For the second year in a row, I read over 100 books for the year. Since I’m typing this before the New Year, I’m not sure the exact number of books for 2022, but it’s somewhere between 108-110 depending on how much I binge in the next few days. It’s really going to be a surprise for all of us because we’re moving so there’s so much to do, but I read when I’m stressed so who knows! Anyway, let’s get into my 2022 Reading Recap – I’m sharing the books I wish I could read for the first time again!
This post may contain affiliate links.
2022 READING RECAP
The last two years have meant the discovery of the romantic suspense genre for me – and I’m obsessed. Maybe not even in a healthy way. But like – is it really that surprising? Considering I grew up loving Nancy Drew, Bones, and Castle? All books and movies where the action found itself woven in with a romantic element.
I also dabbled in a few pure romance novels and a few miscellaneous genres this past year, but romantic suspense seems to be the genre for me. One of these days, I’ll share a post dedicated to my favorite reads and authors of the genres – but let’s stick to the best I discovered in 2022.
BECKETT PEARCE by NINA LEVINE
Beckett Pearce was one of my attempts at a general romance novel this year. I don’t remember much about the plot nearly 70 books after reading it, but I still think about how much I loved the way these two characters come together. It’s a frenemies-to-lovers story, and I think frenemies is the perfect word for it. I love a little bit of bickering between characters and I like when the MMC falls first. Generally, if there isn’t some kind of suspense/mystery element, I find that the angst is cranked up, but that wasn’t the case for this book. There is a bit of third-act break up in this one, but it’s short lived – which is the only way I like it. Some reviews said it was boring, ultimately, I think that’s why. But, personally, I really enjoyed just watching the characters grow together without a whole lot of stress and drama.
BROKEN by DR. REBECCA SHARP
I went through an intense reading slump toward the end of the year and was struggling to get into anything until I found the Covington Security series by Dr. Rebecca Sharp. Of that series, Broken was one of my favorites. It’s one where you see the end coming, but that still doesn’t take away anything from it. You become desperate to know how the pieces connect, because they’re all laid out for you early on. I definitely annoyed Chris a little rambling about what I thought was going to happen next during the couple days reading this book.
COOPER by RILEY EDWARDS
I’ve loved the Z Corps series from Riley Edwards. I started the series in 2021 and caught up to publication. This year, Cooper came out and it took me awhile to pick it up. But I was so happy when I did. A big component of a romance novel is a third-act break-up or miscommunication. Generally, I don’t mind it a bit here and there. But it does get tedious (which is generally why I avoid the general romance novel). Cooper really didn’t have either of those things and it was still so dang enticing. Sure, the characters struggled a little in the development of their relationship, but they came together honestly and quickly and the mystery of the story took precedence in a really digestible way. Definitely a great slump-breaker book.
MY KILLER VACATION by TESSA BAILEY
I stayed up all night reading My Killer Vacation. We were up at the cabin and decided to sleep on an air mattress by huge windows in the living room instead of one of the bedrooms. So Chris went to bed and I stayed up on the couch reading. And desperately trying not to wake him up laughing. One thing about Tessa Bailey is she is going to use 90% of the icks Spicy BookTok talks about in romance novels, but I don’t even care. This book is so funny that if she took those icks seriously, it would probably take away from the humor and make the spicy scenes feel disjointed from the story. Plus the mystery of it all was really intriguing as well.
TEAM 52 SERIES by ANNA HACKETT
My 2022 Reading Recap would not be complete without the whole Team 52 series. I read this series early in the year and when I tell you it’s still living rent free in my head. If you are a fan of The Librarians or Warehouse 13 you’ll love this series! I’m actually trying to get my husband to read it because he loves those shows so much. The stories are a little bit romance, a little bit science-fiction, and a little bit crime-fighting badass – but not too much of any one thing. One of my struggles with fantasy series is trying to understand all the elements that make up the fantasy world. With this series, it’s sort of an augmented-this-reality, so it’s really easy to get into the stories. The spin-off series are also great reads (Treasure Hunter Security is the closest in themes)!
What did you read in 2022? Any stand out faves?
