And here we are readers, the last, but never least, favorite reads of the year. It was an embarrassment of riches, one I appreciate more than I can say. May we all find the same in 2025.
Best of 2024 ~ PART II
A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee: This novel is in no way a light read. It includes frank discussions about some extremely dark subjects, including physical, verbal, and substance abuse. That said, A Shot in the Dark is a beautiful book. As spiritually motivated as Ely’s backstory is, Wyatt’s is influenced by his father’s abuse and the subsequent abandonment of his family when he came out as trans. These events are not used to excuse either character’s subsequent substance abuse but to reveal their ongoing pain and the strength and courage it’s taken to live life in pursuit of peace. They each confront their pasts to different results and in realistic ways, but ultimately it leads to their happy ending.
I love that this book reads so deeply personal even though I wasn’t attuned to it in ways I’ve experienced personally.
Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent: I’m not sure exactly how may feels I was supposed to feel while reading Us, Et Cetera, but it’s safe to say I felt all of them. Every emotion in this story is rendered so tenderly, so eloquently, so fiercely that it’s a little bit brutal while, at the same time, being exquisite. Kit Vincent leaves no doubt who the villains are in this story, no doubt who the heroes are, and no doubt that humanity is not defined by biology alone, but by words and deeds, feelings and compassion, love and empathy.
Us, Et Cetera is a lovely allegory. There are so many things I took away from this book, whether the author intended it or not, that made me want to delve a little deeper into why I wanted the AI to win and the humans (at least some of them) to suffer.
The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert: The group of survivors in this gorgeous, captivating story aren’t technically survivors of the Titanic at all. What they each have in common is that they’d intended to be on the ill-fated ship when she set sail, but for reasons—the Fates, good fortune, chance, prejudice, jealousy, benevolent gods and divine intervention, what have you—they were not onboard when the greatest ship of its time met a tragic end. As such, this is not a story about the Titanic so much as it’s a story of people bonding over their own version of survivors’ guilt and cheating death. And they do so with a notable collection of books to guide the way.
The Titanic Survivors Book Club isn’t a romance novel despite its matters of the heart. It’s a book that loves books. Deeply and without reservation. This novel romances its readers with lyricism and a lushness of prose. It reached for the way I love language and just the right turn of phrase, and made me want to wallow in its pages and hang tight to Yorick’s voice.
Welcome to Forever by Nathan Tavares: Welcome to Forever left me in awe of its design to draw me into the story, thinking I understood what was happening only to discover I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t a fabrication embedded in a bit of memory code. The beauty is that it was both reality and unreality, and the esoterica is revealed as the characters take readers along on a journey that melds their mission with a love story that defies all artificial attempts to thwart it.
For Nathan Tavares to get this story from his imagination onto the page is a stunning achievement to me, someone who could never dream this vividly let alone translate it into words. I was enthralled by and invested in this book from page one to done. It’s a story that not only made me feel but made me think about the morality of intention, if those intentions are good but not particularly ethical, and what love means in all its perfect imperfections.
The SOS Hotel Series by Adam Vex: I devoured these books, there’s no other word for it. I was charmed, start to finish, by the characters and the world Adam Vex/Ariana Nash built. Adam is the absolute definition of a cinnamon roll, and Zee and Reynard didn’t stand a chance against his sweet, kind, and compassionate heart.
Nash takes readers along on a journey whose destination is, what the devil is Adam Vex? And why are so many Lost Ones helping to see to his ultimate demise? Along the way, readers are treated to so much fun, especially where Adam, Zodiac, and Reynard are concerned. Adam isn’t torn between two lovers. He knows exactly where he wants to be: between two lovers. The conundrum is, what are Zee and Reynard supposed to do? Demons and vampires are mortal enemies. Except, hey, they’re hot for each other, even though they’d both rather drink poison than admit it.
Utter perfection from beginning to end.
Tears in Time by Christian Baines: Tears in Time is a trip through the looking glass. On acid. And it’s mind-blowingly awesome. Someone is manipulating reality and bending time, and for Reylan, that means he keeps getting his heart, not to mention his body, beaten to a pulp. Time truly is of the essence for him, but knowing who to turn to isn’t easy when those he used to count on have disappeared (been killed?), and he can’t trust what he sees with his own eyes. The only thing he can count on is that Jorgas has returned. Until, of course, he hasn’t.
The momentum of this installment of the Arcadia Trust series is breakneck. Fortunately for readers, only in the figurative sense. And that ending? Well . . . it’s delicious, and I want more.
Second Song by Con Riley: The Romance genre is rife with love stories about second chances. Con Riley delivers a patently beautiful one in Second Song, about two men who get a second chance to love themselves. Frankly, my Best Of picks—of any year—would never be complete without a book by this author.
This little corner of Cornwall where Glynn Harber exists is composed of hurt and healing, kindness and compassion. There is an incredible gentleness in these stories that still manage to stir feelings and tweak emotions. There are no ifs, only whens. The only hows come with introspection and some top-notch dialogue, another hallmark of Riley’s storytelling.
Being back at Glynn Harber is like being welcomed home and embracing family who welcome and embrace you right back.
Rogue Community College by David R. Slayton: This beautiful, exceptional heartbreaker of a book. If reading through tears is a favorite pastime, Rogue Community College is the perfect trigger for it. Everything, up to and including the point of the anguish of love, sacrifice, and loss, is so worth the journey and the aftermath. There is intrigue and danger, to be sure, but the payoff for all the suspense is watching Isaac find love, family, and a place where he belongs, a place and people who choose him. He finds truths and perhaps some closure on his journey, and he discovers a certain peace in knowing where he came from.
One of the many hallmarks of David R. Slayton’s work is his full-throated investment in both his characters and the worldbuilding. Neither suffers under attention to the other; they only complement to build a stronger platform to secure his readers’ connection to what’s happening along the way, as well as in the outcome of the story.
The Reanimator’s Remains by Kara Jorgensen: There’s such a lovely and delicate balance in the way Jorgensen uses Oliver’s origin story to convey where Felipe came from and how his family and their expectations have scarred his psyche and threatened his emotional wellbeing. This installment of the series gives a deeper, richer tenor to both characters, and in the process, strengthens the bond between them that goes well beyond their metaphysical tether and enters the realms of a soul-deep love.
The chaos and danger in The Reanimator’s Remains usher in a perfectly romantic and beautiful ending to this chapter of Oliver and Felipe’s story. Where they’ll go next and what they’ll find there is sure to be full of a multitude of mayhem and magic.
Twisted Shadows by Allie Therin: Hands down, the worst thing about this book is having to wait a year to see how Allie Therin is going to fix what she broke. Destroyed. Nuked. To recap: A fragile peace has been shattered and It. Is. Glorious.
When Therin introduced her version of Seattle in the stellar Liar City, it not only brought to life an allegory about compassion struggling to survive in a deteriorating social environment, but it introduced a character in Reece Davies who was fairly destined to become a casualty of a world where chaos, unkindness, and emotional exhaustion reign.
Introducing a new and unexpected weapon at this point in the conflict was timed impeccably to coincide with the changes Reece and Evan are going through themselves. Things are shifting, transitions are happening, transgressions have been committed, and the greatest threat now is the unknown. Whether the damage is permanent is unclear, but I can’t wait to find out.
That does it for Part II. Happy New Year!
The Novel Approach Reviews 
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