Favorite Books of 2020: Novellas

It's time to talk about my favorite books from this year! 2020 has been no one's favorite revolution around the sun, but it still produced some stellar reads to help distract us along the way. 📚

Click on any title to read my original review, or click on the cover if you're interested in purchasing these books for yourself.

The Kissing Tree novella collection by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese
I enjoyed each of these four stories! One tree and the romances which blossomed under its branches over the span of 150 years.

"An Archer Family Christmas" by Karen Witemeyer
This one isn't actually a 2020 release, but I read it in 2020 and loved it. If you're familiar with Karen's Archer brothers, you won't want to miss this sweet addition to their saga.

"Hoping for Hawthorne" by Tara Grace Ericson
This contemporary story kicks off the Bloom Sisters series, and I loved the depth of emotion and topics covered while still being a fun and entertaining read.

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"Beauty Among Ruins" by J'nell Ciesielski

 


American socialite Lily Durham has never lacked for anything in her life. When her headstrong ways cross her mother one too many times, Lily is sent to Great Britain in order to spend time with her English cousins. But with the beginning of the Great War, Lily and cousin Elizabeth end up serving as nurses at a castle-turned-convalescent-home in Scotland.

Alec MacGregor, laird of Kinclavoch, cannot serve in the war because of an old riding injury. Something of a recluse, he hides away and attempts to recover from the sorry financial straits his father left him in.

This is normally the kind of book I would like, but Lily is one of my least favorite types of heroines. She does what she wants with little regard to the consequences. When she's confronted about her behavior, she denies, obfuscates, and doesn't learn anything. Even when she does it out care for others, manipulation is still manipulation, and is never the way to go. The story also lacked any kind of faith element, and I always find that disappointing.

However, if you don't mind those things, the book has a lot going for it. There's the Scottish highlands setting, plenty of intrigue, a plot full of twists and turns, and plenty of suspects for the mysterious events happening around Kinclavoch. I can see why many readers would enjoy this story. 

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.