I was struggling to come up with a topic to write about this week, and the other day when I chose to read my book instead of brainstorm, I decided: why not write about some good books I’ve read recently!? 

I promise there won’t be any spoilers ahead, so feel free to read freely with no worries. I will include the blurb of each book though in case you do want to check them out! 

First off: the book I just finished this week: Verity by Colleen Hoover. HOLY SMOKES. Hoover has some pretty great books, but this one blew my mind. My heart was racing for a majority of the story, and there were so many different feelings going on. It was just wild. If you like romantic suspense novels, I highly recommend you give this book a try. Even if you don’t like romantic suspense, I still think you should give it a try! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Blurb:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of the night her family was forever altered.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents could devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her.

Helen Hardt’s Steel Brothers series. There are now 29 books in this series, and admittedly I’ve only read probably 12 or 13 of them so far, but they are good! They’re not super long books, so they read pretty quickly. Not many series can go on that long without beating a dead horse, but I think Hardt does a good job. Forewarning: outside of the suspenseful parts of this series, there are a LOT of sex scenes. So if that’s not your thing, then maybe bypass this one lol. 

Blurb (book 1): 

After being left at the altar, Jade Roberts seeks solace at her best friend’s ranch on the Colorado western slope. Her humiliation still ripe, she doesn’t expect to be attracted to her friend’s reticent brother, but when the gorgeous cowboy kisses her, all bets are off.

Talon Steel is broken. Having never fully healed from a horrific childhood trauma, he simply exists, taking from women what is offered and giving nothing in return…until Jade Roberts catapults into his life. She is beautiful, sweet, and giving, and his desire for her becomes a craving he fears he’ll never be able to satisfy.

Passion sizzles between the two lovers…but long-buried secrets haunt them both and may eventually tear them apart.

Nicholas Sparks’ See Me. I love all of Sparks’ books. He gets me right in the feels all the time. But I think this one is my favorite. It’s got the hopeless romantic part, but I really like that suspense element as well – if you can’t tell by now. 😉 It’s a good mix of lovey dovey, and “keeps you on the edge of your seat.” 

Blurb: 

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he’s determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria’s lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria’s past begin to surface.

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

The Annihilate Me series by Christina Ross. This is another longer series but every three books or so are from different character’s points of view. They are so good! There’s a lot of sex in these ones too, but definitely not as bad as the Steel Brothers series. This series also has that good mix of mushy gushy and suspense as well. 

Blurb: 

For Jennifer Kent, a recent MBA graduate who has been searching for work in Manhattan for four long months, time and money are running out. If she doesn’t find work soon, she’ll need to return to her native Maine, where the job situation is worse.

And where her abusive parents lie in wait.

But when an unorthodox arrangement is proposed, Jennifer decides to take it. She agrees to be the “girlfriend” of Alexander Wenn, the reluctant, billionaire CEO of Wenn Enterprises, who is so devastatingly good looking, he needs a beautiful woman like Jennifer on his arm to “keep the wolves at bay.”

In this case, the wolves are other women, all of whom vie for his attention so aggressively, they keep him from focusing on business at the exclusive events he must attend. Damaged by a past event, the only thing Alex wants to do is focus on work.

And to forget his dark past.

But can Jennifer deny their white-hot chemistry? Can Alex do the same? As they move into the glittering world of New York society and big business, where deals are struck and fortunes are made, the struggle to resist each other isn’t just real. It’s an almost impossible feat they nevertheless must meet.

Armed with her MBA, Jennifer Kent knows about business. But what she doesn’t know is what could destroy her–the business of protecting her own heart. And maybe her own life when danger strikes in an all-out effort to end it.

There’s a couple suggestions if you need an idea of what to read next. If you’ve got any books you’ve read recently that I need to add to my “must read” list – let me know! I did just finish my book after all and I need a new one! 

Until next time! 🙂 

Megan Reiffenberger