Bec’s Top Reads of 2020

December 21, 2020 by Bec | Book Recommendations, Books

2020 has been an odd year all round for a variety of reasons. In terms of my reading though it’s been nuts!! I’ve read so much this year, and most of it genres that aren’t my usual compared to previous years.

I want to share some of my top reads but first, let’s talk some general numbers.

I have read 371 books this year

I’m writing this post on the 14th of December, so there is a fair chance that number has gone up.

That is insane. I N S A N E. The past few years I’ve been lucky to read 50 books in a year. This is actually mind blowing.

There are three reasons for my dramatic increase in reading:

  • I’ve been unemployed since March (that will hopefully change early next year). That means lots of free time with nothing better than reading to do.
  • I mostly read ebooks (I’m pretty sure I read faster on my ereader)
  • I read so much romance this year because I wanted light and fluffy stuff most of the time. These are usually (but not always) shorter books.

While I read a lot of books, not all of them were 5 star reads. The majority were honestly 3 star fluffy ebooks I got from the library or cheap from the Kobo store (instead of reading from my TBR pile, which I could have obliterated by now if I actually read the books on it…)

Out of those 371 reads, I had 32 books I rated as 4.5 or 5 stars. They contained:

  • 9 rereads (3 of those were ebooks. Also contained some audiobooks of books I own physically)
  • 3 physical books
  • 21 ebooks

That’s a lot of books to put in a post but I’m going to do it anyway! I won’t say much about each book though, just a hint of tropes, genre, etc.

My Top Rereads

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

NA historical fantasy. My all time favourite Beauty and the Beast retelling. I reread it almost every year. Features a scribe, a unique surly “beast”, and creepy forest/ ghost thing with a mystery.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

YA Sci-Fi series. Featured retellings of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. I reread the entire series via audiobooks!

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

YA Sci-Fi. Hilarious. Great characters. Amazing flight/ fight scenes. Was meant to be a reread to prepare for the sequel, which I then just didn’t pick up…

When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

Historical romance. Scottish castle. Scientist heroine writes letters to a fake military man for a fake courtship to avoid marriage. Turns out the name she addressed her letters to belonged to a real man. Hilarious.

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Super sweet romance. Young single mother heroine pulls a famous hockey player from a burning car. They become friends and then more and it’s amazing.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Enemies to lovers office romance. I found it hilarious and addictive on both reads.

My Top Physical Reads

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas

New NA/ Adult fantasy series from Sarah J Maas. No one is surprised I loved this. I love the scale of the world and the characters. Cannot wait for the sequels.

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons) by Sarah J Maas

NA Catwoman retelling. Set in Gotham. I did not expect to love this as much as I did. It was amazing.

Serpent and Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin

YA/NA fantasy. Witches. Marriage of Convenience. Banter galore.

My Top eBooks

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

YA/ NA Contemporary. Marketed as modern Beauty and the Beast. Bittersweet. I cried a lot.

Advice from A Jilted Bride (The Bailey’s #3) by Piper Rayne

Fun romance. Bride left at the alter on the day her new neighbour (and boss) moves in. Third instalment in a romance series where each sibling gets their own book.

Demise of a Self-Centred Playboy (The Bailey’s #5) by Piper Rayne

Another fun romance in the Bailey’s series. Hate to love. Characters are forced to work together in their adventure business.

Marriage for One by Ella Maise

Marriage of convenience. Super slow burn. Surly but sweet hero. I read it in a single sitting. I’m probably going to reread it before the end of the year.

Beauty and the Moustache (Knitting in the City #4) by Penny Reid

Sweet romance. Lots of emotions. Family feels! Glorious sibling relationships. Another I might reread before the end of the year.

Rifts and Refrains (Hush Note #2) by Devney Perry

Second chance romance. Also rockstar/ celebrity romance trope. Lots more family feels. Started a Devney Perry binge that may not ever end.

Timid (Lark Cove #2) by Devney Perry

Kind of second chance romance? It was sweet. Loved Willa’s growth and the family scenes.

Tragic (Lark Cove #3) by Devney Perry

This gave me SO MANY feels! Features accidental pregnancy trope. The characters though!!

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn.

I read this way back at the start of the year so memory is foggy. But I really enjoyed it. Lots of New York.

Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

Friends to lovers, super slow burn. First half told through letters and emails.

From Lukov, With Love by Mariana Zapata

Ice skating! Hate to love! All the banter and foster animals! Companion to Dear Aaron.

The Wall of Winnipeg by Mariana Zapata

Marriage of convenience with a little bit of hate to love. Sports romance. Super slow burn. Banter galore. Giant book I stayed up until 3am to finish.

The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

NA college and hockey romance. Fake dating trope. Biggest surprise of the year! I got it as a freebie on Kobo and it was SO GOOD.

Hard Fall (Trophy Boyfriends #2) by Sara Ney

Sweet sports romance (baseball). I laughed so much. Fantastic family scenes.

The Dugout by Meaghan Quinn

New adult college/ sports romance (baseball). Adorable. Hilarious. Feels.

A Raven’s Heart (Secrets and Spies #2) by Kate Bateman

Historical romance. Features spies in 1815. Brother’s best friend romance trope. Heroine is a codebreaker!

A Lord for the Lass (Tartans & Titans #2) by Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan

Historical romance. Scottish highlands! Sweet. Feels. Another I read really early in the year so blanking a bit but it was nice!

Twice Tempted by a Rogue (Stud Club #2) by Tessa Dare

Historical romance. Surly, scarred ex-solider. Innkeeper. Wales. Castle ruins and mystery.

Surrender of a Siren (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy #2) by Tessa Dare

Historical romance. Set on a ship! Hidden identities. Swoony hero. Lots of banter.

Wicked and the Wallflower (Bareknuckle Bastards #1) by Sarah MacLean

Historical romance. Crime Lord/ smuggler (but doing good). Wallflower. Hilarious banter. Amazing characters. Found family.

Brazen and the Beast (Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean

Basically same as Wicked and the Wallflower. But replace wallflower with businesswomen. Smart gals all round.

What were some of your top reads this year?

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Bec is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves all types of novels. Fantasy, sci fi, and historical are my usual go-to genres. If I’m not binge reading, I’m usually gaming, trying to take decent photos for bookstagram, or freaking out about silly things.

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6 responses to “Bec’s Top Reads of 2020

    • Bec

      I know! It’s absolutely nuts and the only reason I achieved it was because I’ve been unemployed haha.

      Average rating going up is fantastic!! Mine went down a bit so…

  1. YAY for reading such a phenomenal amount!! I’ve been truly struggling to meet my goals this year so I might try aiming lower next year but I’ve read Serpent & Dove from your faves! Some of my top ones are definitely The Ruin of Kings, the Starless Sea and Felix ever After!

    • Bec

      It’s been a bit of a year for that. People either smash their goal or aren’t reading at all. There is no in between.

      Your faves are all books I’ve been meaning to read

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