🏆 My Top 10 Reads of 2020🏆
🏆My Top 10 Reads of 2020🏆 When I was compiling a list of my top 10 reads of 2020, it was both simple and challenging.
I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a brutal year. How did it affect your reading? Did you read more than usual because you were in lockdown? Or maybe you read less, because you’re an essential worker? Perhaps you were just in a rut and didn’t read at all?
This year I feel like I hit both extremes. There were times when all I did was read. Moments when I needed to forget everything and escape from reality, especially back in the spring. Then there were months when I barely read at all. A lot of that was because I was writing but I did hit a rough patch in early fall, where nothing, and I mean nothing, piqued my interest! It was kind of terrifying actually. I’m chalking it up to a build up of stress and the overwhelming feeling that the state of the world wasn’t changing fast enough for me. I had been craving restaurants, bars, concerts and travel for months and it finally all got the better of me.
But the good news is that the Christmas holiday season has brought me back! Writing this list of my top 10 reads of 2020, has reminded me of my favourites and has brought back that eagerness to dive into a new book.
Although I write contemporary erotic romance, my reading is quite varied. I love everything from suspenseful thrillers and heart-wrenching, angsty romance to beautifully descriptive historical. I’m also an avid reader of nonfiction. This includes everything from self-help to publishing/writing craft books.
Reading is subjective though, so I know that my list won’t appeal to everyone. However, I’m pretty sure that you will find at least one or two new reads in this list that will rock your world!
Before I get into 🏆My Top 10 Reads of 2020 🏆 I want to take a moment to thank you for being here with me. Thank you for reading and reviewing, thank you for sharing your love of books, messaging me and sharing laughs over in Cassidy’s Confidantes. You have helped to make my 2020 so much more memorable! And I hope that I have been able to do the same for you.
Please note that 🏆My Top 10 Reads of 2020 🏆are not necessarily books that were published in 2020. Just ones that I read this year and made an impact on me.
So here we go, in no particular order…🏆My Top 10 Reads of 2020🏆!
1. My Dark Vanessa -by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Womens Fiction
Let me start by saying this: read the description and understand the triggers. I rarely advise people about trigger warnings but this book is different. Although it is fiction, it reads like a memoir and could definitely open old wounds, if you have them. This is a devastating, disturbing but brilliantly crafted novel that will leave with you just as many questions as answers. A modern-day Lolita from the perspective of Lolita herself. Gut-wrenching and guaranteed to leave a mark.
2. Untamed -by Glennon Doyle
Non-Fiction/Self-Help
Where do I begin? I’ve read it three times this year because each time, I learn more and I see something that I didn’t before. For anyone who is feeling stuck, frustrated or unseen- this is the book for you. A manual for breaking out of the shell that confines you. A how-to on living the life you were meant to live. Beyond inspirational, Glennon Doyle’s work is life-changing. If nothing else, follow her on IG. She makes my feed 100% times better and I’m sure she’ll do the same for you.
3. Original Sin -by Lydia Michaels
Paranormal Romance
I adored this book! This book will turn your expectations inside out, leave you breathless and begging for more! It’s so much more than paranormal romance, it’s vampires like you’ve never seen them. And all perfectly packaged, inside an intricate story that will challenge your beliefs about love, tradition and destiny. Classic Lydia Michaels! Original Sin is the beginning of a series that holds its own amongst the classic vampire novels, but also brings a twist of creativity and originality, that will certainly stand the test of time. Counting down to book 2!
4. The Sound of Silence -by Dakota Willink
Romantic Suspense
A 5 star page turner that is so much more than just an edge of your seat romantic suspense. It’s an emotional roller coaster that perfectly mirrors the silent struggles of too many women. Beyond pure entertainment, it is a plea to open our eyes, to realities that are often right in front of us. Think Sleeping With The Enemy with a sprinkle of true romance when you least expect it but exactly when you need it most. A must read!
5. Master of Salt and Bones -by Keri Lake
Dark Romantic Suspense
Dark and sexy as sin! Loved all their broken pieces. Beautifully crafted! Gothically inspired, dirty and twisted but underneath it all, it is simple, beautiful perfection. I loved this book for showing the eternal struggle for goodness despite the overwhelming darkness. For the refusal to follow expectations. For the journey to loving yourself as you are and living your one true life, no matter how strange it seems to others.
6. One is a Promise -by Pam Godwin
Contemporary Romance
I started this book somewhere around mid-winter and I fell hard and fast for this couple. They captured my heart immediately and I laughed until tears ran down my face. But I also sobbed with grief; desperate, broken grief. Many times I was full on ugly crying, to the point that my husband was actually concerned about my mental health. I ended up so deep into my feelings that when I was hit with the ending, I couldn’t cope. Like, literally couldn’t cope. I slammed my kindle shut and vowed to not continue the series. But of course, it simmered. Simmered for months until mid-summer, when I began again.
7. Two is a Lie -by Pam Godwin
Contemporary Romance
This time I didn’t stop. I plowed through book one again and moved through two just as fast. Consumed. Obsessed. I could think of nothing else. But finally, I saw things differently than I had the first time and I understood better. Finally, it was a love triangle that I could fight for. The only problem was that I was fighting for both sides.
8. Three is a War -by Pam Godwin
Contemporary Romance
A perfect ending. But every love triangle ending must also be someone’s beginning. And it’s never who you think it will be. Thise series BROKE me. Broke in the best and worst of ways. It is a series that I most certainly will come back to, again and again.
9. Sea of Ruin -by Pam Godwin
Dark Historical Romance
This book and its prequel (King of Libertines) captured my heart and soul. I was introduced to the romance world via historical in my early teens. Although I have strayed far and wide since then, Sea of Ruin brought me right back to my roots and is on par with all greats of the 90’s! Without a doubt, this is hands down the BEST ROMANCE OF 2020 across all sub genres! Pam Godwin’s exceptional writing skills, her magical world building, intricately thought out plot and super hot sex scenes, puts Sea of Ruin in a class by itself. Even if your heart doesn’t palpitate for historical, Sea of Ruin is still worth reading because it is a story that is more than just the time period it’s set in. It is everything romance is meant to be.
10. Romance Your Brand -Zoe York
Non-Fiction/Publishing
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For every two romance books, I read one non-fiction that focuses on either the craft or the business of writing. Zoe York is a wealth of information and she has packaged it all, into an easy to read, easy-to-follow guidebook for genre fiction writers. I was already a fan of her romance books but she is not just a great fiction writer. She is a powerhouse in the self-publishing world. Whether you are writing your first or your tenth novel, Zoe has crucial information that will help you on your journey.
Do we share any of the same 🏆Top 10 Reads of 2020 🏆?
Tell me some of yours! I’m always looking for new reads!
Author and freelance writer Cassidy London, has been in love with scandalous steamy romances ever since she can remember. When she’s not writing or reading dirty books, Cassidy can also be found masquerading as a wine drinking, suburban mom in Montreal, Canada.
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