Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

December was full of family time and agenting work. It was a great month, for everything but my TBR. Thankfully, for a few days between Christmas and New Years I was able to stay up VERY late and finish a few books.

Here are my December 2023 reads:

What The River Knows by Isabel Ibañez was by far my favorite book of the month– and as you’ll see from my 2023 Recap, one of my favorites of the year. The writing is beautiful. The setting amazing. Scenes are living in my mind rent free. Truly, I loved this story so, so much. Spoiler (ish) it does end with a cliffhanger. If that is something that turns you off, this book will leave you reeling.

I also read Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross. I had pre-ordered it and was SO eager to pick it up when it came out– only to arrive at my bookstore to see it was closed on 1/26. Ha! Needless to say, I got the book and read it in about 24 hours while my children ran around me. I was the eye of the storm, completely content to see how Iris and Roman’s story ended. Honestly, reading the Divine Rivals duology and this book really can set you up for a LARGE book hangover– but so worth it. While I loved the first book (Divine Rivals), this book did a great job with carrying out the storyline and finishing them at a point I felt content.

I also read Belladonna, by Adalyn Grace. I had seen this pop up as a comp if a few queries which moved it to the top of my TBR. I wanted to understand fully what these pitches were trying to communicate and now I know! It’s a more romantic, eerie, and younger version of Addie LaRue (IMO). If you like mystery, along with a good dose of romance, this will give it to you!

Also moved to the top of my TBR was Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings, once I saw my agent noted it as one of her top reads of 2023. I loved the prose and felt really engaged in the first half of the book. It did go on a little long for me, BUT I still managed to read it in a night (hello 1am!). If you liked Tell Me Lies, and read the A List series in middle school, this is a great book for you.

That was it for me for pleasure reading. I read many great manuscripts and prepped my authors for submission this month. It was a happy reading month, even if I have little to show.

What did you read in December?