Books by Katydid

Ming's Christmas Wishes Written by: Susan L. Gong This sweet Children's book talks about balancing trying to fit in with staying true to yourself and your heritage. Ming is a relatable character who just wants to be like everyone else but Ming's dad teaches how to find the balance and stay respectful of your past.  Ming's Christmas Wishes would be a great story to teach different cultures around the holidays as well as a good resource for teaching about staying true to yourself and being different from others.  

How to Not Fall for Your Best Friend Written by: Meg Easton How Not to Fall for Your Best Friend is a great romantic comedy of best friends turned romantic. They have been friends for years. Peyton wants her happily ever after, preferably sooner than later. Max, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with marriage. This  dichotomy is what leads to the competition- who can find the most dates in one week. This entire story is humorous with sweet romance and friendship laced throughout. The characters that were introduced in the first How to Not book are such fun characters. While their lifestyles are different, they are the best of friends and willing to do anything for each other. I loved reading the progression from friends to more than friends, and everything in-between. 

  The Billionaire's Second Chance Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Written by: Holly Stevenson This novel in the world of Mountain Cove and the small town of Eureka Springs is a fun second chance love story. With a blast from the past, Lily O'Brien and Sawyer McCall take a chance that their happily ever after is with each other. However, a business in New York and a life in Eureka Springs are difficult to make compatible. This love story was short and sweet. It was a great follow-up to Lily's sister's story, Sadie O'Brien with Writing a Memoir for the Billionaire. The world stays consistent from book to book and the sparks fly with kisses galore and arguments to match them.  The Billionaire's Second Chance takes high school sweethearts and puts it to the limit. Can the two make the sacrifices for their love to last past their second meeting? Holly Stevenson bring the sizzle to the table in this predictable billionaire tale. 

Miracle Creek Christmas Written by: Krista Jensen Miracle Creek Christmas is a beautiful Christmas romance. With two characters that have scarred pasts, this story teaches looking beyond the outside appearance, digging deep, and finding what is beneath provides the best of friends and romances. Not only does it tell a story about miracles and looking below the surface, it creates a self-realization and redemptive arc for the characters too. They push past their struggles to make a life for themselves that is fulfilling. I loved this book. The character progression was powerful and resonated within me and the romance added the perfect touch to make this a feel -good, Christmas, hallmark-like story. Krista Jensen is an author that I will keep an eye out for meaningful romantic stories in the future. 

Forget Me Not The Gents: Book 1 Written by: Sarah M. Eden Forget Me Not is a heart-wrenching story of forced matrimony, feelings of abandonment, and childhood friends to true romance. I cried, I laughed, and I didn't want the story to end. Julia Cummings is a fiery character with determination to be her own person while Lucas Jonquil is determined to live life as it is meant to be lived. Jonquil has some great ideas but is definitely a dunderhead. Sarah Eden was able to pull me into the story so that I wanted to knock Lucas over the head. This story is another Sarah success. The highs and lows were entwined as the characters were reunited and found their way in a marriage they didn't want. This was such a perfect story to introduce Mater and her love story along with a new series without overshadowing the beloved Jonquil brothers saga. I foresee myself reading this one again in the future.

  Code Word Written by: Traci Hunter Abramson Code Word by Traci Hunter Abramson takes the best of action and adventure books and mixes it with the perfection amount of romance. As Carina Channing lives her life hiding from her past and all involved, she stumbles upon Jay Wellman- a Navy SEAL. Jay is the man to help in the intrigue that Carina can't hide from anymore. Traci gets my heart pumping every time with her real life experience in the intelligence community. Anytime I want to escape with a little more than just a romance I know I can turn to one of her books and this one follows suit.  While this story takes place in the world of the other Navy SEALs that Traci Abramson has written about, it is a stand alone and is a great introduction into the world she has created. The characters feel real and she throws you into the life on the run, hiding from the mob. This was a great story with the intensity of any action/adventure movie. 

The Papers Daughters of Chinatown Based on a true story Written by: Heather B. Moore Heather B. Moore craftfully wrote the story of the paper daughters of Chinatown. She shares the real life story of Donaldina Cameron in a way that I wanted to keep reading until I finished. While being a hard story to read because of the very real tragedies that happened in California in the 1900s. The novel brings awareness to the history of sex-trafficking without being overbearing or too much. It brings hope by sharing the success stories of the women who were rescued from the criminal tong. I would recommend this story to anyone who can handle reading the difficult stories present within. The book is meaningful and shares an importance piece of history.