Entering the last month of the year means it’ll be time to try and wrap up some of our reading goals. First we have to talk about what we read in November 2024. Did any of our books help us reach some of our goals? Or did we find any new favorites? Keep on reading our November wrap up to find out!

Candyce

At the beginning of November I read book number 300! I never expected that to happen, because the most I’ve read in a whole year was 302 books. It’s been an amazing reading year, so I’m now excited to see what my final number will be at the end of next month. In November I read 28 books (8 audiobooks, 8 paperbacks, 6 ebooks, 4 ARCs, 1 manga, and 1 graphic novel) and I DNF’d 1 book. My average rating ended up being a 4.1, so not too bad. Let’s take a look at what I read!

Daisy Haites – Jessa Hastings

After reading Magnolia Parks, I decided I wanted to continue the series. That may surprise some people, because I didn’t like any of the characters in that book and there was so much drama, haha. Daisy Haites isn’t that different, but I do understand why people like Daisy a bit more. This one actually hit me in all the feels and I’m excited to read the next book (hopefully this month).

Heartless – Elsie Silver

After loving Flawless last year, I’ve been wanting to continue the Chestnut Springs series. Heartless was so good and I’m kind of mad at myself for waiting so long to read it. Cade and Willa stole a special place in my heart and won’t let go. This book had everything: banter, spice, swoonworthy moments, and at the end my smile was glued to my face. Elsie Silver knows how to write romance.

Just for the Summer – Abby Jimenez

It’s almost winter, but I had to read Just for the Summer and finish the Part of Your World series. Wow, this book was amazing. Justin and Emma both don’t have any luck in love. It seems whenever they’re in a relationship and break up, their exes find the loves of their lives. So they decide to date each other, because when that ends it means they find their true loves right? This book hit me in all the feels and I loved all of the links back to the first two books in this series. Abby Jimenez is officially an auto-buy author for me.

A Jingle Bell Mingle – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

A Jingle Bell Mingle is the final A Christmas Notch book and I’m sad it’s over. I didn’t love the last novella, but the main books have been amazing. This time we finally get Isaac’s story. He lost his wife way too young and hasn’t found a way to move forward. Sunny is dealing with her own grief and trying to find a way to write the movie she got signed for. Finding a muse for Isaac also kind of leads to them being friends with benefits, and maybe a bit more? This book is heartwarming, sad, spicy, and funny all at once.

My Dark Romeo – Parker S. Huntington & L.J. Shen

My Dark Romeo has been on my shelves for almost a year, so it was time to finally read it. I’ve read quite a few mixed reviews, but I was still really curious. This book was a fast read and even though it is a bit repetitive, I just couldn’t put it down. I actually really enjoyed My Dark Romeo. I’ll be reading My Dark Desire really soon.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands – Heather Fawcett

After loving Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, I’m surprised it took me this long to read the sequel. Emily Wilde’s Map of Otherlands starts off not too long after the first book ended. This book is once again told through Emily’s journal entries. We also learn a lot of faeries and see how Emily and Wendell become closer. There’s a little mystery/adventure on top that, and it had me hooked from the start.

Wild Love – Elsie Silver

I actually read this interconnected series and started with the second book, Wild Eyes. Loving that book had me going back for the first book. I’m so glad I did. Rosie and Ford’s story was so good. It was emotional, funny, and a bit spicy. Cora also made an amazing character and I’d love to see her in a next generation series.

I Was a Teenage Slasher – Stephen Graham Jones

Horror isn’t my go to genre but I like to step outside of my comfort zone. I Was a Teenage Slasher was chosen as a weekly read in my Discord book club and I have heard great things about this author. This book wasn’t one that was amazing, but I did find it enjoyable. The ending was definitely well thought out and clever.

Witch King – Martha Wells

Witch King was November’s choice for my in person book club. I had high hopes for this one after reading the first Murderbot book by this author. I already had to lower my expectations when three people decided to DNF this one and my boyfriend wasn’t having the greatest time reading it. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me either and I DNF’d after 89 pages. I don’t mind being dropped into a world and not knowing much, but I was still so confused after 27% of the book…

A Sign of Affection Vol. 10 – suu Morishita

This most recent volume of A Sign of Affection proved to me once again why I love this series so much. I have to say it’s still my favorite manga series so far. Our main characters move in together and it seems there are some secrets that still need to be revealed.

Sheets – Brenna Thummler

This graphic novel follows Marjorie who recently lost her mother to an accidental drowning. Her whole family is grieving and it seems like the weight of keeping her family going is resting on her shoulders. Wendell is a ghost that ends up at the family’s laundromat while a grumpy man is trying to take over her business. This definitely deals with grief and the art is beautiful. The ending did feel a bit rushed to me though.

Grave Matter – Karina Halle

After reading Smut by Karina, I was really curious to see what else this author writes. Grave Matter is a horror/psychological thriller and I have to say I was hooked. There were some scenes I didn’t necessarily need to read, but it was a great book to read on a dark and cold night. I’ll be reading more by this author soon.

Lost and Lassoed – Lyla Sage

I’ve been anxiously awaiting Lost and Lassoed and it was so worth the wait. Teddy and Gus are definitely oil and water in the beginning, so when she offers to help take care of Gus’ little girl for the summer, I knew things would get interesting. Lost and Lassoed was everything I wanted and then some. It was heartwarming, made me cry, had me swooning, laughing, and left me wanting more. These characters are so special and I’ve been thinking about this book since I read the last page.

Santa’s Coming -Serena Pier

I’m not much of a novella reader and Santa’s Coming kind of proved to me why. Don’t get me wrong this was a cute little Christmas romance between Emily and Nicholas. Both of them deserve an amazing night and they definitely get a spicy one. I would’ve loved this one even more if it was a full length novel. They just leave me wanting more.

Cruel Winter with You – Ali Hazelwood

You’ll probably think I’m weird after just saying novellas don’t normally work for me, because Cruel Winter with You was a five star read for me. Jamie and Marc have a history together and end up stuck together during a storm on Christmas Eve. This was only about 70 pages long, but I felt like we got everything I needed. We had some glimpses of their past and present. They just worked for me.

The Chase – Elle Kennedy

Off Campus is one of my favorite sports romance series and my first taste of that genre. So let’s say I’ve been excited to finally start Briar U. And I’m so sad to say that I didn’t love this one. Maybe my expectations were too high? I’m someone who doesn’t mind a slow burn romance, but it ended up feeling like Fitz and Summer’s romance was a side story? I’m going to continue the series, so I’m hoping I end up falling in love with the rest of the books.

A Curse for True Love – Stephanie Garber

After loving the first two books and the ending The Ballad of Never After left us with, I was very excited about diving into the third and final book. I enjoyed that A Curse for True Love had multiple POVs and I enjoyed being back in this world. That being said, this final book wasn’t what I was hoping for. It took quite a bit to get to the reveals and it felt a bit rushed. I also felt like our characters stayed a bit more surface level and things from the first books just kind of disappeared?

The Bluff – Willa Nash

It doesn’t happen often that I read a series back to back, but I think that may just happen with the Calamity Montana series. The Bluff is a small town marriage of convenience romance and I loved it. Everly and Reese were such fun characters who both deserved something good in their lives. This was the perfect combination of drama, humor, romance, and fun side characters.

The Brazen – Willa Nash

After loving the first two books in the Calamity Montana series, I just had to continue. In The Brazan we get Kerrigan and Pierce’s story. This is an enemies to lovers story and both of our characters have so much more going on than they let on. When a snow storms traps them together, things definitely get interesting. I smiled often while reading this story.

The Bully – Willa Nash

The Bully has the same set up of the other stories in this series, but for some reason I just didn’t connect to Nellie and Cal. I still enjoyed myself, but I just found I wasn’t as invested in this enemies to lovers story as I have been. Nellie and Cal have a past and that’s not always easy to get over. I did love seeing the characters from previous books in this one.

Once Upon a Christmas Tree – Lulu Moore

I’ve said it a few times already in this wrap up, but novellas/short stories don’t often work for me. Once Upon a Christmas Tree was fun and I loved that we got to know Alexander and Haven’t past a bit, but in the end it felt like we got more spicy scenes than anything. I know this is the start of a new series by this author and I think I’m curious enough to give the first book a go when it releases.

Can I Tell You Something? – Holly June Smith

Can you imagine having to spend Christmas with the man who does an erotica channel that you love? The guy just happens to be her brother’s best friend. This novella was the perfect combination of humor, spice, and a great holiday experience. The audiobook narrators were also really amazing!

Flopping in a Winter Wonderland – Jason June

After reading this book I’ve decided I want to move to the Winter Wonderland island near Alaska. This book shows us the magic of the holidays and fighting for your family. Through all of this our main characters find love. Flopping in a Winter Wonderland left a smile on face.

My December Darling – Lauren Asher

I love a good duet narration and My December Darling had that. My December Darling has a main character who is a maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. The interesting part? Her sister is getting married to her ex. That’s definitely complicated. This grumpy/sunshine romance novella is perfect for the Christmas season. Catalina and Luke’s story is very heartwarming.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer – Maxie Dara

I’ve been wanting to read this book since I heard about it. I mean A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer is a title you just have to know more about. This book reminded me of how much I love cozy mysteries. Kathy works for a soul collector agency and besides having a soul that didn’t die the natural death his file said. She keeps this story funny by being relatable and just a mess. I loved the whole mystery element and it definitely pulled on the heartstrings now and then.

Make My Wish Come True – Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

I can’t resist anything Christmas at the moment, so I finally sat down and read my eARC of Make My Wish Come True. This book was so cute and very heartwarming. Two former best friends end up seeing each other again  for the first time in years when Arden needs help changing her image to get a role she really wants. I loved seeing Arden and Caroline getting close together during their twelve dates before Christmas. The town and side characters made this story even better. I honestly think Arden’s grandmother stole the show.

Best Hex Ever – Nadia El-Fassi

If you’re looking for a heartwarming and cozy story with a bit of spice, I definitely suggest picking up Best Hex Ever. Our main character has a hex that makes anyone who develops feelings for her starts having a lot of bad luck. Scott is back from traveling while trying to get over a breakup and just happens to run into Dina. Their connection from the start was amazing and I loved that this was a slow burn romance. The reveal of the hex and how it came to be was interesting and I loved how the author also gave us amazing side characters.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf – Charlotte Stein

The title and cover had me excited to read How to Help a Hungry Werewolf, but after the halfway mark this book kind of lost me. It became all spice and it felt kind of awkward to me. I also really would’ve loved if we had dual POV in this story. I don’t know, it just fell flat.

The Thrashers – Julie Soto

So The Thrashers doesn’t release until May 2025, but I couldn’t resist reading my eARC. This book had me hooked from the start. I’m not exactly sure what I think of the ending yet, but all in all, I had a great time with The Thrashers.

 

Isabelle

I listened to 5 audiobooks this months, which sounds pretty good but they’re all rereads haha. After the American elections I saw a ton of Throne of Glass quotes online and it prompted me to get back to my reread.

Throne of Glass 2 – 6 – Sarah J. Maas

I adore this series and I have flown through it on this second reread of the year. At the moment I’m listening to the final book but I am taking my time. That book is already shattering my heart and I’m about halfway through.

So that’s our November wrap up! Have we read any of the same books? Or what was your favorite November read? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!