Katherine McIntyre - arc - 4 stars

[gregorsamsapost-trans-formation]

Your 10 (ish) Most Read Authors (According to Goodreads or Whatever System You Use)

Technically I wasn't tagged by anyone, but I saw @dkafterdark do this and they tagged anyone who wanted to do this so here I am ☺ thanks for putting this on my dash 😅

What are your ten most Most Read Authors? And how many books have you read by them? Also tag someone who you would like to do this!

I'm using StoryGraph to track my reading so that's where I get my stats from. They apparently count rereads as seperate books so the first number includes rereads and the second is the number of individual books.

Sui Ishida [44/27]

E. M. Lindsey [31/29]

Yana Toboso [26/23]

Cara Dee [22/21]

Aidan Wayne [19/10]

R. Cooper [18/18] (not a single reread? No, wait I think I had one reread but I first read that story as part of a collection and then again on its own)

Roan Parrish [18/15]

Morticia Knight [18/15] (i would like to ask how I managed this. How did i get the exact same numbers with two authors? I'm only ranking Parrish above Knight bc I like Parrish's books more 😅)

Jay Northcote [16/14]

Seanan McGuire [16/11] (finally some pure fantasy, the others are manga or predominantly romance authors)

Tagging anyone who wants to do this, I'd love to find some more readers here on tumblr ☺

[iwanttobepeatmoss]

Scratch by jay Northcote

To touch the light by E M Lindsay

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Starting from Scratch by Jay Northcote

goodreads

Starting over isn’t easy, but Ben is ready to live his life as the man he was always meant to be. Ben is transgender and back at university after hormone treatment and chest surgery. His new housemates have no idea about his history and Ben would prefer to keep it that way. He’s starting from scratch and his life is finally on track, except in the romance department. The idea of dating guys as a guy is exhilarating but terrifying, because if Ben wants a boyfriend he’ll have to disclose his secret. Sid is drawn to Ben from the moment they meet. He normally gets what he wants—in the short term at least. Ben’s guarded at first, and Sid’s not used to guys rejecting his advances. He eventually charms his way through Ben’s defences and helps Ben on his journey of sexual awakening. It doesn’t matter to Sid that Ben is trans. He’s attracted to the whole person, and isn’t worried about what is—or isn’t—in Ben’s pants. They’re good together, and both of them are falling hard and fast, but Ben’s insecurities keep getting in the way. If Sid can convince Ben he's committed, will Ben finally be able to put his heart on the line?

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds like it could be interesting for people who enjoy reading romance. Also I love that we have a visibly trans cover man.

[myromancebooksworld]

Time to put this blog in orde!

Those are the 30 books I read last September!

My “deceptions” - meaning my 3 stars books - are:

- “Lost” by James Patterson & James O. Born - “Serenity” by India R. Adams - “Wanting My Stepsister” by Alexa Riley - “Second Chance” by Jay Northcote (3.5 stars) - “Hold My Breath” by Ginger Scott (3.5 stars)

My 4 silver stars:

- “Landon & Shay” by Brittainy C. Cherry - “Ainsi Soient Des Etoiles” by Battista Tarantini - “Forget Me Always” by Sara Wolf - “Behind The Bars” by Brittainy C. Cherry - “Loving Mr Daniels”  by Brittainy C. Cherry - “The Prince And His Captivating Carpenter” by Charlie Cochet - “Crossing The Line” by Simone Elkeles - “Echoes Of Time” by Calia Read - “Breaking News” by Ella Frank - “3rd Degree” by James Patterson - “Long Way Home” by Katie McGarry - “Her Final Breath”  by Robert Dugoni - “Rush” by Kandi Steiner - “Broken Knight” by L.J. Shen - “Death And Her Devotion” by Kendra Elliot - “Kingpin” by Alexa Riley - “Invidious” by Bianca Scardoni - “Markus” by Victoria Lace - “Black Butler” (manga) by Yana Tuhusu - “Where Angels Fear” by D.K. Hood

Amost gold - 4.5 stars:

- “49 Jours Je Compterai Pour Toi” by C.S. Quill - “De Velours Et D’Acier” by Georgia Caldera  - “Cruel King” by Rina Kent

My 5 golden stars:

- “Ruthless Knight” by A. Jade - “Wild Thing” by Michelle Hercules

[lgbtqreads]

Do you know any LGBTQ+ holiday books or winter books?

Sure do! You can find these here: https://lgbtqreads.com/romance/by-tropearchetype/

F/F

Matzo Match by Roz Alexander

Higher by Roz Alexander (Rosh HaShana)

A Masc for Purim by Roz Alexander

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow (YA)

Snow Globe by Georgia Beers

All I Want for Christmas by Georgia Beers

Checking it Twice by Lucy Bexley

*Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake

Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown (Thanksgiving) (Amz)

*Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

Mistletoe by Lyn Gardner

Season of Love by Helena Greer

Mangos & Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

Under a Falling Star by Jae (Christmas)

Under the Mistletoe by Everly James

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae (Christmas)

Collie Jolly by Leigh Landry (Christmas)

All I Want for Christmas by Clare Lydon

All I Want for Valentine’s by Clare Lydon

Christmas in Mistletoe by Clare Lydon (Amz)

Holly and Ivy by TB Markinson and Miranda MacLeod

Stocking Stuffers by Erin McLellan

Party Favors by Erin McLellan

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

The Christmas Ball by Lily Seabrooke

Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke

Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West (Chanukah)

M/M

The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert

Catered All the Way by Annabeth Albert (Christmas)

A (Fake) Boyfriend for Christmas by Sean Ashcroft

Faux Ho Ho by ‘Nathan Burgoine

Felix Navidad by ‘Nathan Burgoine

Hearts Alight by Elliot Cooper (Hanukkah) (Amz)

Real World by AJ Cousins (Christmas)

Glass Tidings by AJ Cousins (Christmas)

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

Candy Hearts by Erin McLellan

His for Hanukkah by Reese Morrison  – T (Amz)

A Boyfriend for Christmas by Jay Northcote

A Family For Christmas by Jay Northcote

What Happens at Christmas by Jay Northcote (Amz)

The Longest Night by EE Ottoman – T

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

Finding My Elf by David Valdes

Kissing Santa Claus by Max Walker

Red Envelope by Atom Yang (Lunar New Year) (Amz)

M/F

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese – DF

Bottle Rocket by Erin McLellan – BM

F/NB

Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron (Demigirl)

NB/NB

A Very Enby Christmas by Eli Wray

M/F/M

Her Christmas Cookie by Katrina Jackson

[baynton]

Jay Northcote (a trans man) wrote Second Chance, a gay romance (where one of them is trans).

Why is it so damn hard for me to find fiction about gay men written by gay men?

There's plenty of fantastic fiction about gay men written by women. And I absolutely abhor the train of thought that tries to silo writers into only ever creating characters who are nearly identical to them. Humans have more in common than we don't.

AND YET

I was going through the "pride month" collection on Hoopla yesterday, looking for something to listen to while I'm doing chores. I reckoned I should be able to find a fun gay story to read. And there were lots! It was great, honestly.

But somehow the fact that they were almost all written by women was... dispiriting I guess? Isolating maybe?

I absolutely don't want to say that women can't or shouldn't be writing stories about gay men. My question is more "Why aren't more gay men doing this?"

Also, if anyone has any good recommendations of gay male authors, I'd love to hear them. I mostly read fantasy and sci fi, but I'm open to anything.

[the-sound-and-the-fury]

December Book Round Up!

I hit my Goodreads goal a while ago, and last month I managed to reach the same number of books I read in 2018, so this month is just gravy (and catching up on things I’d had sitting on my shelf for a while). Although I did have to DNF a book (Into the Crooked Place, because I couldn’t shake the Six of Crows comparisons) and I had other things to read.

1. Mr Frosty Pants (Home for the Holidays #1) - Leta Blake

Started strong, absolutely fell apart with the characterization as it went on.

2. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern

It's possible that I finished this book in tears while on public transportation, but I'll never tell. But I mean, sometimes you've had a long day/week/month/year and then a book just hits you where you don't expect it. And I couldn't even begin to explain this one, because the story was quite literally all over the place, but I loved it and I didn't want it to end.

3. The Soldier’s Scoundrel (The Turner Series #1) - Cat Sebastian

This has popped up on my recommended list a few times, and I’m glad I finally gave in and read it.

4-7. Rainbow Place series (Rainbow Place #1, Safe Place #2, Better Place #3, Mud and Lace #4) - Jay Northcote

I’m a sucker for a series, and this is all on Kindle Unlimited.

8. Where Love Grows - Jay Northcote

Turns out this author has a lot on KU.

9. A Family for Christmas - Jay Northcote

And if I’m honest, I read so much at once that it got a little indistinguishable, but this was my least favorite.

10. Amelia’s Notebook - Marissa Moss

This was a childhood reread, because I was thinking about my elementary school love of American Girl and they published this series back then.

11. Nothing Special - Jay Northcote

I think I would have liked this if it had been longer and had more time to develop from pining to practically living together in a couple of pages.

12. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, The Alloy Era #1) - Brandon Sanderson

I'm pleased that I managed to start and end the year with Mistborn. Kind of wish I'd reviewed a few things before I began this second trilogy within the series, though, because there were a lot of things that sounded familiar but I couldn't quite remember (there were just so many details about characters and metals). But I really liked that this was a much faster read, and it had a lot more humor in it. Sometimes the banter between Wax and Wayne felt a bit much depending on the circumstances, but they were written in a very buddy-cop-comedy style that was easy to follow and visualize. And I'm really curious to see where the rest of the story goes.

Also, major side-eye for: Lessie, Wax/Marasi, and making sure Steris gets the respect she deserves