For the last year I've become very picky about what I choose to read. I believe I'm very sure about my likes and dislikes at this point. I'm a Literary Fiction and Historical Gal. I really want to read my own books, but have bitten off more than I can chew, in past years, in requests. 

Going forward, perusing book websites to acquire more books will be in my past. I want to concentrate on reading what I've already obtained. My concentration will be put on the social media sites that are more of my lane and those are Goodreads and Booklikes. I'm a recovering Instagram scroller and Youtube time waster. This year I will have more focus and drive for what inspires me and allows me to thrive.

January 1

Flights of Fancy by Jen Turano

January 8

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye

An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozi Obioma

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benendict

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother and Widow by Lucy Worsley

January 22

Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman

The Orphan Sisters by Shirley Dickson

January 29

We Cast A Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

House of Stone by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

I read 7 books in January. I'm so proud of myself that I stayed focused and tried to read everyday. There were a couple books that I did have to put down, but I'm happy I did. Leaving books that aren't working for me is something I promised to do in 2017 and obviously with 7 books read it's working. 

I read;

Breathless by Beverly Jenkins                    4 stars

Man on the Run by Carl Weber                   4 stars

The Score by Kiki Swanson                         3 stars

The Mark by Kiki Swanson                          3 stars

Copycat by Kimberly Lawson Roby             3 stars

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander   3 stars

Luxury & Larceny by Ty Marshall                2 stars

It was a good month and in February I'm expecting to read more and hopefully read more 5 and 4 star reads.

So January's books... 33 in all

Fiction: 

The Keeper's Price by Marion Zimmer Bradley et al. Reminded me of a lot of what I enjoyed about Darkover, I kinda want to revisit...

Nora Roberts featured a few times, Affaire Royale, Command Performance and Playboy Prince were actually a 3-in-one copy; Bay of Sighs is a newer book and I found it interesting. 

Small Gods the Graphic Novel made me want to revisit the book.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon was a good read, interesting to read a story set in China.

The Discerning Gentleman's Guide by Virginia Heath was a good historical romance, though the title did make me snigger a little.

One Week in the library was somewhat underwhelming, I wanted more.

Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Greenwood was not the best Phryne Fisher story but not bad either, you learn more about Phryne's past.

Mistletoe and Murder by Carola Dunn, the framing story was a bit strained but an interesting murder mystery.

Paula Brackston's The Witch's Daughter is an interesting twist on the long-lived supernatural, for a change set in England.

Awakening the Shy Miss by Bronwyn Scott was an okay historical romance.

House of Shadows by Jen Christie was a time-travelling paranormal romance.

Captivating the Witch by Michele Hauf was a paranormal romance between a demon and a witch.

Witches of New York by Ami McKay took a long time for me to get into and then left me a little underwhelmed.

The Lie by C.L. Taylor was a story of learning about real friendship, and how things can go terribly wrong.

An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson was an interesting murder mystery featuring Josephine Tey and her friends.

Scarlet Widow by Graham Masterton featured some problematic sex.

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents: Terry Pratchett does the Pied Piper.

Bound by Duty by Diane Gaston was a good historical romance.

A-Force Presents volume 1 - the first new introductions to female superheroes. Very mixed but interesting.

Lucifer - Mike Carey Volume 1 - I prefer the TV series

Lady Emma's Revenge - Fenella J Miller - a murder mystery wrapped in a historical romance.

A Match for Marcus Cynster - Stephanie Laurens A man discovers that he doesn't need to belittle a woman to be strong, enjoyed this one a lot.

Lascar's Dagger by Glenda Larke - interesting world with a cleric discovering a dagger has a mind of it's own.

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart - based on fact it's an interesting read.

Non-Fiction:

Sink Reflections by Marla "Flylady" Cilley I found underwhelming.

Not my shame by T.O. Walker almost broke my heart, a woman facing up to her abuse.

The Awakening by Colm O'Connor was a very reflective piece and I found it made me think a lot about living.

Other-Wordly by Yee-Lum Mak was charming, illustrated unusual words from around the world.

Healing Fatty Liver Disease - exactly what it says.

I hope everyone had a great first month of 2017 , mine was rather good and I got a lot of reading on. Reviewing and ARC wise I'm actually ahead of schedule for once which makes me happy :) 

January I had three awesome ARCs all by authors I really adore so that made it even better. 

February is looking rather good as well.

Here are some of the books that will be released in February that are on my TBR and or really anticipated for February: 

 King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard  , Born of Vengeance by Sherrilyn Kenyon, The Turn by Kim Harrison,  Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and Dare to Lie Jen McLaughlin are all coming out February 7^th.

Gilded Cage by Vic James February 14^th.

Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost, Till Death by  Jennifer L. Armentrout and Wait For It by Molly O'Keefe are out on February 28^th.

Not sure when I will get to most of them but some of them I already am reading.  

In case you have not seen it yet or missed it, there is another Giveaway going on that you still can enter. It ends on February 15th . I will add the copter at the end of this post again.  

Anyway,here are my January reads and as always you can find the buy-links in the reviews that are linked. 

 Happy Reading and Thank you for your support :) 

Taking Care of the Target by Cindi Madsen

Vince DaMarco always liked Cassie, the shy waitress who works at the restaurant that serves as a front for his mob boss uncle. Unfortunately, she witnesses a back alley hit, and while fleeing, she’s struck by a truck. Now she’s at the top of the hit list. Desperate to stop anyone who’d draw out Cassie’s death, Vince volunteers to take care of it.

Cassie Dalton has no recollection of her accident, but she’s told she’s lucky to be alive. A few years are missing from her memory, and the unsettling feeling that something isn’t right—along with the creepy sensation that she’s being watched—won’t go away.

Vince shows up right when Cassie needs him most. In a world of confusion, the rugged stranger is the one thing that makes sense. But little does she know, she’s found refuge in the arms of the very man who’s been sent to kill her.

4★    

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by 

A typical day in the life of Charley Davidson involves cheating husbands, missing people, errant wives, philandering business owners, and oh yeah…demons, hell hounds, evil gods, and dead people. Lots and lots of dead people. As a part time Private Investigator and full-time Grim Reaper, Charley has to balance the good, the bad, the undead, and those who want her dead. In this eleventh installment, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, maybe Charley can find a way to have her happily ever after after all.

4½ ★

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

In the #1 New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson novels, the coyote shapeshifter has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy’s bond with the pack and her mate is broken, she’ll learn what it truly means to be alone…

Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe…

Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise…

5★

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever…and Bones won’t let her get away again. Original.

4 ½★

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

4 ★

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I only read 3 books in January and 5 in February. I'm pleased thus far. I lowered my goal this year to 50 from 100. This year I want to read without pressure. I don't want to choose books based upon size and not content. I don't want to feel pressure with something that is supposed to be an enjoyment for me.

Standouts

An Untamed State

My Name Is Lucy Barton

Honorable Mentions

Forbidden

I'll See You In Paris

I'm excited for March and will post my reading intentions.