December 2021 TBR

Well hello…

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

I cannot express how much I’ve missed blogging. I know in my last post, I mentioned how I was back and had big plans… well… you’re probably tired of me using this phrase but… life happened!

More on that in another post, but for now, I am just so excited to be back. With so much fun bookish and makeup content planned for this entire month!!!

I am also so excited to catch up on all my fav fellow bloggers and bookish friends! I absolutely adore reading book reviews, and tags, and how their lives are going! More importantly, I love seeing what is on their TBR, because 10/10 it inspires me to add those books on my ever-growing TBR… which btw it may look like I need another book shelf soon 🙈

I will say for this month in particular, I am happy to dive into these books a little more than usual, simply because the holidays are one of my favourite times to read. I remember once holiday break started, I was on the couch for the entire two weeks just reading all the books I can get my hands on before school started up again.

My December TBR:

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

This one is a September release that has been staring daggers at me from the other side of my office, every single morning.

I have heard such amazing things about this book and have held myself back for too long while dealing with work stuff.

Now it is time to finally read it!

Here’s the synopsis:

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy….

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer is one of those authors for me that just makes me remember, with each word of hers I read, how much I am in love with story-telling.

She does it in such a way that keeps me on the edge of my seat, keeps me so drawn to her world-building that when I put the book down, I have a book-hangover for weeks… weeks!

This book came out in November and the day it came out, I ran to the bookstore so quickly, my husband couldn’t keep up as I swerved and dived the aisles until I found it.

Here’s the synopsis:

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

Meet Me in London by Georgia Tofolo

I am truly very excited to dive into all these reads, but this one specifically has caught my eye since I saw it on the bookstore shelf 2 months ago. Romantic, fake dating, london-based, feel good story? Yes, please!

It has all the vibes of cute, wintery, christmassy feels… perfect for those early darkened days, a cup of hot chocolate, and getting tucked under all the blankets whilst reading.

Also how cute is this cover?

Here’s the synopsis:

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her over the holidays—a girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion…something to keep his mother from meddling while he focuses on the business.

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed, will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…?

Always in December by Emily Stone

Another warm feeling read! This one is particularly special because this is a book my childhood best friend and I are going to be reading together and then discussing!

Again, all the christmassy vibes, the romance, and the cuteness of a holiday read.

Here’s the synopsis:

Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle collision with a handsome stranger–a stranger who will change the course of Josie’s life.

Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same–and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.

Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.

Over the course of the next year, Max and Josie will find that fate continues to bring them together in places they’d never expect. New York City. Edinburgh. The quiet English countryside. And it turns out, Max had every reason to leave and every reason to stay. But what does fate hold for Josie and Max as Christmas approaches again?

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

I mean, how could I not have added this… or even read this yet!

If you’re new to the blog, you can explore around and within seconds I am sure you will see Brigid’s name come up. I adored, was like head over heels, for her Cursebreakers series.

This was another no brainer for me, and when I read the synopsis, I died a little from being so overwhelmed by how much I wanted to read this. Honestly don’t know how I lasted so long since this came out in September… just goes to show how crazy life has been.

Here’s the synopsis:

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

Please let me know how you all are! I have missed this so much and cannot wait for what’s come next. December was when I first started my blog so this time of year always brings a smile to my face for that fact alone.

What are some of your holiday/December reads? Are any of these books on your TBR too?

Happy Reading!

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