The Questions for the 2020 End of the Year Survey are posted by Jaime @ the Perpetual Page Turner, who created this survey as a personal reflection of her year of bookish wanderings and readings, and never thought it would turn into a book blogosphere yearly event! I am thankful she encourages us all to participate even though over the past five years I haven’t had the best track record of joining in on the community in which she’s curated to share a summation of our readerly lives.

NOTE: I participated in this Survey in (2015) and (2020). I seemed to have skipped over the years betwixt and between then and now. I have plans to fill in those gaps but that is for another day. I also couldn’t find any updates from Jaime on her blog past (2021) which is why I kept the questions I had from (2020). She continued to blog but apparently did not continue with the survey itself.

*Please be Advised:*

This past year I read a heap less books than in years past where I would read upwards of over 150 to 200+ books. I read far less than most who focus on reading 50 books every year too. And, yet this year I was quite proud of the stories I did read and the joys they gave me as a reader. If you count all the stories I partially read – the year-end total would be *40*.

For a girl balancing two jobs – one of which is 40+ hours a week and trying to find the hours outside of work to focus on something less stressful – I consider (2024) a success! Especially as by Summer, 2024 I finally wrangled my own style of joining #bookstagram despite trying to join the community there in Autumn of (2023).

All things considered; it was a wonderfully wicked bookish year!

Be sure to brew yourself a cuppa joy as you sit, read and ponder which of my #BestOf2024Reads need to seriously become added to your own #TBR!

If you’ve filled something out like this survey (OR this actual one!) or a different kind of post altogether to summerise your readerly life in (2024) – be sure to share your link to your post(s) in the *threads below this post so I can take a gander at which stories | authors | series | genres joyfully intrigued, you throughout 2024! As I would like to expand my own TBR with the stories you’ve read yourself which could be a wicked good fit for me.

I have severely edited this survey to better reflect my last year as a book blogger and as a reader. Thereby, this survey is far shorter than in the years I originally filled it out and has a special section to celebrate my 12th Year as a Book Blogger as that truly was a milestone moment for me as a book blogger who’s struggled over the last few years to maintain her readerly life and bookish life online.

REMEMBER: if a story wasn’t my cuppa it could be one better suited for you and vice versa if you had a story which you felt fell short of your own expectations and might resonate with me better. Reading is subjective to our individual experiences within the stories themselves, and all our reactions are valid and important as they are markers of our readerly lives.

Let’s break this down a bit, shall we?

You can use this as a ‘preview guide’ of how to use my Story Vault. <— fully updated!

A Full Listing of all my Book Reviews in 2024 by Genre:

Literary Fiction:

• The Vanitas (& Other Tales of Art and Obsession) by Jake Kendall (BT)

Introspective Literary Fiction:

• The Flightless Falcon by James Charles Smith (BT)

Inspirational Fiction:

Contemporary INSPY | Sweet Romance

Harlequin Love Inspired : Contemporary Romance

• A Home for the Twins by Danielle Thorne {Street Team}
• The Beekeeper Next Door by Danielle Thorne {Street Team}
• The Doctor’s Christmas Dilemma by Danielle Thorne {Street Team}

Juvenile Fiction | Middle Grade:

• The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan {RIEHR}
  Plus, a Special Re-Spotlight of my Book Review for The Write Reads blog tour
• The Phoenix and the Firebird by Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford {RIEHR}
• Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by  Victoria Williamson {RIEHR}

Cosy Mysteries | Suspense (Traditional):

• Death Washes Ashore (book two) by Caleb Wygal REIHR}

Hard-boiled | Contemporary Suspense | Thriller:

• The Auctioneer (Book One) by D.J. Williams

Space Opera: (Young Adult)

• Heaven’s Edge (omnibus) by Jennifer Silverwood {RIEHR}

Young Adult Fantasy:

• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher {Audible}

Harlequin Heartwarming : Contemporary Romance

the Hawaiian Reunion series by Anna. J. Stewart

• Their Surprise Island Wedding (Book Two) by Anna. J. Stewart {Street Team}

Romantic Suspense:

the Honour Bound series by Anna J. Stewart

• Prison Break Hostage (Book Five) by Anna J. Stewart {RIEHR}

Total Number of Book Reviews for 2024: 14
*Previously my lowest total for a year was 64 in 2020!

Jorie’s life behind the blog:

For most of the year, I was focusing more on work and finding the moments to visit with my father who is in long-term care. For most of my followers, visitors and bookish friends online already know – my Dad entered the hospital in November, 2022 and exited into long-term care. He’s been away from us for two years now and it has been a long journey for us as a family. We’re in a good place right now as far as accepting where we are now vs where we were before everything changed. However, it is still difficult at times to accept his bad days from his good. I was thankful to be with him more over the Christmas and New Year holidays despite working 13 out of 14 days. It was a blessing for us as a family and it was a wonderful way to end the chapter of 2024.

However, as Spring started to arrive, we realised this might be our last Spring as a family. My Dad has been having different kinds of medical issues and whilst we remained hopeful they could be medically addressed, we also recognised this could be a final farewell season for us. Emotionally it is gutting realising you’re at the end of the road with a loved one and that you’re going to go from a family of three to a family of two. Nothing you can do can prepare you for this moment – even if you have seen it coming – it isn’t something that you can brace yourself for – it is something you have to endure and emotionally live through bit by bit. Whilst at the same time, trying to find the ways to spend your time saying good-bye and accepting that one person’s journey is ending is altogether harder to do than to say.

I’ve been struggling at work lately as a result of all of this – as each day seems to be a mixture of emotions for me and just getting through my shifts is a walk of faith and strength. Some days I’m winning the emotional tug-of-war and other days, I’m muddling through as best I can. Strangely no one at work has noticed or maybe they are just consumed by their own tasks and haven’t noticed I’m off my game a bit here or there. Either way, this is one season that is going to take everything out of me and may limit my time online. I’ve been trying to read to take my mind off my emotions, but my focus is on my Dad and I find myself having trouble settling into the stories for longer lengths of time right now. Each day is different and each day I try to find a way just to get through it.

As far as reading was concerned, I was properly exhausted most weeks and months of 2024. Juggling two jobs can be quite intense and as I oft stay later than scheduled at my day job which can affect my arrival time at my second – it causes for a bit of unwanted extra stress too. Aside from staying later than usual, I also fill in for co-workers and sometimes work on my days off as well. I don’t mind – but sometimes that can take an extra toll on me too. Fatigue is a constant friend most months. This is why I sometimes have longer gaps and breaks from blogging and/or engaging socially online as I simply have run out of energy and am resting offline before a new workday begins.

Somehow, by Summer 2024, I was able to find a better balance with everything and despite my best efforts that nearly lasted for the last half of the year, too. I did have a few health issues at work with injuries and rounded out the year with a total of 3x work related injuries over the score of a year. Oy. Whilst I also took ill and had to miss work for a bit here and there, too. None of which prepared me for the weeks leading into Thanksgiving wherein my Mum started to have her own health emergencies, and we found ourselves with a revolving door entrance to the ER and hospital trying to sort it all out. You can read the full disclosure of events on this The Sunday Post. I tend to tuck in a longer explanation of events in #TheSundayPost.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad year to be bookish. It might not have been my best readerly year, but it was a year I am proud of having read because of all the wonderful moments I had with the stories. Especially as all the partially read stories will become my #mustreads to finish in 2025. Inasmuch, I had new authors approach me to read their stories directly via my Review Policy. I also discovered a whole new genre of Fantasy: Wuxia as I embark on reading the beautiful duology by Alice Poon starting with The Heavenly Sword. (see also this post on #bookstagram) This is currently a book I am reading if you saw this post via #bookstagram.

Best in Books 2024:

I need to preface this section to say I had to shorten the questions this year to respond to as having read a heap less stories than in years past, I could only answer a certain number of questions about the stories I did read and/or the stories I partially read. Thereby, next year, this survey might become a bit more expansive as it was previously.

1. Best Books You Read In 2024?

(If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2024 release vs. backlist)

Consecutively now, I have decided to elect to pick the stories which truly wicked out a hearty sense of place and style of voice as I read the stories. If I reached a particular genre and you only see ‘one title’ this is because that particular one had such a strong heart within its pages, nothing else could match it. When it came time to spilt the genre by two or more titles, the titles that remain are too attached to my heart and mind; thereby unable to make a tie-breaker! I believe I did a bit better this year than last year, but only you can decide if I did!

I personally love so many stories per year it is hard to fill out this survey!

Stories like trees,

give root to compassionate joy.

– self quote o f Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story (2014).

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Archive

These awards are representing the authors who lit my mind afire with their world-building, character development and central heart of narrative wherein I ached not to be pulled back to reality after I had reached the end of their stories. I dearly wanted to remain – pensively elated for the encounter and filt to the brim with questions about ‘what comes next’…for the characters and writers alike. These are the writers and stories of whom gave me my most memorable reads of 2016. They are a cherished few who stood out from the selections I was reading throughout the year – in some instances inching out another title by how well they represented their chosen genre or styling of story-telling. They challenged me as much as they touched my soul; sometimes they accomplished this in equal fashion.

Other times, I felt my spirit lift in the purity of readerly connective sensibility to know they’ve stumbled across a writer whose palette of chosen words and character-driven story-line illuminated a particular niche of my literary wanderings – giving me much to contemplate and remain forevermore grateful for the experience. This is to celebrate the story-tellers & the daring souls who create a fully realised reality within the scope of their imagination; guided by their pen & stitched inside a reader’s heartprint of bookish happiness.

This is my final note of gratitude – an endnote after my ruminations.

These were my #unputdownable reads of 2024!

You will notice these are not solely limited to ‘new releases’ but encompass the full breadth of stories I read throughout 2024 which wicked out such a breath of joy to devour!

All the graphics in this section were originally featured on #bookstagram!

BEST INSPY Contemporary Romance:

I was especially grateful to continue to read the collective works of Danielle Thorne who writes Inspirational Romances under the Love Inspired imprint by Harlequin Books. As you might be aware of already, I joined her Street Team of Reviewers a few years ago after having crossed paths with her whilst reading Josette.

My eyes were a bit misty at different moments of the story as The Beekeeper Next Door touched on a lot of heartwarming truths about life, relationships and sorting out our lives when circumstances attempt to derail us. I was especially pleased with the inclusion of bee culture and the light touches of highlighting why bees are important in our local environments. I am definitely a supporter of bees, and it was a touching story from that aspect of it, too. Charlie was a true gem of a character – his youthful innocence and adventurous spirit was a delight of joy. Heath and Ali anchoured the story – both individually and together as Thorne gave us ample time to get to know them. You felt privy to their inner thoughts and that made the story emotionally convicting and compelling until the very last chapter which was the Epilogue. I didn’t want this one to end to be honest – I definitely wanted to know ‘what comes next’ – do they merge their properties as much as their hearts? I can’t wait to read the next story set in Legrasse if only to gain a glimpse into where we find Ali, Heath and Charlie as their lives moved forward. The Beekeeper Next Door is a heart-lift of a slow-burning romance which inspires as much as it gives you joy to read.

-quoted from my review of The Beekeeper Next Door

I love being able to settle into connective stories by authors I enjoy reading and this is example of how an author you already love to read continues to surprise you with their stories! This particular story truly took me by such pleasant surprises within the context of the story. This is why I selected this excerpt from my review – to paint a wicked good portrait of what you can find within the pages of the novel. It has everything you’re hoping an Inspirational Romance will contain whilst giving you a wicked good slow-burn romance, too. I felt this was a stand-out release for Ms Thorne too.

BEST Middle Grade Fantasy:

During Summer of (2024), I had a delightful time seeing which authors, publicists and publishers were reaching out to me personally through my Review Policy to pitch me their books for review consideration. When I received a note from the authors of this lovely novel, it was book I knew I needed to read! I was charmed and delighted by the premise of the story – whilst fully intrigued by how the authors (as it is co-written) would endeavour to treat the writings of the story from a dual perspective of both writers. What I walked away from reading it was a wicked tome of adventure and intrigue – whilst it leaves the door open for a sequel, which was a wicked good ending for me!

 

From the moment you begin reading The Phoenix and the Firebird – you become entranced by Lucy and her best friend Su. Set in Peking (Beijing), China – the co-authors immediately place you there with descriptive narrative and a friendship between the girls’ which is felt as soon as you see them on the pages. Lucy is a very independent young girl as much as Su is herself. Both were given extra courage to tackle things in life most children at their ages might not have to endure due to circumstances which changed the direction of their lives and of their families. I felt they were bonded due to that kind of shared history even though they were from two different countries. I loved how readily we felt as if we could step through time and history and walk alongside them. For me that is what pulls me into these kinds of stories – the ways in which the writers can illuminate the story and set the tone of what will follow next.

The writers have a lovely imaginatively immersive style to their story-telling – as they visually paint their scenes alive with descriptive narrative which happily roots you into the scenes. From how they describe everyday life in this part of the city to the encounters Lucy and Su have as they walk through the streets themselves. Everything comes alive to you, and you can travel alongside them as readily as if you were there yourself simply by how wickedly transparent the visuals are and how wickedly the story pulses with city life. Including the shady characters, you might expect to encounter in the darker portions of the city where crime and mayhem might be more frequent than the cosier family neighbourhood sides of the city, too.

I loved how the authors offered the vantage points they gave in the narrative – of how two independently fierce young women could write their own stars and create their own routes to the future. They were each undertaking so much on their shoulders, but they did it with the full belief they could achieve what they needed to do rather than question if someone else was more qualified or if they needed more assistance past what they could each shoulder together.

-quoted from my book review of The Phoenix and the Firebird

When it comes to Fantasy, I love to feel as if I have ‘gone somewhere else’ and ‘lived’ elsewhere – inside a different world or a new perspective of life if it is an Urban Fantasy rooted in our own world, too. With this lovely release, not only do we go somewhere we can only imagine through the vision the authors had of this story, but we get to feel as if we have truly lived through the adventure as well. My mind was bewitched with this story as soon as I began to read it until the very last page was reached. I love that about Fantasy. How it opens new portals of thought and imagination and gives us a ready wicked experience for having read it.

BEST Middle Grade Fiction:

Summer began on such strong footing when I heard from the author behind Mo Seto! This was the first Middle Grade novel which was pitched to me as Summer began and I was completely over the moon in love with the layers of insight and thought behind the life of Mo Seto!! This isn’t just a Contemporary MG novel – as it has portals of insight into the past – through books which are lost to time and which are being re-discovered in the present. I lightly touched on that aspect of the story as I reviewed the novel as I wanted to hold back a bit of the story for readers to discover it on their own.

However, with the sequel being released in Spring, 2025 – I believe that part of the story is being talked about openly with readers – those who have read the first installment of the series and those who are just discovering it, too.

There is an EPIC conclusion to this story, and I loved how Chan opened the door for this to become a trilogy! At least, that is the liberty I took in concluding this particular story. There are three different windows into the past which can interconnect to the future and those particular windows are hidden. It would be brilliant if each installment focused on how to find and protect those windows of knowledge for future generations. On a personal note, it was a wicked riveting adventure start to finish, and I was overjoyed by how much action was inclusive to the ending! At one point you’re not even sure how Mo is going to get through the scenes because of how intensive the action became and how dramatic everything shifted to become a fight to live scenario! My favourite part of the ending, too, was how Mo realised that she had everyone she needed in her life – from family to friends to even the possibility of something more as well.

Part of the joy of reading the story is trying to unearth the mystery behind the words and movements within the book Mo discovers as being part of her father’s family history and legacy. In that way, Chan takes us close to the journey alongside Mo – of rooting out what the symbols represent in English and how as Mo translates the book itself, she’s not just discovering long lost ancestral truths but she’s sorting out how to use her own heritage as a method of understanding a bit of her present, too. Not that she has fully connected the dots on that as we walk alongside her, but I had a feeling that the book would take on more meaning for Mo by the time story ends. It was clever how we get to peer into Mo’s life from different angles of it – from her pursuit of wanting to continue martial arts training despite her mother’s insistence to discontinue it; to her friendship with Nacho and her fortitude of courage to try out for an audition in a movie her mother knows nothing about. Each layer of her life is rife with moments of growing up and growing into herself – of finding her own path and of embracing who she is in the here and now. I felt Chan did a wonderful job writing out the layers of the story whilst entertaining the reader at the same time by how she chooses to give Mo such a lot of depth whilst we took the adventure alongside her.

The Ledendary Mo Seto is a new Middle Grade heroine to celebrate because she reaffirms what we all know to be true of ourselves: our strength is our courage, and our courage is our confidence. We each have something unique to contribute to the world and just by being ourselves we give ourselves the freedom to live daringly fierce!

-quoted from my book review of The Legendary Mo Seto

I was truly captured by Mo herself and the journey she undertook to discover herself. This is a novel about how to live fiercely and confident in oneself and how to find your voice along the way. It is a wicked adventure and an insightful novel about growing up as well. I definitely felt this would appeal to readers of all ages because Mo is such a relatable character. This novel also helped me restart my readings over the Summer and became a beloved read because of what it gave back to me as a reader.

BEST Young Adult Fantasy:

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Uniquely, this was my first entrance into the collective works by T. Kingfisher and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found inside this novel! It both challenged me as a reader as it was tucking into some aspects of Fantasy Cosy Horror and giving me a wicked fantastical adventure at the same time! There were moments that I was on the pins of nerves reading the story and other moments, which were quite surprisingly emotional! Overall, I was wicked happy to have listened to the novel on audiobook as the narrator truly brought Kingfisher’s story to life for me in a way, I think reading the story in print might have limited. I will be forever grateful to have found this story and to be swept inside the character’s journey as well. It truly was a wicked reading experience and one that I will always remember.

You’d have heard my giggles and smirks and laughter the entire time I listened to this wickedly delightful story! Kingfisher has a way of charming her phrases into an immediate fit of laughter for the listener, too! I am sure it would translate just as hilarious if you were reading the story in print. Her words and turns of phrase are simply wicked brilliant and give a delight of their own to the reader who finds her stories. The lighthearted manner in which the story was told was just the cuppa of joy I needed in my life this year and that is why I set my sights on having this as the first audiobook I’d listen to as we chase after #SpooktasticReads and kick of the lovely readathon properly with a story which simply bewitched me start to finish!

There is a darker element within the context of the story – there are a group of bandits who plunder townes and kill all the residents and cause chaos inside this world in a way that has a rippling effect on all the other townes as their not sure if they will be next in their line of sight. It is a hard world to sort out from that angle – as part of the world is full of people just trying to live their lives and do the best they can as they live whilst the other half seem to work against that rule and seek only to disrupt and destroy. The magickers themselves are not immune to danger and also seemed to have a mark against them altogether – as if their lives were not as protected as non-magickers. Or at least, not the magickers who had lesser-known abilities or less important gifts. Which spoke to a hierarchy within the magic wielders of this world.

Visually Kingfisher alights you directly into the adventure Mona is having – using such alarmingly accurate visual details to describe the shader parts of Riverbraid and the conditions therein. She has a cheeky humour threading throughout the story, too, which I felt would give even a YA reader a good cackle of joy to read vs just having adults enjoy the story.  Although I believe the main target audience is a Young Adult reader, so much of the story is definitively an adult story, too. It isn’t that the story is pessimistic but rather more like a series of adverse events which continuously grow more dire as the timeline shifts forward.

By the time you find yourself caught inside an insurrection with Riverbraid under siege – your just not ready for it!  Especially as it set into motion an emotionally gutting of an ending! The bravery of Spindle and Mona working together and separately was quite incredible but so too, were the people of Riverbraid. They had a conviction of belief that nothing was ever quite impossible even if the enemy is starting at you and you refuse to give up in the face of battle. Again, this story is such a strong one to listen to and to unpack as it has so many wonderful moments inside it to contemplate afterwards. My heart was still with this world even after it concluded. And, again, – due to how gutting the ending affected me, I was quite without words how to describe what I was feeling. I felt a bit like Mona actually – we survived and now we just must carry-on.

-quoted from my review of A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

BEST Contemporary Romance (Suspense):

I am truly addicted to reading Romantic Suspense novels – especially Contemporary Romantic Suspense – I tend to gravitate towards reading two imprints by Harlequin – either the Romantic Suspense or the Love Inspired Suspense titles. Both of these give me a wicked good read – one is faith-based and thereby, sometimes a bit more gently told but only just so much as I have been on my wits end reading a LI: Suspense title as much as I have the other imprint too! The author who gave me the nudge to read the Romantic Suspense imprint was Ms Stewart and I have been wholly addicted to these ever since my first readings of the Honour Bound series – which is the series I’m showcasing today. I am also blessed to be on the Author’s Review Team and able to receive these lovelies for review consideration.

I’ve been reading each of these installments – each one giving me a wicked good read. This particular one was a different installment from the previous ones – being that the timeline of the story and the locations of the action were more pared down the other stories. It was told more in an isolated setting than the other stories in the series and I think because of that it became a very intensive read for me. I truly was grateful for this installment ended because it was how I had hoped it would end for the characters and that doesn’t always work out – as sometimes your own readerly instincts for how a story should end doesn’t always align with the author’s vision of it. This time it did and wow, did I have a heck of a read awaiting me when I started this novel!

 

I love when Romantic Suspense stories have more than one surprise awaiting the reader – in this particular case, it is a surprise I won’t spoilt for anyone but let’s just say Ashley isn’t as alone as she felt whilst a hostage. I was so hugged inside this novel, the pages just flew past my fingers – I was pulled so wholly into the orbit of Ashley and Slade’s romance. As there was another cabin which became their refuge from the storm which was brewing to destroy them both. A cabin wherein they both could heal a bit but also sort out their connection to each other and if it had room to breathe. That cabin became an oasis of calm and I felt it was well placed in the story. Part of me had hoped it wouldn’t be the last time we’d see them there it truly became a special place for them.

Slade and Ashley understood each other on a soulful level of connection, and I believe that was part of what fuelled the story for me. Stewart gave us a close and personal glimpse into who they could be outside of this situation and also, gave them the chance to be themselves inside that situation too. It was a unique romance from that angle of insight. As these were two people caught inside an impossible circumstance and neither of them were free and yet, romance blossomed all the same! When the story concluded, the emotions were high – not just for the characters but for myself, too, as I felt as I had lived it with them. The beauty of course, was the promise of a new tomorrow – for everyone and Stewart left me with a thankful heart as all the loose ends of the story were beautifully resolved and connected in the end.

What I love most about how Stewart keeps the continuity of the series foremost as a focus for readers who are moving through the different installments of Honour Bound is how beautiful it is to read how connective these characters remain in each other’s lives. Some authors only briefly have characters from different installments flicker in and out of a new installment of a series, but Stewart takes it a step further and truly showcases how integrated they’ve all become to each other. So much so, it is one expansive family unit – wherein, everyone chooses to be in this newfound family and everyone cares for each other with equal affection and admiration. It is one of the more beautiful aspects of the series for me as I love getting updates about characters who were focused on in the past whilst embracing other characters’ who are now in the spotlight and central focus of the current installment.

-quoted from my book review of Prison Break Hostage

BEST Contemporary Thriller:

One of my favourite parts of last Summer were all the lovely authors who contacted me through my Review Policy and one of them was DJ Williams!! He gave me a wicked good read within the pages of The Auctioneer and it has been dearly hard to be removed from this world he’s created within the Chase Hardeman series! I need to buckle down and read the sequel King of the Night as the first installment of the series was such a keenly riveting read! I was on pins and needles through the whole adventure and even then, I was on bated breath waiting to see how he would end it!

This is the kind of #unputdownable Thriller I love to discover because you get everything, you’re looking for in this kind of story all wrapped up in one incredible series! Especially as it isn’t very cut and dry who the good and bad people are in the storyline either – as a lot of the characters have a bit of a past to them and even, the lead character has some questionable moments in his own history that make you wonder how he’s made it thus far along. Very fast paced and high octane – this is the series for those who love to read these kinds of Contemporary Thrillers.

The intricate threads of this narrative rely on an explosive plot twisting into a climax the reader isn’t even prepared to see revealled. Williams has written a very powerful and suspenseful labyrinth of a story set in our modern world and politically charged against the backdrop of our contemporary histories of war and terror. Therein he wrote a scheme of plot which involves a deep thread of conspiracies and subterfuge. As you align yourself in step with Chase, you feel his emotional angst and anguish as his entire life is peeled away to see the fractions of truth against a backwall of protection he wasn’t even aware of existing. His father was a more complicated man than he realised and it was through his connections to power and influence which kept Chase alive as long as he had. Their world of auctions was only the tip of the iceberg as they were into so much more than the items they auctioned. At one point, you felt bad for Chase because he lived his life understanding it from his point of view only to have that shattered and realised his life wasn’t quite lived as a person who chose his own path but rather had become a pawn in someone else’s plans.

As the layers are peeled back as you would an onion, Williams gives the reader clues into what is truly going on behind the story itself and that is even more chilling than the one we thought he was leading us to see alongside Chase and Laney. Even the dark web plays a role in this novel as part of what is happening in-line with the investigations is also taking place in the darker markets where anyone can manipulate leverage for what they want to acquire. Emotionally I was overtaken by the tragedies and complexities of the love triangle he wrote between Chase, Laney and Elena. Their stories were threading behind the narrative and were ever present during the chaos of the here and now. Life and love are complicated in of themselves but as Williams proved in this kind of a setting and evolving storyline – the cruel reality is love has no place to root and grow into something which can be maintained. And that was one of the more sombering parts of the story for me.

My heart was so attached to this story start to finish – from the cinematic scope of Williams vision of it – to the deeply threaded multiple POVs and the intensity of the suspense! I truly was hugged so deeply into the core of Chase’s journey I found it hard to put down even for a second! What gave me a breath of hope is having the sequel close at hand to devour next – as there was a window of opportunity outlined in the final chapters of The Auctioneer which offers a blueprint of where the series will be taken hereafter and I’m ready for it! For me, one of the sweetest rewards of this journey was what was lying in wait and hiding overseas – I admit, I smirked because I had a feeling Michael Hardeman had one final card up his sleeve and Williams didn’t disappoint! As you chase the clues and follow the leads – you’ll be quite surprised at how eloquently Williams encased us in a scenario of a plot which clarifies the point of ‘the enemy within’ and the lengths of what some will dare to do in order to protect life and liberty. This is a novel which pins itself squarely in a timely Contemporary Thriller timecard whilst endevouring the reader to expound their knowledge of the cutthroat underworld and darker portions of the web.

Chase Hardeman is an unexpected hero caught in the midst of a conspiracy and undertakes a high web of deceit and transgression against everything he holds dear. To pursue him on this cat and mouse chase was a pleasure of a read because of how Williams delivered such an incredible story beset with characters of whom you find yourself compelled to see come out victorious even if some of them are morally grey and not entirely on the side of the law. He paints the grey areas well in this series and gives the reader plenty of fodder to chew on whilst bringing us close and personal to the dangers near and wide. I cannot wait to see where we find Chase in the sequel King of the Night and follow in his footsteps as he goes after the next person of interest Williams has conceived to be his next villain to pursue. This is the kind of Contemporary Thriller which happily keeps you awake at night, contemplating the revelations within and attempting to sleuth out the breadcrumbs Williams leaves behind as an attempt to stay ahead of the game, too. It is the best kind of Thriller to become lost inside and that is a credit to Williams who knows how to write a compelling drama with thrilling suspense!

-quoted from my review of The Auctioneer

BEST Space Opera Series:
(Young Adult Science Fiction)

Ooh my dear goodness. Every so often a book comes along and finds you right when you need something like it in your life. And, for me, that was Heaven’s Edge! I have been sitting on this omnibus series for too many moons now and it took me until November, 2024 to read it! What I found inside was beyond incredible!! The author is a personal friend of mine and as I’ve known her Fantasy stories moreso than her Science Fiction – to say I was blown away by how layered and intricate she had written this Space Opera is putting it lightly.

She also told this story in three uniquely different perspectives – using three different characters to move us forward and backwards through the story overall. I have my personal favourites in each of the installments however, what left me wanting more from this series is of course ‘what comes after?’ We’re left with so many questions by the end of the trilogy – as these are three interconnecting novellas.

There are plans for more novellas and a full-length novel but I do not know the timeline of those arriving. I also don’t know if they will all be greenlighted or just one of those options. Either way, however which this series expands and continues is something that I am waiting to celebrate and *devour!*

The further you dive into this series, the more realistically convicting the story becomes – from unfathomable enemies and predators to the harsher realities of trying to survive day to day with young children in tow and never knowing if you can get help from the rest of the survivors who were aboard a different ship than your own. Silverwood has garnished an incredible eye for dramatic narrative set within an unjust world and a twist of fate no one saw coming to them. She dug deep into the watery culture of their home world and of their innate draw to water. I loved how she played with that as a tool to best understand them as a whole whilst owning to the fact their species was dearly connected to water overall. It is this sense of how water carries a connective thread of origin and species and awareness I appreciated the most. It isn’t oft you find an element like water to be used in this way and I loved how Silverwood knitted it together into the fabric of her character(s) origins.

There are so many layers to this collection of stories – you feel as if you’ve become each of the characters Silverwood is highlighting in this collection as we take-on their essence as we transition from one novella to the other and with that transition comes a full sense of themselves, too. You can definitely understand the differences in their perspectives and personalities as much as gain further insight into their internal conflicts and consciousness. It is a clever way of setting the momentum for the stories whilst expanding our worldview of their experiences – complete with the bias and judgements they may or may not have towards each other as well.

For Space Opera readers – you’ll be instantly glued to the pages – Silverwood has crafted a wholly conceived universe within this series and it continuously pulls at your heart. Mostly as outside of the dangers of Space and of being stranded on an alien world – she tucks into the heart of relationships, found families and drawing alliances to defeat a common enemy. The relationships are both romantic and platonic – as naturally the survivors would consider whom to pair off with and forge a future together. If only to pass on their knowledge and experiences to a new generation of their kind.  However, they were also sisters and brothers of sorts – co-raising each other and forming a bond that was stronger than blood. Silverwood gave them a wicked good sense of fighting instincts and defined how they fought against enemies as a singular unit who moved in synchroneity with each other. It was quite the undertaking I would think to carve out that particular unity amongst her different characters and she did it with grace and a natural confluence of events.

-quoted from my review of Heaven’s Edge

All I can say, is that this might be a YA Science Fiction series, but readers of any age will become enthralled with the story, the characters and the setting. It has so many details that Space Opera readers will love but also, the intrigue of the unknown and the high-risk stakes of being so very far from home.

BEST Science Fiction:
(Middle Grade Science Fiction)

This is another book I’ve been sitting on to read. Apparently, it was my year to finally getting round to reading certain stories and I am so thankful that The Heart of the Uni-verse was one of those stories for me! I have been so overcome by my readings of this story – celebrating it near and wide as the author has given us such a creative novel to read. I love the fact she merged narrative and poetry together, but it was how the poetry itself offered a journalled perspective of insight into her character which truly turnt the tides for me, too.

As soon as I began reading The Heart of the Uni-verse – I knew it was going to be a special kind of novel to read because of how the voice of Pi resonates so deeply through the poetry Henke shares at the beginning of the story. It is almost as though Pi, himself has fused his internal voice into the poetry and that allows us a more interpersonal connection right at the start of where this story begins to involve us in his life. It has a unique tone and cadence of presence, too, as the poetry is almost a walking conversation with Pi – about his thoughts, his feelings and where he is in his young life in respect to understanding himself as he moves through childhood. Henke made a smart choice in using poetry in this setting and allowing us to peer into her lead character in such a clever way as if to find a new way to anchour us into the heart of a character altogether.

I loved how Henke equated a direct line about black holes in the galaxy with holes in the heart – such as the medical heart condition Pi has himself. He chooses to talk about his medical history in his poetry and through the poetry, his soul speaks his truth and the truths about how he observes things in this world. It was one of the more interesting revelations he shared – whilst he was introspective about it as well. Hence the earlier nods towards this novel being an ‘Inner Space’ story.

Henke’s style of narrative is a joy to behold – as she tucks us close to the emotional and psychological layers of her characters – giving us a closely personal narrative and a story which reverberates innate truths and states of conscience thought. I loved how she crafted the story to set round Pi and his science project and then enlarged the scope of the story as everything unfolded from there. She kept the story very real and relatable too – touching on real life by how Pi’s father was a deployed parent who couldn’t return home more than once a year if he could return then and how his grandfather (Big Paw) was experiencing early stages of Dementia and how that was affecting the family. The story is grounded and honest and gives a wicked good presentation of how despite the challenges we are facing in our lives – it is the attitude of our mind and our heart which bespeak how we will transition through the challenges themselves. Especially as of all the things we can’t control – we do have a say in how we approach life as it is lived. The fact she used mediation as a guiding force in the novel was one of the more enlightening ways, I felt she’d inspire the younger readers for whom the story was initially intended as an audience. And, yet, it is also a good reminder of how best to live our lives for older readers who might feel bogged down by the trials of life and need a kind nudge of encouragement towards seeking a better mindset to face their own challenges, too.

-quoted from my review of The Heart of the Uni-verse

BEST Audiobook Narrator for 2024:

Patricia Santomasso
for “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking” by T. Kingfisher

What I liked about her approach was her confident delivery and how she etched out such a strong presence of character quite out of the gate! The story opened and as soon as you heard her narration you felt ever present and anchoured to the setting and the story. That’s sometimes a bit of a hard feat to produce and a lovely surprise for the listener. Her voice wickedly performs the exasperation of the character too whose quite befuddled about finding the dead body. I loved listening to her and feeling out the setting at the same time through her narration. That’s also a credit to Kingfisher who beautifully etched out everything for us to see and hear and observe.

Her instincts for personalising the experience for us by how she took-on Mona as a character, too, was quite a lovely feast for your ears, too. She was quite entertaining as she was endearing and that was a winning combination for me. You felt almost immediately endeared to Mona through Santomasso’s voicing of her and that left me wanting for more even though I realised this was a one-off novel.

I appreciated all the characters Santomasso performed – whether they were heard for just a scene or a sequence of scenes. She gave such life to each of the characters – minor and supporting alike that it felt like such a well-rounded cast of voices to pull you further and further into the story. She layered her performance well by alternating between Mona and the voice she used for the narrative bits – where she was vocalising the story itself rather than an individual character. She has a wicked cadence to her voice that suits this story quite well too.

I am not sure I would enjoy reading this story as much as I did listening to it. There is such a strong presence of the story and the characters’ through Santomasso’s performance that it leaves a strong lasting impression. If I were to read it in print it might even become a different story altogether. I definitely highly recommend this to be heard rather than read.

-quoted from my review of A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

As you know, I sampled a HEAP of audiobooks in (2024) however, for this particular award, I wanted to give it to a narrator I had listened to from start to finish rather than to give a shout-out to those narrators who I had sampled and ached to listen to in full. So many of those narrators are going to become my #mustlistens of this New Year, 2025 as their voices and their narrations kept me on my toes. They have a way of giving me a wicked good listen and even within the first twenty-five minutes of those audiobooks, I knew I was going to have a wicked good experience.

This is award celebrates the stand-out narration Santomasso gave me and the ways in which she was able to have the story affect me so dearly much as a listener. As I was both full of laughter and mirth and then, teary eyed and emotional by the story’s conclusion. I felt every emotion listen to this audiobook and I applaud her for being able to give me such a dimensional experience through her narration. Plus, the ways in which she tucked us closer to the individual characters by how she etched them out vocally was beyond brilliant. This is a story that does well being elevated through narration and it brings the story to life in such a clever way as it ruins it to read it in print. I definitely will be purchasing a copy of this audiobook as I listened to it via my subscription to Audible (as it was in the Plus Catalogue).

I might not have read as widely and as often as I have in years past, but this year, each story I read and listened to via audiobook – was a blessing and a gift. I was wholly engrossed into these lovely worlds and the characters gave me a full rooting of presence into their lives.

Congratulations to all the authors & narrators
who blessed my reading life in 2024!

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Best series you started in 2024?

• Heaven’s Edge series by Jennifer Siverwood (see also Review)
• Chase Hardemann series by D.J. Williams (see also Review)
• The Legendary Mo Seto series by A.Y. Chan (see also Review)
• The Legrasse series (see also Review)

NOTE: I am on Throne’s Review Team and the other stories were sent to me for review consideration.

I was very fortunate to begin so many lovely series this past year! With Heaven’s Edge – a uniquely told series by way of interconnective novellas re-set the standard method of Space Opera for me! In talking with the author afterwards, I know there are more stories which are planned to come ‘next’ and I, for one, am aching to read those stories! This gave me a better insight into realising that not all Science Fictions need to start in longer length (ie. novels) or have novels and novellas released in the usual way of delivery for those series.

With the Chase Hardemann series I returnt to my love of Contemporary Thrillers and still want to follow-up it with the sequel but also the stories of Clare Chase and JS Monroe. I am loving being caught inside this area of literature again as it has taken me a bit too long to become re-attached.

Wherein with the Mo Seto series, I loved capturing the JOY I had reading these kinds of stories when I was younger. There is such a lot of heart and light in Mo Seto but also, so much wicked fun! She’s on the brink of growing into her own skin, finding her own voice and become such a strong young woman, too. I appreciate how Chan approached writing her character but also the historical histories of those books which are dearly important to the series projection moving forward.

The Legrasse series is an INSPY Contemporary Romance series by Danielle Thorne and one that I was thankful to have the chance to read whilst being on the Author’s Review Team. This one is an emotional read as much as it is an uplifting romance. I’ll be continuing to read this series in (2025) as I had the sequel carried forward from #blogmas 2024 which is A Guardian Till Christmas and followed closely by the new Spring release of Winning Over the Baker.

Best Sequels of 2024?

• Their Surprise Island Wedding by Anna J. Stewart (Hawaiian Reunion series) | (see also Review)
• Death Washes Ashore by Caleb Wygal (Myrtle Beach Mysteries) | (see also Review)
• Prison Break Hostage by Anna J. Stewart (Honour Bound series) | (see also Review)

NOTE: I am Stewart’s Review Team and Wygal sent me the first four novels of his series for review consideration.

I was so excited to be making progress with Wygal’s series that I had planned to get further along with the Myrtle Beach Mysteries rather than ending the year with the second book! For whichever reason, the hours slipped past me and I never had the proper chance to begin the third novel of the series until this Spring, 2025 which is Death on the Golden Mile. I am properly attached to this series now – finding the on-going mystery behind Clark’s wife’s death as intriguing as what happened to Mr Monk’s wife Trudy. (from the tv serial Monk) There are some carry over appeals between this series and the tv series too. For starters, both husbands were the ones who carried the cases forward to unearth the truth behind why their wives were killed. Both series are Cosier in nature rather than gritty hardboiled police procedurals. And, both lead characters get distracted from their main interest (solving the death of their wives) by solving other crimes that apparently land on the path to investigate! I hadn’t truly put those connections together until I was settling into the third book and realised I know why I love this series as much as I do! Laughs.

Whereas with the Honour Bound series by Stewart what keeps me locked into her series is the high octane and fast paced styling of her series. It is a Contemporary Romantic Suspense series, and it keeps you on your toes! Forget anything being ‘cosy’ in this series as you just never know when the danger will start and how it will end! You’re on the run with her characters as soon as you begin the first chapter, too! Ha! The high energy and the high stakes is what keeps me rooted in the rhythm of her series, too. I also learnt that one of her new series is an extension of this series and I am keeping that story to be read after I conclude Honour Bound.

Whilst the Hawaiian Reunions series is just pure love and joy for me to read. She’s curated a lovely niche of home inside this series and each visit I came make into that world is pure happiness for me as a reader.

Best Series Ender of 2024?

• Tamn from Heaven’s Edge series by Jennifer Silverwood (see also Review)

I held my breath – literally, because I had a feeling Tamn wouldn’t do what I wanted him to do. I will say this though – the Epilogue was a satisfying conclusion of the story at this point in the series. I actually loved how Silverwood centred the focus of it on Qeya and Tamn. Despite the fact, part of me wanted to peer into a bit of where Ohre was at that moment in time – this series at this junction needed to focus on Qeya and Tamn.

At the heart of the series, it was always about their relationship and the connection they had together which transcended this reality, too. Without spoiling anything as Silverwood had a hidden secret about these two which I felt was wicked brilliant. It is an emotional ending too – because you know there will be harder talks in the future for both of them. Harder paths to walk and soul searching too. Yet, having come through the series as I had these past few weeks, this was a strong finish, and I am wicked thrilled to have taken the journey.

I dearly need more though! Much more!

I was truly conflicted as a reader after having read the conclusion of this story. Mostly because although I LOVED reading the ending of the series, I took a few issues with how Tamn’s section of the story was written. All of which I discussed on my review. And, yet there was an Epilogue included which I’ve shared my reactions of here to better explain my state of mind by the time I reached the end of it. It was such an emotional read for me and definitely earmarked the kind of stories I crave to continue to find – to read, absorb and find myself emotionally connected too.

3. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2024?

[(debut novelists) of whom published their first book in 2024]

• A.Y. Chan (The Legendary Mo Seto) (see also Review)
• Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford (The Phoenix and the Firebird) (see also Review)

I bookended my Summer by reading both of these novels – as I started the Summer with Mo and I concluded my Summer with The Phoenix and the Firebird. Both of my reviews posted in August, but I was reading Mo’s life from June to August respectively! To be entreated to read two wickedly written Middle Grade novels in one Summer felt like the best gift to me as a reader as each of these lovelies was beautifully written for their main target audience in mind. Younger readers I would hope give these stories a chance to win them over whilst I am hoping older readers and adults not in the target of their audience would be equally interested in reading them as much as I was myself!

Both of these are strong debut releases by their authors, and I am wicked curious about what will become their next releases! I have confirmation about Chan’s sequel for this year, but I am not sure what is in store next from the duo behind The Phoenix and the Firebird.

4. Books from a genre you don’t typically read &/or was out of your comfort zone?

• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (see also Review)

This story was so far OUTSIDE my COMFORT zone as a reader that I was impressed with myself for finishing it! There are equal parts of Cosy Horror and Fantasy elements that were just a bit outside my usual wanderings that I nearly felt that I couldn’t finish it at all! I hung in there and I was so thankful that I had as Kingfisher found a way to have story work for her as the writer behind the novel as much as her restraint in some scenes helped me as a reader hug closer into the storyline. I had so many emotions whilst listening to this story, too, that it is hard to think that I survived the book overall! And, yet, some of my best memories of listening to audiobooks are wrapped up in this book and the narrator who breathed it to life!

I definitely felt challenged by this audiobook and challenged in a good way because although it was firmly outside my zone of comforts for reading Fantasy, there was something altogether wicked about how Kingfisher built this world within the story, too. It was quite incredible, I have to say!

I am still at a proper loss as to what my #nextread for Kingfisher should be!? I am fully aware the next story by hers I will be listening to (as I’m hoping I can find one on audiobook again!)  will also be firmly outside my comfort zone and that’s wicked okay by me! It reminds me a bit about why I love the October Daye series – sometimes, certain writers can encourage us past our comfort zones and embrace a wholly new niche of a genre we already love! Speaking of which, I need to sort out how to purchase the October Daye series in print so Mum and I can read them in tandem at long last! This is why that series has been *on hold!* ever since I first started to read it. Mum was encouraged to give it a go and wants to read it with me. Hmm.

5. Books you can’t believe you still couldn’t read in 2024?

• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alstron
• Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus
• and EVERY book on my BACKLOGUE – from blog tours to review considerations to LibroFM and NetGalley

I started to make progress towards reading some of these stories – I listened to the first few chapters of Amari and the Night Brothers and questioned why it has taken me so long to start it! Whilst I felt challenged by the story within Sweep of Stars to understand where we are entering the plot and the storyline which is why I was both reading the book in print and listening to the audiobook at the start of Sci Fi Month (in November, 2024). I have the sequel on hand to read as well and I am hopeful one of these #SciFiSundays will be featuring the books after I’ve read them.

Listening to the audiobook for Cemetery Boys this past year was a special treat. It has only taken me a good four years to finally get into the book! I had hoped to borrow the story through my local library but for whichever reason, this title and others which have LGBTQ+ themes and characters within them are harder to source and/or if they get copies into the library – as soon as their borrowed they start to disappear. Thus, I am now sourcing my own copies of the stories I want to read rather than relying on my library. Knowing that the sequel is in the works for this lovely story and will release hopefully after I’ve had the chance to finish listening to this installment of the series!

Sidenote: Ooh! Happy to report, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu (the sequel) has been pushed back to *2026!* So, this gives me a lot of time to settle into the story before the sequel comes out! Wicked.

I sometimes have to take a step back and question why some stories make it through to me to read each year and why others get pushed forward to read another year. I don’t oft have the reasons behind it either – some days I know what removes me from reading a certain book or story and other times, I have no idea what has pushed forward a book vs another one I’ve read. I can say, this short list of stories and a myriad of other stories are my top priority this year and I am hopeful by the next retrospective of stories read next year in (2026) I will have more progress to report!

6. Best Book You Attempted to Read In 2024 Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
• In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Hallow
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

I have to admit, I was disappointed in myself when I realised I couldn’t attach myself into the world of The Night Circus as I was reading the book in print as much as I was listening to the audiobook. It was also the RAL for Wyrd And Wonder and one that I was so eager to read at long last! I thought for sure that was going to be the ‘year’ I could read the book of choice at the same time as everyone else and enjoy the process of discovering the story for myself, too. And, yet it just wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t the book’s fault either – I just lacked the focus to give to it.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea impressed me so much from the sampler of the audiobook, that I purchased the audiobook during Wyrd And Wonder! I was so wicked happy finding it and then, similar to The Night Circus I found myself only able to sample audiobooks rather than listen to them in full that month. Whereas when it came to listening to In the Company of Witches I found myself hating the story simply because I felt the narrator they picked was killing the story for me. I want to try reading this one in print and seeing if the story appeals to me as for whichever reason the narrator was a non-start for me.

I wish I could remember who recommended all these stories to me to read and/or listen to on audiobook. I know Axie Oh’s novel was based on another book blogger’s review of the novel. I’ve tried to search through my comments via WP’s Reader as I felt it was a WP book blogger who had written the review, but I came up empty in my search. I do remember that Lark @ The Bookwrym’s Hoard recommended The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches to me. And, the rest of the stories I know were recommendations but who and when they were referred to me to read is lost to time itself now. Unless someone nudges me in the comments and says “It was me!”

I know Lisa @ Dear Geek Place was talking to me about The Once and Future Witches at some point as were a few other bookish mates online too but the who and whom of those discussions is a bit lost to time now.

7. Best Worldbuilding &/or Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

When it comes to world-building – I have the tendency to focus more on Science Fiction and Fantasy (or any Speculative Fiction world being built). There is a high level of expectation whenever I read Speculative stories because I want to feel both viscerally inspired and transported to this ‘other place’ I have never traversed previously but can feel as wholly comfortable and at home inside as if I had. Each of the stories listed here gave me such a strong impression of themselves I would recommend them to anyone who wants to take that portal jump out of this world and into the author’s vision for theirs.

Best Worldbuilding:

• The Phoenix and the Firebird by Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford (see also Review)
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (see also Review)

When it comes to setting – I like it when I can feel as if I have travelled to a particular setting as if I left my life where it was and took off on holiday to visit the setting in the novel instead. Whether that is Contemporary or Historical (ie. if Historical a bit of time travelling is required!) – as you get to see a different cross-section of society and see how others are living. I also love when setting becomes a character of its own and adds to the background texture of the story you are reading. Each of these paints their settings alive in such a way as to give you the kind of experience you are seeking out of a story being set where the setting is as important as the plot!

These two were equally built visually for the reader and gave me such a wonderfully intrinsic viewing of their worlds. The first was built on the stones of Mythologies and wholly realised through the co-authors’ vision of their world. It was magical and mystical and inspiring in so many ways. Just to be inside the world they had built for us to find was a blessing of an adventure. I loved looking into the details and allowing my imagination to takeover with those details of the world. Likewise, when it came to Kingfisher’s story – so much of it was part fairytale and part fantastical othersphere – meaning, that a lot of it felt like you were lost in an unknown fairytale but the rest of it felt like you had stepped into another space entirely and you just never knew what you were going to see, experience or hear. Both of these were visually spectacular, and both were wicked emotional reads, too in their regard.

For readers who want wicked worldbuilding – look no further than both of these novels!

Most Vivid Setting:

• The Auctioneer by D.J. Williams (see also Review)

In part because this was taking place in our Contemporary world and partially because of the way Wiliams elected to paint this world alive for us, it became the story which held within it the most vivid setting for me as a reader. You could feel the setting as much as you felt you were living within it alongside the characters. There was grittiness to the setting as much as there was such onslaught of danger and intrigue. You felt pulled into the setting as much as the drama evolving through his characters’ lives. All of which made for a wicked potboiler of a Thriller to read.

8. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face  &/or Was The Most FUN To Read?

• Their Surprise Island Wedding by Anna J. Stewart (see also Review)

NOTE: I am on the Author Review Team.

It just felt like coming home and I truly needed that this year. I have two more installments of this series to read this Spring and I couldn’t be happier because I love spending time in this Hawaiian towne and setting. You can’t help but smile whenever you’re reading one of these stories, too! I find the series a great uplift of joy to read and am so thankful I have the author to thank for discovering it.

9. Most Unique Book You Read In 2024?

• The Phoenix and the Firebird by Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford (see also Review)

In terms of world-building and character development as well as full immersion into the vision the authors had for their story, this one by far was the most unique book I read in 2024. I am dearly craving another story anchoured to this one and hopefully picking up the pieces of the story where we left off with this one too. I am not even sure if they are planning to  write a sequel to the story but wow, would I love to read it if they were considering it!

10. Favourite Books You’ve Partially Read & Want to Finish in 2025?

Clearly this is a NEW question I am adding into the survey for (2024) as let’s face it – I sampled so many wicked lovely audiobooks, it would be nice to have a record of which ones stood out to me and are on my #mustlisten list for the New Year! Whilst at the same, I also partially read books in print and thereby will separate the audio from the print in this list!

Audiobooks to Finish:

• The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh – I dearly wanted to continue this at the time!
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – reading and listening to this on audiobook!
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas – such a strong start!
• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston – was so dearly enchanted by the story!
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – I needed more time in this story!
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Hallow – definitely needed more time with this one!
• This Poison Heart by Kaylnn Bayron – loved how this one begins!
• Cinders and Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann – I was truly enjoying this one!
• Wraithwood by Alyssa Roat – it made me think there were a lot of hidden secrets in this one!
• Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman – loved how this started!
• Greenwild by Pari Thomson – very intriguing plot and start!
• Conjure Island by Eden Royce – definitely didn’t want to stop the audiobook at that point!
• A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano – loved the narrator and the storyline!
• Moondust in my Hairnet by JR Creaden – my readings were interrupted in November by my Mum’s medical crisis

Books to Finish:

• In Every Life by Rea Frey – this became a very emotional read for me and I just needed more time to read it
• Chasing Eveline by Leslie Hauser – part of #MyYASummer reads
• How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman – part of #MyYASummer reads
• Boys and Girls Screaming by Kern Carter – part of #MyYASummer reads
• The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill – part of #MyYASummer reads
• Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison – I need to purchase a copy as I only read a chapter sampler!
• Terra Electrica by Antonia Maxwell – I need to purchase a copy as I only read a chapter sampler!
• Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sonderby – my readings were interrupted in November by my Mum’s medical crisis
• Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus – I found this a most challenging yet intriguing read!
• Resonate by Courtney Grace Powers – my readings were interrupted in Nov/Dec by my Mum’s medical crisis

My Bookish & Blogging Life:

1. What I feel was the best takeaway as a book blogger in (2024):

Rather than answer the typical questions of this section of the survey, I am modifying it a bit this year. My best takeaway as a book blogger during (2024) would be the fact that I kept forging ahead. I kept trying to find ways to balance my readerly, blogging and bookish life whilst working full-time. That in of itself felt like an accomplishment. Though it wasn’t until Summer, 2024 where I felt all of that work to find the balance was paying off as I was also engaging on #bookstagram too. I had a lot of good memories of the year – from Wyrd And Wonder to Spooktastic Reads to Sci Fi Month. Those were the concentrated events I focused on during the year and they produced some rather amazing results.

During Wyrd And Wonder in particular I was able to make some remarkable discoveries in audiobook and narration! Whilst I continued that process of discovery during Spooktastic Reads. If you combine the two events, these are the stories I most look forward to finishing during (2025):

• Waiting on Wyrd and Wonder (see also Post)
• Wyrd and Wonder Year 7 : Celebrate Comfort Zones (see also Post)
• Jorie’s Short Stack of Wyrd And Wonder Reads (see also Post)
• Lean into Jorie’s Swept Away Straits (see also Post)
• Jorie has a slight addiction to Witchy Reads (see also Post)
• Exploring Cosy Cottage in Fantasy (see also Post)
• Exploring Hidden Universities and Schools (see also Post)
• Answering the Prompt for Hocus Pocus (see also Post)
• Answering the Prompt for Haunted House (see also Post)
• Answering the Prompt for Unseelie (see also Post)
• Celebrating The Day of the Dead (see also Post)

I also was able to share these posts during #SciFiMonth 2024:

• Boldy Reading Indie and Small Press Science Fiction and Non-Fiction (see also Post)
• Astronavigation: reading the Astra Black series (see also Post)
• Living in my Sci Fi era (see also The Sunday Post)

I was also able to blog a bit of life updates along the route of the year as well as those materialised through the following:

• Goodbye, 2023, Hallo, Hallo 2024 (see also The Sunday Post)
• WWWednesdays my Summer Reads are off to a brilliant start (see also Post)
• The stories are calling to me (see also The Sunday Post)
• My YA Summer on Jorie Loves A Story (see also WWWednesdays Post)
• Book Spotlight on Georgia’s Folly discusses my Mum’s health crisis (see also Post)

Despite the distances between posts and the frequency of my time offline vs on, the one main takeaway I had from the last year was finding my own way forward. I wasn’t worried about how many posts or reviews other book bloggers were able to share themselves but rather, I was undertaking my own journey and posting on a schedule of time that suited me best as a reader and as a book blogger. More or less, that has been my mindset every year I’ve blogged and being engaged bookish online, but it just felt like I was doing this even more throughout (2024). I also know there is a frequency of how many times to post on #bookstagram but I honestly cannot maintain that right now. Thereby, when it suits me to post on Insta, I post and when I’m not able to post, you’ll see a bit of a vacuum of time between my updates – similar to how there are gaps on my blog.

I do enjoy bridging my blog to my #bookstagram presence now and to a lesser degree to BlueSky. I think BlueSky just takes more time and energy to grow than I can give right now. As that was the case with the other platform, I was frequenting for 10 years prior to Insta. Still. I try to update my feeds on there as much as I can or as much as time allows. It is a nice place to find bookish news and to interact with fellow readers, book bloggers and authors alike and I like how you can grow convos on there too similar to the other platform as well.

Author Interviews: Questions & Conversations: = 1

I have been known to host a variety of guest author features on my blog over the years, but recently, the past several years I haven’t been hosting as many interviews and guest posts. It isn’t because I haven’t had an interest to host them but rather a lack of time to coordinate them. This particular interview was meant to be a springboard into the review for the novel of the same name but that was hinged against me reading the first novel as this is a duology and with my Mum’s health crisis in November, a lot of my readings and listenings of stories at the time were pushed forward. I’m still trying to get back into listening to The Godmother’s Secret and then, I will be reading The King’s Intelligencer. It is my hope to finish both of these before the end of Spring, 2025.

• Elizabeth St. John : discussing her novel The King’s Intelligencer (see also Post)

2. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (by comments or views)?

Top Ten Posts of 2024 (by comments):

As this past year was a bit of a difficult one for me to continue blogging due to different reasons over the score of the year – each comment I received on my blog was a bit of a gift and joy to receive. Thereby, this particular post received the most comments I could find on a single post but overall, I was simply grateful for all the comments I received. They let me know that you were all still following my bookish and readerly life whilst finding a way to engage with me even though I couldn’t be as active as I have been in the past. I truly appreciate the time everyone took to leave me notes and commentary on my blog.

#TopTenTuesday XXII: A #SciFiMonth Top Ten : Boldly reading Indie and Small Press Science Fiction & Non-Fiction

#1 (by views):

#TopTenTuesday XXII: A #SciFiMonth Top Ten : Boldly reading Indie and Small Press Science Fiction & Non-Fiction

*and*

#TheSundayPost XX | Time to get our #SpookyReads on this #SpooktasticReads!

3. Top Month for the Year for Views on Jorie Loves A Story:

October, 2024 during #SpooktasticReads!

→ Browse my Archive of Posts for the Event

Looking Ahead at 2025:

Celebrating my 12th Blogoversary!

(2025) marks my 12th Year as a book blogger and on the 31st of March, I celebrated my 12th blogoversary – as that was the day I created Jorie Loves A Story. My blog has the added benefit of celebrating a blog birthday on the 6th of August every year as that was the day I launched my blog live to the world. Most book bloggers only celebrate one day a year but mine has been a bit unique in having two separate but equal celebrations every year. This year is a bit bittersweet due to what is going on in my personal life but my Dad has always been a champion of my blog. He loved it the first moment he saw and he regularly encouraged me to follow my heart and see where the stories could lead me. He was a big supporter of my endeavours and loved seeing how my dreams could soar into the world. Likewise, he supported my writerly life in all its facets of discovery and production. I know he will be happy to know I never stopped the pursuit of stories or my love of literature and writing. Which is why it is emotionally charged this year to be acknowledging and celebrating my 12th Year whilst knowing that this could be the year I lose my father. Life is especially harder hitting right now but I want to continue to celebrate these milestones as that is something my Dad would encourage me to do.

I knew I wanted to do something special this year – which is why keeping true to my personal goals I set aside for (2025), I decided to make an epic book purchase for my 12th Blogoversary as well as purchasing a new bookcase! It was time for a new one and I have my eye on another smaller one that would be perfect for housing my Harlequin Heartwarming novels. For now, I’m grateful for what I have and might expand into another bookcase for those lovely novels but for now here are the stories I purchased to ring in my 12th Year. As you can see, two of my goals are to read more serial fiction and to continue series in-progress. I decided that that was the best place to start when it comes to purchasing books this year as a BIG surprise gift to myself!

Thereby, I sort of went overboard in the books I gathered –

For years now, I’ve fallen behind on reading the Blackwell novels by five of my favourite Heartwarming authors – Carol Ross, Cari Lynn Webb, Melinda Curtis, Amy Vastine and Anna J. Stewart. I received the original Return of the Blackwell Brothers series by the authors themselves as well as the sequel series Blackwell Sisters. However, the Blackwells of Eagle Springs and the Blackwell Belles are the two series I needed to purchase myself. I’m wicked happy to announce I purchased the Blackwells of Eagle Springs!! As the Belles were recently published, I saved those to purchase in late Spring or early Summer. I was thankful I could purchase this series directly from Harlequin as I was wicked happy to have all new copies of the books!

With the exception of one Wyoming Promise which was given to me by the author Anna J. Stewart.

Meanwhile, one of the series I’ve been wanting to continue reading is McCullough’s Back to Adelaide Creek – of which I originally read The Rancher’s Wyoming Twins. Thereby, I purchased copies of the rest of the series: The Doc’s Holiday Homecoming, His Wyoming Surprise and Finding His Wyoming Sweetheart. I also found out there is a fifth book in the series coming out later this year called: A Wyoming Family Holiday which makes the timing especially wicked! I didn’t know about the fifth novel when I purchased the other three, though! This series is wicked interesting to note that the first two novels in the series are in the old style of Heartwarming book covers and size design whereas the latter two in the series are of the new design.

Aside from Heartwarming novelists and series, I decided to focus on these series as well:

I first started reading the Ella Shane Mysteries in (2020) and what surprised me, is that I had listened to the audiobook whilst reading the book in print – writing a partial review of both experiences with the novel A Fatal Finale whilst hosting the author on my Twitter chat @SatBookChat. However, I didn’t seem to finish the story – either in audio or print and sort of left the door open on the series overall. As this year I promised myself to re-attach into serial fiction – both the series I’ve begun in previous years and/or begin series I never had the chance to experience – picking up the second and third book of this series was in-line with that New Year’s promise to myself. I decided to take a chance on the next two installments – whilst happily surprised to find I could purchase hardbacks for them! One is an ex-library copy, and it looks like no one even read it. Which is quite sad to me. I found these lovelies on Thrift Books – which is a lovely resource for seeking hard to find books and new books alike – I took advantage of the pay in four option via PayPal for this #bookhaul too.

I started reading the Lillian Frost and Edith Head Mysteries in (2017) and at the time, I was in better contact with the co-authors behind the pen name of Renee Patrick. I was a HUGE fan of the series – having read the first two novels: Design for Dying and Dangerous to Know. The authors had to find a new publisher for the series starting with the third release Script for Scandal and that was around the time I lost my footing with the series. I wasn’t able to purchase a copy when it first released, and they went on to publish more installments of the series too. The Sharpest Needle and Idle Gossip are the next ones I need to gather a copy after I’ve read Script for Scandal. I am also hoping to locate my copies of the first two novels as I think it would benefit me to read portions of those novels (or reread them completely!) before moving into the third as I’ve forgotten some of the series this far forward in time. This series and the Hiro Hattori series were the first two I knew I wanted to focus on outside of resuming my readings of the Blackwells.

Mr Wygal has graciously given me a wicked good footing of a start on his series the Myrtle Beach Mysteries as he sent me the first four novels. I, thereby, decided to take it on myself to purchase the rest of the series: Death at Tidal Creek, Death on the Back Nine and Mrytle Beach Burns. Whilst I await the next release come May, 2025 which is Death of a Legend.

For years, I was reading the Hiro Hattori novels as soon as they released – as I was able to either receive the books direct from the publisher whilst participating on blog tours celebrating the series, too. However, I lost my footing with the series when Ghosts of the Bamboo Road released and thereby completely missed the release of Fires of Edo. I’ve been wanting to get back into the series for a while now and decided (2025) is the YEAR. Meanwhile, as you’ll notice from book photos I’ll be sharing as I read these two novels, I’ve misplaced my copies of The Ninja’s Daughter and Betrayal at Iga. I know I have them, but which box they’re in right now is elusive to me.

When it comes to the novels by Dee Henderson – I’ve been a reader of her stories ever since the O’ Malley series which goes back to (1999). For four years, (2012-2015) she published one novel a year which each dealt with various Contemporary Thriller narratives. I won a copy of Full Disclosure Unspoken and Undetected through three different bookaways whereas I never saw Taken being offered in a bookaway and decided to purchase a copy this year to round out the collection. My very first review on Jorie Loves A Story was for Full Disclosure (see also Review). I’ve missed reading her novels and decided this is a wicked good year to resume them!

I still remember how excited I was about The Lawson Sisters first released. I was hoping to purchase a print copy of the novel during the year of publication, but I was having trouble finding a source online to buy a copy. I never thought it would take five long years to find a new copy of the book available but that is exactly what happened! I thought for sure I’d have to get a used copy of the book but no, I have a brand-new copy of it – which leads me to question, where was this novel for five years? There is a sequel to this novel too, which The Lawson Legacy and again, I cannot find a source for it online. I’m just hoping it won’t take another five years to find available copies in print – new or used – as I’d like to read it at some point, too!

Ms Gover was one of my favourite authors to read via ChocLit when I used to be a reviewer for the publisher during the first four years of Jorie Loves A Story. Her stories in Coorah Creek still hold a special place in my heart and I still have a few of those stories I need to read as well. I have all my ChocLit novels packed and one of these days I’ll have to set time aside to go through the box and root out the stories I haven’t yet read. There are several ChocLit novels and authors I’m still gathering in print except that I had to give up the ship for finding a print copy of Girl in Red Velvet and opted instead for the audiobook.

I also purchased novels by other Heartwarming authors: Viv Royce and Tara Randel.

Viv Royce is the pen name for Vivian Conroy – an author of Historical Cosy Mysteries I’ve been wanting to read for a lot of years now ever since we first crossed paths on Twitter. Her series Murder Will Follow and Miss Ashford Investigates are slated to be listened to this year as well. As those are stories I want to listen on audiobook. Her series for Heartwarming is called Heroes of the Rockies and I purchased the first two stories in the series: Winning Over the Rancher and The Rancher Resolution. Whilst the third A Dad for the Twins recently released, and I’ll pick up a copy when I purchase the Blackwell Belles.

With Randel’s series The Golden Matchmakers Club – I’ve previously have read the first two novels in the series: Stealing Her Best Friend’s Heart (see also Review) and Her Christmastime Family (see also Review). I am wicked happy to have found a copy of the third novel: His Small Town Dream but I still need to secure a copy of the fourth Her Surprise Hometown Match.

Ironically, I had forgotten that I had purchased a copy of Beth Carpenter’s Kidnapped in Alaska and should have picked up a copy of her second Love Inspired Suspense novel which is Alaskan Wilderness Peril instead. At least, this way Mum and I can both read the story at the same time! So that’s a happy outcome to accidently buying a book twice! Laughs. I still need to sort out which books I am missing by Carpenter for her Northern Lights series whilst I just found out as I was editing this post that she has a new series out this year called: Swan Falls, Alaska.

And, there you have it, dear hearts! Those are all the series and stories I decided to purchase in ONE GIANT #bookhaul for my 12th Blogoversary! I had so much fun sorting out which series to focus on and which books were readily available to be purchased, too. I still have lists of series and stories I want to gather this year but this will give me a wicked good place to start. I’m hoping by mid-Summer or early Autumn I can place another big #bookhaul and hopefully get myself further along into more series which I am already in the process of reading, too!

When it comes to the Blackwells – now that I have three of the series on hand, I haven’t decided if I need to re-read Return of the Blackwell Brothers first or re-pick up the threads of where I left off with the Blackwell Sisters before stepping into the Blackwells of Eagle Springs and then, of course gathering the books for the Blackwell Belles series. All I know is that this year I will be focusing on this series, and I can’t wait to get back into it. Especially as I want to know what Big E is getting up too!

The other BIG gift I gave myself was a new bookcase – which you can see in these photographs – as readers we sometimes need to expand our shelves. I love this bookcase as it is tall as much as it has depth of shelf space too. You’ll be seeing me feature it in different book photos as the year progresses but for now, just know my bookish heart is happy to have more room to be an organised reader this New Year.

End Notes:

I wasn’t sure how I felt about (2024) until I started to write this post and realised that I had a wicked good year of reading & listening to audiobooks. I started to realise that ahead of time when I put together the graphics to share on #bookstagram – as originally, I was thinking of not writing this post at all but just sharing the graphics instead. Except that would only tell part of the story and I wanted to expand on what was told on those graphics, too. Overall, it was an abridged year for reading but it was a full year for finding stories I felt dearly attached too and wicked happy for discovering!

I am hopeful that this next year will be a more well-rounded year when it comes to reading but also to be an even split between books in print & stories on audiobook as I am simply enchanted by the narrators I am listening to lately and dearly want to finish more audiobooks – the ones I started last year in (2024) and the ones I haven’t yet heard in (2025).

Here’s to ringing out my 11th Year of Book Blogging

and Celebrating my 12th Year which has only just begun!

{SOURCES: The End of the Year Survey by Jaime @ The Perpetual Page Turner provided for book bloggers to fill out as a summation of their year; used with permission. Photographs via Unsplash are used with permission of the photographers and under the Unsplash License. All photographs via Unsplash are attributed to the photographer on this post. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: End of the Year Survey (Year 11) banner, 2025 Bookish Goals graphic, the Comment Box banner and the following photo collages:  12th Blogovesary #Bookhauls: Blackwells of Eagle Springs, Back to Adelaide Creek and Focusing on Serial Fiction; The Heart of the Uni-verse, Heaven’s Edge, The Chase Hardemann series, The Honour Bound series, The Legendary Mo Seto, The Phoenix and the Firebird and The Beekeeper Next Door (Photo Credit: © jorielovesastory.com}

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