I set myself a goal at the beginning of the year to read at least five more books than I did in 2018. I finished 2018 with 121 books under my belt. 2019? 135! Goal met! Whoo-hoo! Now here’s my last reading rundown for the year—featuring delightful food-centric contemporary romances like Adriana Herrera’s Mangoes & Mistletoe and Jackie Lau’s Baldwin Village books*, the NYC-set second-chance romance House Rules by Ruby Lang, and Amalie Howard’s hot and hilarious historical that probably has my favorite valet of all time. Fletcher for Prime Minister, plz.

*I am actually headed to Baldwin Village in February so I can eat things. I might try durian gelato. That is the power of Jackie’s rom-coms.

The Reading Rundown:
Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera (contemporary LGBTQ+ romance)
The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard (historical romance)
House Rules by Ruby Lang (out 2/10/20, contemporary romance)
One Bed For Christmas by Jackie Lau (contemporary romance)
Ice Cream Lover by Jackie Lau (contemporary romance)
Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan (romantic suspense)
Redshirts by John Scalzi (science fiction)
Blame it on the Billionaire by Naima Simone (out 2/4/20, contemporary romance)
Working Title by Holley Trent (contemporary LGBTQ+ romance)

Backlist adventures: I needed a comfort read, so I picked a perennial fave off my bookshelf—Lisa Kleypas’ Devil in Winter. I also read comedian Sara Benincasa’s funny and painfully honest 2012 memoir, Agorafabulous, which proved incredibly helpful while I was going through a difficult time myself.

On the wishlist/TBR: 
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller
The Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh