Book Haul 2025—December

Books I acquired in December. Unless stated, all books were free when I downloaded them


BookBub

Caribbean Shipwreck by Sal Bianchi

Lost Souls by J.T. Bishop

Gingerbread Gamble by Melody Tyden

A Duke by Scot by Amy Jarecki

The Boss Problem by Meg Garnet

Blurred Red Lines by Cora Kenborn

Wolf Spell by Tasha Black

Running as Fast as I Can by John David Graham

Synapses by Debra Erfert

Elsker by S.T. Bende

Christmas, Pursued by a Bear by Ryann Fletcher

Pointy Hats and Witchy Cats by Addison Creek

Fur Coat No Knickers by C.B. Martin

The Forever Contract by Leigh James

Until You Forgive by D.M. Davis

Con: Lord of Conquest by Louisa Cornell and Andrea K. Stein

One Night Only by Jennifer Farwell

The Advocate’s Labyrinth by Teresa Burrell

Rookie Mistake by Lisa Suzanne

Iron Will by Daphne Loveling

Kathmandu Killers by Luke Richardson

Dark and Stormy by Juliet Keane

Ready to Ride by Juliet Keane

Sin by Skyler Mason

Unforgotten Dreams by Elizabeth Ann Thompson

Wind Chime Wedding by Sophie Moss

System Manipulation by Kenny King

Cthulhu: Grimoire by Eric Malikyte

Shaken and Stirred by Lilly Atlas

Savage Wild Hearts by Sean Fletcher

Harpy by David Neth

Rock Crush and Roll by Hunter Snow

Cliff Diver by Carmen Amato

Made in Acapulco by Carmen Amato

Vanity Project by Andre Spiteri

The History Teacher by Susan Bacon

Primed by Paddy Hirsch

Ruin by Caitlyn Dare

Bend Her by Cassie Alexander

The Gingerbread Witch by Lauren Greenwood

November Homecoming by Bokerah Brumley

The Mayfly by Ben Rogers

First Strike by Richard Turner

Shifter School by Gwendolyn Druyor

Broken Boys Break Hearts by J.B. Heller

The Extractor by Ethan Jones

The Fortuna Coin by Karen Ann Hopkins

Home for Hanukkah by Rebecca Crowley

Wired by Evelyn Adams

Dancing with Lies by Summer Cooper

Wicked Witchmas by T.M. Cromer

Pescadero by Hollis Brady

Stranded No Where by E.A. Lake

Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright

SOS Hotel by Adam Vex

Jingle Bell Hell by Angela Casella

Got You by Erik Therme

By-Catch by David Earth

Stillborn Armadillos by Nick Russell

The Long Shadow on the Stage by Nichole Heydenburg

The Cottage by the Cliffs by Maeve McBride

Broken Crown by M.J. Crouch

Bottled Secrets of Rosewood by Mary Kendall

The Gargoyle Grinch by Lilith Stone

Blood and Dust by J.C. Paulson

The Summons by MaryLu Tyndall

Debra Lee Won’t Break by Katherine Pickett

A Drifting Sun by Ashley Capes

I’ll Be Married for Christmas by Claire Cain

A Cowboy and His Neighbor by Emmy Eugene

A Cowboy and His Mistletoe Kiss by Emmy Eugene

The Cowboy’s Christmas Crush by Emmy Eugene


From My TBR

Nuts and Dolts by Marc Jedel

Play by Play by Kaylee Ryan

Silence by Apryl Baker

Where Fate Whispers by E.G. Tudor

Grave Covenant by Tobias Youngblood

Up for Air by Christina Berry

Tribe of Daughters by Kate L. Mary

Switched by Angela Lam

Age of Magic by Tim Vee

In the Howling Storm by Nicola Italia

Peppermint Cookie Murder by Trixie Silvertale

A Duke Confounded by Anya Wylde

Dark by Kat Kinney

Disorderly Conduct by Rebecca Zanetti

The Advocate’s Killer by Teresa Burrell

Now and Forever by Aleatha Romig

Missy Goes to West Point by P.G. Allison

The 11th Precent by T.H. Morris

Show of Honor by Tawna Fenske

Dying to Go by Marcy Blesy

A Little Twist by Tia Louise

Keeping Kate by Patricia Keelyn

Improper by Darcy Burke

Christmas with an Alien by Tana Stone

The Devil’s Playground by Carin Hart

Audrey by Kelly Moore

What Grows From the Dead by Dave Dobson


Book Mail

Jocked Up by Summer Cooper

Jocked Up: A Secret Baby Sports Romance by [Cooper, Summer]

Title: Jocked Up

Author: Summer Cooper

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: August 20th, 2016

Genre: Romance

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Drake, NFL superstar.

Six years ago, I left town for football…at least that’s what everyone thinks. The truth is, I couldn’t face what I did. I just wanted to be with her, my soon-to-be stepsister.

It was wrong, and the only thing I could think to do was to pack up and run! Just as I thought I had it all, running into her again made me realize that she is the only thing I’ve ever wanted. And this time, I will never run away.

I deserve my second chance in love, with her… only her.

Bethany, the good girl.

Talented, tall, ripped and with smoldering good looks that could burn your soul. Sounds like a deal too good to be true, right?

He is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. His mum and my dad were going to get married, what was I thinking getting in bed with him? Lucky me, he left town the next day. Lucky me, our parents called off the wedding; otherwise, I would never have been able to forgive myself.

The only problem is, he is back in town and wants to take me out!

My best friend Amelia, who happens to be his sister, insists that he has changed. Do men like Drake ever really change? Maybe. Maybe not.

The thing is, I can not afford another mistake like this. Not now that I have him… my son, my only joy.

A romance full of twists and turns. Ready for an emotional roller coaster?

Note: This story contains mature language and themes, intended for adults only!

My review:

I have a soft spot for reading secret baby romance. Ever since my teen years and I was reading Harlequin Romances (yes, I will admit to that), I have always loved reading about men finding out that they have secret babies and laughing at their reactions. I distinctly remember one guy going “How did this happen”, almost bust a gut laughing and thought to myself “Did you take sex ed? How do you think this happened?”.  I am very happy to say that in Jocked Up, there is no confusion on how Bethany gets pregnant….lol.

While Bethany was had some justifiable anger towards Drake, I think her anger towards him was a little extreme and to be honest, she was very rude. But, if I was in her shoes, I think I might have acted the same way. Actually, to be honest, I would have acted worse. I also got why she didn’t want Drake around Peter. She was trying to protect Peter from getting attached and getting hurt when Drake would eventually leave. I did get slightly annoyed with her when she refused to tell Drake she was pregnant and was hiding her pregnancy from everyone. But again, I understood why she did what she did.

Drake, I couldn’t get a handle on him at first. He was a self-admitted reformed man-whore but that didn’t stop him from having unprotected sex with Bethany when she decided to out on a date with him. When she freezes him out, he goes back to doing what he does best….loving the ladies. But when he finds out that she’s pregnant, he stops it all and is all about her, Peter and the baby.

The sexual part of the book was sizzling hot. The chemistry between Bethany and Drake was obvious from the first disastrous date that they had. When they finally had sex, it was insanely hot.

The tiny plot twist that was revealed before Drake proposed to Bethany was good and it explained a lot.

The end of the book was definitely a HEA!!

How many stars will I give Jocked Up: 4

Why: This was a great book. Not something  I would read in a Dr’s office because of nosey people but I enjoyed reading it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**