Bookish Travels: December 2025 Destinations

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and decided to do it once a month. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is exactly what it says: the places I travel to in books each month.

Enjoy my travels, and please let me know if you have read these books.

Countries I visited the most: United States, England

States/Provinces I visited the most: Illinois, Florida

Cities I visited the most: Chicago, London, Rosewood

United States

**Missouri (*Kansas City*), Illinois (*Chicago*), California (*Napa Valley*)**

**Illinois (*Chicago*), Alabama (*Birmingham*), Tennessee (*Chattanooga*)**

China (during the Opium Wars)

**Linhua, Changsha, Canton**, **Shanghai, Wuhan**

England

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 8th, 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

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

She’s in the wrong place at the right time…

Gunshots echo, reverberating through me, allowing me to feel something… anything other than the pain that consumes me.

That should be a warning to stay away, but for some reason, she comes closer. Intruding on my silence. Sharing my darkness.

Close enough for me to see the look in her eyes. It’s not fear, but desire that darkens her eyes in the moonlight.

She should run. Run far away from me, but she never does. She comes close enough to touch, tempting the devil inside that wants to cause devastation for the loss I’ve suffered.

I take what I need before I discover the truth.
The gorgeous girl in the shadows that tastes like sin, isn’t an angel coming to light my way.

She’s one of us.
One I never should have touched.
And she has no idea.

She could be my destruction…

Dear readers,

Wicked Summer Knight is the prequel to my new angst-filled new adult mafia series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

What I plan on reading on Monday and Tuesday

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

The truth is meant to set you free… but not my truth.

Mine has sent me deeper and darker, feeding my need for revenge. I want blood for those who wronged me and my family. And my so-called truth is ripping me apart, in a way lies never could.

Everyone else has moved on, but I can’t. Not until someone pays.

And it seems that fate is on my side this time, because the hellion girl from the graveyard is going to be my saving grace… and provide me with everything I crave.

The pain.

The vengeance.

The blood.

She has no idea what she’s been dragged into, but she’s going to regret every step she’s taken to get here.

Stella Doukas isn’t like any other girl I’ve encountered before.

She’s fierce, determined, and much stronger than I anticipated.

I might have met my match.

And that is not a good thing…

Dear readers,

Wicked Knight is the first to my new angst-filled new adult mafia series.
This is my darkest bully romance yet. If the following doesn’t get your pulse racing in all the right ways, you might want to miss this one out…
Dub/non-con, bullying, knife and blood play, mutilation, humiliation, somnophilia, sexual violence, exhibitionism/voyeurism. You have been warned. Enjoy!

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

My entire life has been a lie.

The one person I’ve trusted despite all his secrets has shattered my faith, and the men around me have proved just how unworthy they really are.

As my reality becomes clear, I discover that I’m right in the middle of something far more dangerous than I ever could have imagined.

I’ve always been a fighter. I’ve been trained that way.

But this time, all I can do is run.

Only, it isn’t that easy. Because there’s one person I’ve left behind who won’t allow me to.

But he’s going to get a shock, because he seems to have forgotten who he’s dealing with.

I’m Stella Doukas, mafia princess, and I will not bend for any man.

Even the one who’s stolen my heart.

Dear Readers,

Wicked Princess is the second book in Stella and Sebastian’s trilogy and the first couples story in my Knight’s Ridge Empire series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her new dark mafia, high school bully romance series.

She didn’t want to believe me.

She wanted to believe the threat wasn’t really there.

But as the sirens ring out in the distance and she stares down into my eyes, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her.

I’m not going to go down without a fight.

And I’m sure as hell not going to lose her now.

Even as our stubbornness tries to force us apart, severing everything we’ve built thus far.

With our nerves frayed and tempers close to breaking point, our fractured family sets about discovering the truth.

But we soon uncover more corruption and betrayal that only causes more pain to those I love.

Our entire empire is at risk, and it’s time to put the past behind us and carve out the future we deserve.

Dear Readers,

Wicked Empire is the third and final in Stella and Sebastian’s trilogy and the first couples story in my Knight’s Ridge Empire series. This book is a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

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