Author: tamaramorning

The Best Books I Read in December (2025)

In December, I finished 20 books, bringing my total for the the year to 232 books read of my goal of 225. I have to be honest and say none of them completely blew me away, although most of them were solid reads. The three I liked the most were:

Secrets of the Octopus, by Sy Montgomery. The octopus is my favorite animal, and this was a fascinating read filled with gorgeous pictures.

Stone Cold, by Devon Monk. I’m enjoying this spinoff to the Allie Beckstrom books. Shane is a lot of fun to read.

Silver & Blood, by Jessie Mihalik. I liked these characters a lot, even if this wasn’t the most original thing I’ve ever read. (It also wasn’t the least original, so there’s that.)

What I Read in December (2025)

Books Read in December: 20
Books Read for the Year:  232/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, by Matt Dinniman (audio): I have no idea why I’m enjoying this series so much.
Secrets You Can’t Keep, by Debra Webb (TBR): I enjoyed this.
Blueprint for a Book, by Jeanie Nash (TBR): I’m not sure I got anything out of this.
Secrets of the Octopus, by Sy Montgomery (TBR): This was a fascinating read, full of gorgeous pictures.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, by Emma Knight (TBR): I think the title was a bit of a stretch, but this was a decent read.
The Moor Witch, by Jessica Khoury (TBR): I really enjoyed this read!
Stone Cold, by Devon Monk (TBR): Still loving these characters.
Someone Else’s Love Story, by Joshilyn Jackson (TBR): Apparently, I’d read this before, but I didn’t really remember it.
Transformed by the Messiah, by Rabbi Jason Sobel. I liked this read.


For Review:

Skylark, by Paula McClain. This was an intriguing dual-historical-timeline read…although I didn’t care for the ending(s).

Oxford Blood, by Rachael Davis-Featherstone. Social media isn’t my favorite, so that (rather large) part of the story low-key got on my nerves, but this was a decent YA murder mystery.

The Bookbinder’s Secret, by A.D. Bell. I like Lily, but she did a lot of stupid and underhanded stuff.

Anne of a Different Island, by Virginia Kantra. This was a solid read that felt like a comfort read, with the Anne of Green Gables connection and callbacks.

In Bloom, by Liz Allan. I didn’t really care for this. It felt way to jumbled an chaotic.

Silver & Blood, by Jessie Mihalik. I enjoyed this a lot! The world is cool and I liked all the main characters.

The Unwritten Rules of Magic, by Harper Ross. This was an okay read, but the MC was abit selfish.  

Carnival Fantastico, by Angela Montoya. I really liked the dark carnival idea, but I thought the execution was a bit lacking.

Just Because:
Life Application Study Guide Bible

Radical Wisdom, by Regi Campbell. I didn’t connect with this very much.

Jesus You’re All I Need. I enjoyed this devotional.

Left Unfinished:
Pedro the Vast, by Simon Lopez Trujillo. The language felt overly pretentious, like the author was self-important and was more interested in that than in telling a good story.

Detour, by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart. I don’t mind an ensemble cast…but I didn’t care about any of these people.

Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies, by Jenny Elder Moke. Vapid and superficial characters are a no for me.

The Society, by Karen Winn. Taylor’s obsessions with glitz and possessions was a major turn-off for me.I don’t want to read about someone like her. I don’t care what happens to her.

Sundays are for Writing #351

I only wrote two book reviews this week, Anne of a Different Island, by Virginia Kantra (A cute read full of callbacks to Anne of Green Gables) and In Bloom, by Liz Allan (A quick read, but chaotic and very meh to me).

I also finished reading through the almost-100-pages of the fiction project I haven’t touched since 2024, and I’m ready to start outlining (very loosely) the story I want to tell now.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #350

I only wrote one book review this week, The Bookbinder’s Secret, by A. D. Bell. I DNFed three books this week, So I didn’t get a lot of reading done.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #349

I didn’t write any book reviews this week…because I didn’t have very much time to read. Oh well. Maybe next week!

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Italian Secret, by Tara Moss

Image belongs to Dutton.

Title: The Italian Secret
Author: Tara Moss            
Genre: Fiction, mystery/thriller    
Rating: 3 out of 5

Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return home safe.

Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home.

Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father’s private inquiry office. One day, Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father.

Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family’s past, travelling aboard the first post-war luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history may be entwined with her own, she realizes she might be putting all three of them in harm’s way. Billie’s father had an enemy—one who may now be stalking Billie around the world—and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.

I hadn’t read the first two Billie Walker Mystery books, but that wasn’t a problem—this wasn’t a complex book. It was an okay read, but it felt quite cliched to me. Billie’s mother got on my nerves, and so did Billie herself. Just not a good fit for me.

Tara Moss is a bestselling author. The Italian Secret is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)

    

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Time Hop Coffee Shop, by Phaedra Patrick

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row.

Title: The Time Hop Coffee Shop
Author: Phaedra Patrick  
Genre: Fiction    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Welcome to the Time Hop Coffee Shop, where wishes can come true…

Greta Perks was once the shining star of the iconic Maple Gold coffee commercials, the quintessential TV wife and mom. Now fame has faded, her marriage is on the rocks, her teenage daughter has become distant and Greta’s once-glittering career feels like a distant memory.

When Greta stumbles upon a mysterious coffee shop serving a magical brew, she wishes for the perfect life in those past Maple Gold commercials. Next thing she knows, Greta wakes in the idyllic make-believe town of Mapleville, where the sun always shines and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and second chances fill the air. Given the opportunity to live the life she dreamed, Greta is determined to rewrite her own script. But can life ever be like a coffee commercial? And what will happen when Greta has to choose between perfection and real life, with no turning back?

This was such a cute read! I really enjoyed Greta’s journey to accepting—and loving—her life. I know Mapleville was supposed to feel too-good-to-be-true, but it really creeped me out on a lot of levels. It was good to see change and growth in all the main characters, not just Greta herself. This was a sweet read with a message that wasn’t too heavy-handed to enjoy.

Phaedra Patrick lives in the UK. The Time Hop Coffee Shop is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

    

Book Review and Blog Tour: How to Grieve Like a Victorian, by Amy Carol Reeves  

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press.

Title: How to Grieve Like a Victorian
Author: Amy Carol Reeves          
Genre: Romance   
Rating: DNF

Even in the wake of loss, there’s still love, life, snark, and burlesque to be had…

Dr. Lizzie Wells, a professor of British literature and bestselling author, is grieving her husband the Victorian way. She keeps a lock of his hair in a choker around her neck and dons widow’s weeds—and notifies her colleagues and students that she will accept only paper letters instead of email.

But then she’s offered a trip to London for escape and healing, where she befriends fellow bestselling novelist AD Hemmings. Rakish and handsome, Hemmings pushes her out of her comfort zone. She attends a Victorian-style séance, gets pulled onstage at a burlesque bar, and sightsees with her young son.

All the while, back in South Carolina, her late husband’s best friend and lawyer, Henry, peels back the layers of a family secret her mother-in-law is desperate to keep hidden. Cross-Atlantic “family business” updates turn into regular FaceTime hangouts and their friendship evolves into something more. Lizzie fears she’s falling in love with him…

Struggling with conflicting feelings, Lizzie travels to Brontë country, where in the windswept moors, she comes to peace with grief, joy, and all the in-betweens.

I didn’t make it too far in this. Lizzie’s decision to make everyone around her conform to what she believes is right felt absurd and pretentious—and is a picture of what’s wrong in society. Her pretentions got on my very last nerve—as did her kissing her husband’s best friend a month after her husband died unexpectedly and then fluttering around like a trapped moth, making a show of her reaction…but not actually caring. I had no desire to read any more about a person like that.

Amy Carol Reeves lives in Indiana. How to Grieve Like a Victorian is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

   

Book Review: The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle     

Image belongs to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Title: The Rebel and the Rose
Author: Catherine Doyle        
Genre: YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…

I had not read the first The City of Fantome book, but that didn’t end up mattering. The writing was so skillful and details from the past were worked in so seamlessly that I had no problems staying up-to-speed.

I loved these characters and this world! The mythology was interesting, and the culture was fascinating. So much sarcasm and snark made me snort frequently. I can’t wait to read more!

Catherine Doyle is from Ireland. The Rebel and the Rose is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #348

This was an okay writing week: I wrote two book reviews, Skylark, by Paula McLain and Oxford Blood, by Rachael Davis-Featherstone. I also did quite a bit of journaling and some fiction brainstorming.

Happy writing!