According to my Goodreads statistics, I read and listened to 140 books in 2021. That’s not the whole truth, because as usual I’ve read tons of fanfic – almost everything I read in December when I was sick was fanfic – so a conservative estimate is probably double that number, but likely even more.
I’ve read a few really bad books, lots of average ones, and a few fantastic ones. And it’s the fantastic ones I want to talk about today. Below is ten of my favorite reads this year. It’s not all of them – K.L. Noone’s books could probably fill an entire top ten by themselves – but it’s the best of the best. My five-star reads that should’ve gotten six or more stars if possible.
The books wasn’t necessarily published in 2021; the criteria is that I read and loved them last year. (The book titles below are links to Amazon, should you want to buy any of them)
E-books
- I’ve yet to read a Roan Parrish book I don’t like, but Raze might be my favorite (gushed about it here). I both read it and listened to it, and the narration really did the book justice. I love the main characters, I love how deeply emotional the book is, I love everything about it. Ten stars.
- A Mended Man is number 4 in the Men of Halfway House series (I wrote about it here). It’s funny how the blurb didn’t speak to me at all, and then it ended up being my second favorite book of the series.
- One Night in London is fabulous, there’s no other word for it. One night, three couples, lots of drama. I freaking adored it, as evidenced by this blog post.
- If you like ordinary guys falling in love, if you like quiet romances, Britishness, and tea, Eight Acts is just the book for you. I love all those things, as I told you about here.
- Change of Plans might have been my most anticipated book of the year (here’s the proof) and it didn’t disappoint. More drama for the poor princes, but I think they definitely have their HEA now.
- The Dragon Next Door is a very contemporary, dragon-free story despite its name. It’s quirky and lighthearted and it made me smile (read more here).
Audiobooks
- I started listening to Let There Be Light because it was available in my audiobook subscription app, and I’m really happy I gave it a try. It’s beautifully written and I adored it, despite it being sports related (I wrote about it here).
- NR Walker is one of my favorite authors, and I freaking loved Upside Down. If not even miscommunication between the characters can get me to dislike the book, nothing can! (read more here.)
- Without You was another one of the books that I listened to because it was available in my audiobook subscription. And I can listen to it on repeat because the narrators. The narrators!! (I gushed about the narrators here)
- And finally Ranger. A book I’d already eyeball read and liked well enough, but when I learned that one of my favorite narrators narrated the audiobook, I decided to spend an Audible credit on it, and I am not sorry. John Solo elevated that book from good to stellar (and made me cry when going to work) and if you’re gonna read this book, I really, really recommend the audio version.
That was my ten favorites of 2021. Tell me about something great you read last year!
Nell Iris 