Holly started a Year in Review post back in the day and wanted to start it up again. She asked me if I wanted to join her and I did, so here I am.

In 2014, the only reading challenges that I wanted to do was a TBR Challenge to read more from the books that I already own (a challenge I gave myself) and then the Goodreads Challenge. 2014 was going to be the year that I read 200 books and while I did end up finishing with 200 books read – I cheated. 2014 turned out to be the year of the re-read for me. Part of the reason for that was Holly and I started up our claiming game that we’ve been playing since we met and the other part was because I just felt like it. I could feel myself falling into reading slumps and before that could happen, I opened up a book that I’ve read and loved. So thank goodness for re-reads…cause they count. Ha!

Here’s the breakdown of the amount of books that I read each month. I don’t keep tabs on what I read on a monthly basis on Goodreads like Holly but I do keep track of what books I read each month on my personal blog.

January 2014 (13)
February 2014 (19)
March 2014 (17)
April 2014 (21)
May 2014 (19)
June 2014 (15)
July 2014 (17)
August 2014 (18)
September 2014 (16)
October 2014 (16)
November 2014 (15)
December 2014 (14)

All of my numbers count the re-reads that I did last year and I did a lot of those. I’m going to continue that in the new year because there were a lot of books that I re-read and loved all over again. That’s fun for me.

Here’s how I did by genre:

Contemporary (53)
Historical (26)
New Adult (40)
Paranormal (4)
Romantic Suspense (18)
Young Adult (59)

Damn, I read a lot of YA. Most of them were contemporary reads but they’re separate because they’re not adult reads.

Here’s a list of my favorite and least favorite reads of each month.

January

It’s kind of hard to pick a favorite of the books I read because I enjoyed most of them but if I had to choose, I’d probably choose either Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, Once in a Lifetime by Jill Shalvis or Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann.

My least favorite book is easier to choose. That one goes to An Outlaw in Wonderland by Lori Austin. It just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t get into it, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I quit it about a third of the way in.

February

My favorite read of the month goes to It Happened One Wedding by Julie James because hands down, I loved it.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Seeking Her by Cora Carmack. It was my least favorite read, mostly because I didn’t feel like we needed this story. It’s nothing new or fresh so I was left feeling blah about it all.

March

My favorite read that was not a re-read last month goes to Divergent by Veronica Roth. I have become completely obsessed with this movie. I liked the book, the first time around but it was my second read of this book (after seeing the movie) that really made me come to love the characters and the story. It’s a confusing world to jump into for new readers and I didn’t completely understand the whole storyline so it was hard for me to really focus on what was happening, who was who, who can we trust and that kind of thing but seeing the movie (and enjoying the changes the movie brought to the story) I thought it was a pretty decent read. I’m embarrassed to tell you guys how many times I’ve paid to watch the movie in theaters (shut up Holly) but in my defense…I did it for the kids. 🙂 And plus, who could blame me with how freaking hot Four was?

My least favorite read of the month goes to Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins. I was expecting to really like this book since I liked Colleen in the other Blue Heron books but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Colleen did a lot of shit that pissed me off throughout her book and she was like a completely different person from the one I thought I knew from the other books. I wasn’t a fan of the tactics she used to get Bryce to notice Paulie. I wasn’t a fan of how immature she acted toward Lucas and while I understood why she felt the way she did, I wished she acted like a grown up where Lucas was concerned. So yeah, that one didn’t work for me at all.

April

My favorite read from last month is probably Before You Break by Christina Lee. That was a fantastic read and the characters were great. I loved getting to know Quinn and I thought that Ella was a great heroine. Very strong and capable.

My least favorite reads are tied between Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn and How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark. Both books missed its mark with me and I just didn’t like them.

May

My favorite read of the month goes to Then Came You by Jill Shalvis. I loved Wyatt and Emily’s story. It was sweet and funny and everything that I love in my romance novels.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Jagged by Kristen Ashley. I didn’t know what to expect from this book but it wasn’t what I got. Ham? I still can’t get over that.

June

I read a lot of great books in June so picking a favorite is going to be hard. I don’t think I have a favorite. I adored The Fault in Our Stars, Whisper to Me by Christina Lee, All Lined Up by Cora Carmack, Tease by Sophie Jordan, Vixen in Velvet by Loretta Chase and It’s In His Kiss by Jill Shalvis. All books were wonderfully written and I loved them all.

My least favorite book of the month goes to Only Everything by Kieran Scott. I’m not sure what went wrong with this book but for me, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed Scott’s other books.

July

My favorite read of the month is tied between Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh (which I inhaled) and He’s So Fine by Jill Shalvis. Both books were fabulous reads. Fox and Cole were both super hot and the romance in both books were steamy. I’m not complaining at all about either book.

My least favorite read this month goes to Trapped at the Altar by Jane Feather and Tease by Amanda Maciel. I hated the heroine in the Trapped at the Altar and hmm, I hated the main character in Tease too. Both women got on my hot damn nerves in both books.

August

My favorite read of the month goes to Isla & the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. It was such a cute story and perfect for what I’m always in the mood for. Josh and Isla were such fun to get to know and their story had me grinning like a school girl from the time I opened the book until the time I closed it. So good! It was well worth the long wait for me. Honorable mentions go to One in a Million by Jill Shalvis (great ending to a fabulous series!) and Echoes of Scotland by Samantha Young (LOVED Cole!).

My least favorite read of the month is a tie between Irresistible Force by D.D. Ayres and Before We Fall by Courtney Cole. Both books just did not work for me. At all.

September

My favorite read of the month goes to The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan, a great contemporary NA book with a swoonworthy hero. I loved me some Drew Baylor.

My least favorite book without a doubt went to I’ve Fallen & I Have a Tentacle in My Butt by Edward Naughty. Don’t ask, I’m so ashamed that I actually read it. Ugh, I don’t know what the heck I was thinking. It was terrible.

October

My favorite read of the month goes to All Broke Down by Cora Carmack. I thought this book was too freaking cute for words. I enjoyed getting to know Silas and I thought Dylan was a delightful character. Their story was a solid read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

My least favorite book of the month goes to Wild by Sophie Jordan and that breaks my heart because I absolutely adored Logan. I thought he was a great hero and he was the only reason that saved that book from being a DNF and from getting a lower score than what I gave it because Georgia? I don’t think she deserved Logan. She got on my nerves from the very beginning and in the end? I didn’t think she made enough amends for Logan to forgive her. She just kept right on pissing me off throughout the entire book and it drove me crazy.

November

My favorite reads (that weren’t re-reads) of the month go to Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean and Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare. Both books were so good. I was so happy with the end of the Rules of Scoundrels series and I adored the latest installment in the Castles Ever After series by Tessa Dare. Both books were wonderful treats in this gloomy weather and I definitely recommend both books.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot. I just couldn’t get into it.

December

My favorite read of the month was probably The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen. Bridger and Scarlet’s story was so heartbreaking and yet so satisfying as well. Loved them both. Lucy too. 🙂

My least favorite read of the month is 99 Days by Katie Cotugno. That book drove me crazy but for some reason, I kept reading it. The main character didn’t learn a damn thing until for me, it was too freaking late. But at least it ended the way that it did.

As far as reading challenges went, I completed my Goodreads Challenge but I was short of my 12 reads from my own shelves challenge. Ugh.

2015 is going to be the year that I get back to being a reader that blogs, instead of a blogger that reads. I’ve been a slave to my review pile for the last couple of years and while I will continue to read and review books from pubs and authors on Book Binge, I’m going to be taking on a lot less than years before. I’m going to read what I want to read, when I want to read and not worry so much about that pesky review pile…which means, less requesting of eARCs.

There you have it…my year in books!