Top Reads of 2021 (Lizzie)

It’s the end of November 2021 and my last Weekend Reads post, so I wanted to make it a favorite reads of 2021. I’ve read so many great books this year! And I've read a few new authors I intend to keep following. Have you read any of these?

Here are my favorite reads of 2021 (more in order read than favorites among favorite). 

(These are all clean. Most are YA, fairytales, or fantasy romance.)

A Time to Rise by Nadine Brandes 

Lots of tears in this brilliant series but so worth it! The series starts with A Time to Die.

Dawnsong by Brynn Shutt

A delightful short story by new-to-me-author. I love the illustrated cover and look forward to more in this series.

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo

A surprising and adorable Cinderella retelling.

Secrets of the Mist by Morgan Busse

A great steampunk tale with a bit of a zombie twist. I am eagerly awaiting book 2.

Death of Mungo Blackwell by Lauren Brandenburg

A delightful, quirky contemporary story.

Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue: I finally finished this series! Delightful reads

Power On by H.L. Burke

I loved this YA superhero story. I am a sucker for a redemption story.

Healer's Rune and Guardian Prince by Lauricia Mutuska. I am very ready for more of this series! I really connected with the heroine in the second book and really liked the potential love interest.

Traitor by Laurie Lucking

A sweet story of a princess sent away from home for an arranged marriage. I'm always happy to have another book by our very own Laurie Lucking.

Princess of Shadows by A.G. Marshall

A great "Princess and the Pea" retelling with Sleeping Beauty thrown in. Humorous with a hint of danger and interesting magic and, of course, romance.

Here are some of the authors I read multiple books from. I have a link to the author page on amazon and one or two book covers.

Tara Grayce

I love all her books and read a bunch this year! I am looking forward to more Eleven Alliance books and more fae books. I liked the bits of Shakespeare and mythology in her fae books. Some I read include Lost in Averell; Eleven Alliance books; Sword Maiden, Stolen Midsummer Bride; Bluebeard and the Outlaw

Melanie Cellier 

I confess I have seen her books around for a while and have been curious around them. I am glad I finally got around to readying some! I enjoyed The Princess Search and Crown of Secrets and look forward to finishing the Hidden Mage series soon and reading more.

K.M. Shea

Another author whose books I have seen around and heard good things about. I devoured her urban fantasy series with Magic Forged, Magic Redeemed, and Magic Unleashed; plus the Snow White duology; and enjoyed her Beauty and the Beast retelling.

Kenley Davidson

I was drawn to her amazing Faceless Mage cover and was so happy to discover it was a clean fantasy book and was just as amazing as the cover promised. I love Kenley's writing style, the character depth, the storylines, and especially the noble heroes. She writes fairytale retellings and fantasy romance. I am looking forward to reading more of her books! So far I've read Faceless Mage, Unseen Heir, Stolen Thorn Bride, Traitor's Mask, Golden Heart, and Piroutte.

That's a long list, but hopefully it will give you some new reads or remind you of books you've enjoyed. Have you read any of these? What were you favorite reads this year?

Weekend Reads: Traitor by Laurie Lucking (Lizzie)

Happy Friday! Today, I am excited to review the YA fantasy Traitor by our own Laurie Lucking. I have been looking forward to Princess Penelope's story for a while now, and it didn't disappoint. Traitor is book 2 of The Tales of the Mystics, but the books are standalone.

Princess Penelope has finally found a way to redeem her past mistakes

-if only it didn't require betraying her new fiancé.

Princess Penelope gets mixed up with a deceitful duke in Common and ends up with a broken engagement to a crown prince and the taint of scandal. Now, her father wants her to start afresh in a distant country by marrying the crown prince of Delunia. Trouble awaits her there too though--will she betray another prince or redeem herself?

The book starts with Penelope learning of her engagement and having to deal with leaving her close-knit family and home for a strange land. She's homesick before she even leaves, and on the voyage to Delunia--with only a faithful maid and a couple of guards--she is befriended by an older gentleman who splits his time between her homeland and her new land. Soon, she is trying to settle into a new culture and keep her distance from her kind, smitten fiancé--for she feels she will never love again and only wants friendship in her future marriage. Poor Vander! It all works out well in the end though.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the setting (love stories about different cultures) and the growing relationship between Prince Vander and Penelope. I appreciated the lessons Penelope learned. If you're looking for a sweet YA romance with a fairy tale feel, I highly recommend this one! I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

You can find Traitor here.