December 2025 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • We took Jesper (my deaf tuxedo) to the vet and explained what was going on between him and the other cats. I agreed to try him on Fluoxetine. But, not a pill or a liquid. Instead, the vet sent a prescription to Chewy’s pharmacy, and they compounded it (I didn’t know that could be done for animals). And, I’m not giving it to him orally or through food. Instead, I am putting it on the inside of his ear. The vet said it gets absorbed faster there.
  • We finally got around to putting up our Christmas lights. They went up on December 7th. Usually, I would have had them up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but it rained. And we both were busy during the week.
  • We still do not have a tree. But not from lack of trying. I have a brilliant orange-and-white cat (Tony) who likes to destroy Christmas trees. And he has taught the younger cats (Kevin, Yuki, and Marcy) to destroy, too. So, we’re getting a stick-on one… lol.
  • We also had mice get into the tote (it was stored in my outdoor storage), where I had my ornaments and decorations. Everything was destroyed, from the skirt to the ornaments that the kids made in elementary school to my nativity scene. Nothing was salvageable, and I was distraught over the kids’ ornaments.
  • I decided to combine two of my shelves on Goodreads, and well, that blew up in my face. Somehow, and I am still not sure how this happened, my “Read” shelf got copied to the shelf I was trying to delete, and to my “Want to Read” shelf. So everything was in triplicate. I ended up going through every single book and placing them where I wanted to go. It took me about a week, and I am still a little grumpy about it.
  • I was very sad to hear that Sophie Kinsella passed away from brain cancer. I loved her Shopaholic series, as well as her other books.

Reading Highlights from this month:

  • I finished the Cambric Creek series (The Minoan Bride, Morning Glory Milking Farm, A Blue Ribbon Romance, Sweet Berries, Moon Blooded Breeding Clinic, Two for Tea: Welcome to Asathe, and He Loves Me Not) by C.M. Nascosta. I loved this series, but it might not be for everyone. The books’ spice level ranges from very mild to scorching hot.
  • I finished book 1 of the Industrial November on Tour series (Hiding in the Smoke). I liked the story, but didn’t like how Bren acted for 65% of the book. Sofia was very upfront about what she wanted in a relationship, but Bren didn’t listen. Of course, there is a very predictable twist to the storyline.
  • I finished book 1 of The Gunpowder Chronicles (Gunpowder Alchemy). I enjoyed this book. The book’s steampunk and historical angles were on point. The romance was a little “meh.” I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
  • I am going to finish the year up reading The Knight’s Ridge Empire series (Wicked Summer Knight, Wicked Knight, Wicked Princess, Wicked Empire, Deviant Knight, Deviant Princess, Deviant Reign, One Reckless Knight, Reckless Knight, Reckless Princess, Reckless Dynasty, Dark Halloween Knight, Dark Knight, Dark Princess, Dark Legacy, Corrupt Valentine’s Knight, Corrupt Knight, Corrupt Princess, Corrupt Union, Sinful Stolen Knight, Sinful Knight, Sinful Princess, Sinful Kingdom, and Knight’s Ridge Destiny). This is a very dark and very sexual series. I loved it….lol.

Books I Read:

Monthly Playlist (I use songs featured in the book, if there are any, along with a playlist generated by ChatGPT).

Featured Song of the Month

It’s Monday? What Are You Reading?—December 29th, 2026

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.

What I am Reading Now

Jonah Rowe, a bored accountant and aspiring novelist, is sick and tired of his job as an accountant. He is burnt out from all the office gossip, politics, and double talk, and he longs for his life to matter. Truth be told, Jonah wants anything besides the lame routine of coasting through his workday….only to psych himself up enough to do it all over again the next day. He only wishes that his life had some meaning.

Amidst the combination of writer’s block and society’s expectations to have a “real” 9-5 job, Jonah gets his wish.

His world is turned completely upside down one evening when his vision inexplicably turns blue for several moments. He then receives a warning from a spectral visitor that not only is he in danger, but everything in his life is about to change.

Overnight, Jonah transforms from an overworked, underpaid accountant to the centerpiece of a spectral battle. Will he rise to the occasion? Can he accept that everything he knows about life and death is completely wrong? And, most importantly, will he be able to comprehend and harness the power of the mysterious 11th Percent?

Follow Jonah’s journey in this new breed of ghost story!

What I am reading Monday and Tuesday:

While serving in the army in Afghanistan, Michael Cooper is informed that his wife and child are dead, killed in a store robbery in Modesto, California.The police have no leads, and while Mike finishes his tour and his enlistment, the case goes cold.Eight months after his families death, he returns to Modesto determined to hunt for justice.It’s up to Michael and his friends to track down the elusive killers and bring them to justice. If they can.

For millennia humanity has fought against the notion of magic. Superstition and irrational fear have slowly been replaced with reason and logic. Our species entered the twenty-first century with only the slightest trappings of our former, peasant selves. This was our downfall. For science and magic are merely transitory fluctuations our planet has experienced a thousand times in its history. As has happened in the past, so must happen again. As the Phase sweeps over the earth, America is lost in chaos. Electricity and gunpowder become useless, and anarchy rules. From amongst this pandemonium strikes forth one man, an ancient from the dark past, who realizes the plight of humanity and strives to create order in the bedlam of the present. Professor Avedesh gathers those he knows to have the magical strength of the ancients; those whose very genes carry power. Fighting off starvation and shadowy cults that pursue them, the Professor must teach his followers to use their latent powers, not only to save themselves, but civilization.

Goodreads Monday: Drained (Agent Hank Rawlings: Book 1) by E.H. Reinhard

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A known serial killer is once again taking lives in Chicago. Bodies drained of blood are being strewn across the city. For former Tampa homicide sergeant, Hank Rawlings, tracking down the man responsible for the killings becomes his first assignment at his new position, agent in the FBI’s homicide division of the serial crimes unit. Almost before the ink dries on the new job’s acceptance papers, Hank finds himself in Chicago, knee-deep in an investigation with a mounting body count. While every lead brings him and his partner closer to the killer, the one that puts them directly in front of him threatens them most.

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2025—December

Prompts I finished in December

A book about an overlooked woman in history

The StoryGraph Reads the World 2025—December

Prompts I finished in December

China

Beat the Backlist 2025—December

Prompts I finished in December

Based on or inspired by a true story

WWW Wednesday: December 24th, 2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!

What I am currently reading:

The night we met, she was just another one-night stand.

We were never meant to see each other again, and my best friend certainly wasn’t supposed to go and fall in love with her best friend.

Collateral damage… she’s already broken my biggest rule when we hooked up for a second, third, fourth, and maybe a few more times.

She’s everywhere I turn. I can’t escape her or the things she makes me feel.

Thanks to my best friend wanting to do anything to make his girl happy, she’s the newest teacher at Knight’s Ridge College.

If I needed to stay away before, now I have no choice. Not only is she an obsession I don’t need… she’s forbidden.

But I’ve never been as good at following the rules, so much as breaking them. I need to be careful before she gets too close to break me.

The consuming darkness inside threatens to take over following my father’s death, and I find myself craving her light even more than ever.

The only problem is, I don’t want her to rescue me. I want to drag her down… corrupt her.

We’re a match made in hell that first night we met, so why stop now when playing with fire is so much fun.

What I recently finished reading:

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I’m horny and I need you.
I’ll be in room sixty-nine waiting on the bed.
I hope you’re in the mood for giving h…
If you’re up for a game.
I promise to scream your name.

What I plan on reading Thursday through Sunday:

I learned from a very young age that the only person I could count on was myself.

For years I’ve been content with meaningless one-night stands and zero promises for tomorrow.

I had a good thing going, until he crashed his way into my life… and heart, and wrecked them both.

Nico Cirillo.

The bad boy mafia prince and the one man who’s ever left me craving more. Not that I’ll admit that.

And now, he’s not only a mistake I’ve made time and time again, he’s everywhere I turn.

Taunting me.
Tempting me.

Doing everything in his power to screw up my life, tarnish my reputation, and corrupt the only dream I’ve ever had.

But while I’m pushing as hard as I can to keep him away, his reckless decisions and hot-headed behaviour have forced him to reconsider.

His U-turn is enough to give me whiplash, but it’s nowhere near enough for me to lower my walls and let him in.

To give him a chance he doesn’t deserve.

It’s going to take more than a bit of grovelling after all the ways he’s hurt me, even if it is on his knees.

I found everything I didn’t know I needed.
Accepted forgiveness I didn’t deserve.

She fought for us.
Killed for us.
She was one of us.
And there was no way I was letting her go… again.

But I’m not the only one with wicked intentions for my siren. With her missing, we turn our blame to an obvious enemy. But our path of destruction could be leading us right into another trap.

We’ve been so consumed trying to win this war, that we’re losing the battle. We’ve been oblivious to what’s right in front of us.

Those kind of mistakes could destroy us. If we let them.

Individually, we’re strong.
But together, we’re invincible.
And we’re about to show the world just what we’re capable of.

The last thing I wanted to do with my evening was get all dressed up just to allow old rich dudes to undress me with their leering eyes while I pretended to laugh at their crass jokes.

The only funny thing about this situation is that it shouldn’t be me. My sister is the experienced dancer. I’m the innocent one. But with her down and our desperation at an all-time high, I didn’t have much choice.

I even argued to get myself here, thanks to my guilt. How bad could it really be?

Bad… worse than I expected.

Eyes everywhere, hands itching to follow.

Angry and irritated with the men’s audacity, I escape from the action only to find myself trapped in a man’s bedroom. A very wealthy man judging by the collection of watches I find.

I know I shouldn’t be here, touching what doesn’t belong to me. But they have everything… and we have nothing.

Time freezes the moment I’m caught, and a thrill runs through me. Because it’s not one of the older men from downstairs that finds me. It’s him. The guy I thought could save me from this living hell.

Only now, his kindness has vanished, replaced with the same hunger… but something in his eyes lets me know he’s not afraid to take what he wants.

And I’m not sure I can stop him… or if I want to.

The night we met, she left behind a lot more than just her shoes on my bedroom floor.

She left an impression.
A lasting memory burned into my brain. It teases me… tortures me.

Months have passed since that night. I’ve tried a million and one ways to get her out of my head.

But she’s always there. Haunting me. Stealing my sinful thoughts. Fuelling my darkest desires.

I warned her to stay away. But I didn’t mean it— not really.

Before I can make her mine, I’ll have to find her. With nothing more than her red heels, it’s impossible.

Until I stumble across her in the exact same place I found her the first time… and the last place I expected her to be.

She didn’t heed my warning.

And she’s about to learn to take my threats more seriously.

I want to claim her, but she’s not mine to keep. So I’ll take what I can get, and be the one to walk away this time.

My mistake was thinking I would always know where to find her. I just hope this time I’m not too late.

Romanceopoly Reading Challenge 2025—December

Prompts I finished in December

Bonus—Latinx Summer Fiesta (Summer Holidate)—Read a book by a Latinx author that captures the vibrant energy of summer

Bonus—Spooky Reads {Fall Holidate}—Read a Halloween or horror romance book

It’s Monday? What Are You Reading?—December 22nd, 2025

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.

What I am Reading Now

My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count.

But nothing could have prepared me for the fear in her voice, and then the sight of that building going up in flames.

After the way I treated her, the way I hurt her, I’d earned that pain back tenfold. I deserved to lose the only bit of light in my dark, twisted life.

Neither of us have survived the suffering only to have it end this way and I refuse to believe that our time is done. It can’t be. Because she was made for me—the only good thing that came out of my past.

And the first chance I get, I’m going to make sure she knows exactly what she means to me.

No more lies.
No more pretending.
Just the raw, honest truth.

I can’t live without her and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to her that she belongs with me.
That the life we were born into might have left us damaged, but it made us stronger.

And when she claims her rightful place amongst us, I’ll be by her side and together we will rule this reckless dynasty.

But first we have to survive…

What I am reading Monday and Tuesday:

I’ve lived my entire life in the shadows…

Sheltered yet painfully aware of the haunting reality of who my family really is.

I’m tired of being the good girl— of doing everything I’m told. Halloween seems like the perfect time to explore my hidden desires.

And that’s exactly how I end up in the arms of a masked mystery guy.

He doesn’t handle me like glass. He takes exactly what he wants and gives me everything I didn’t know I needed— until he vanishes into the darkness leaving me with one burning question…

Who was my mysterious knight that introduced me to the dark side?

She’s the mafia princess he was meant to stay away from.

And he did.

Until that one night when he was able to hide his identity and his darkness under a different kind of mask.

But one taste wasn’t enough.

Only the next time their paths cross, his inner demon is truly exposed.

Can she handle it, or will his darkness send her running back to her castle and smothered life?

Goodreads Monday: The Nameless Survivor (Valkyrie: Book 1) by J.K. Hawk

This is a weekly meme in which anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. It was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the aftermath of an unimaginable pandemic, a hand-written journal is discovered from within the ruins of a ravaged survivor’s colony. The faded entries depict the personal accounts of a nameless refugee as he abandons a dying society for the security of New England’s secluded mountains. After years of peaceful solitude, he unexpectedly rescues a young girl from winter’s wrath. Mia, who unlike him, has experienced firsthand the horrors that have befallen the world. As her trust in him strengthens and their friendship grows, he is driven to help her overcome the abuse she has endured and prove to her as well as himself that life, love, and God are still worth fighting for. Ultimately their loving and happy world is crushed when they are unexpectedly thrown back into the chaos to face the evil that has transformed man, as well as the evil that man has always been. Will their love survive? Will they survive?