Readers, are you looking for a book worth reading? We’ve gathered some of our 2022 award-winners to share with you. These are all recommended by the staff here at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven.
If you’re looking for an audiobook to listen to, check out Hide and Seek by Jo Hiestand
Playing a mystery game seems the perfect way to celebrate Jamie Kydd’s promotion to detective sergeant rank. But the game turns real when a body turns up in the pretend crime scene. Perhaps worse than spoiling the party, the corpse is someone Jamie knows.
Even though the police take on the case, Jamie asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to also investigate—concerned that the victim’s criminal past may dampen the Constabulary’s usual fervor to nab his killer. It seems to have been a smart decision, for the police aren’t expending a lot of energy on the inquiry.
Suspects float around McLaren…half truthful, hard to find. More like wraiths than flesh and blood. If the victim’s burglary partner, ex-wife, or childhood friend didn’t kill Dan, who did? It’s a desperate game between McLaren and a killer who’s playing hide and seek.
If you’re looking for a beach read, check out Sand, Salt & Spirits by Kathryn Hills
Can a weekend visit to Last Chance Beach undo decades of brokenhearted memories? Conjuring up some island magic might just be their trick. Or treat! Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B. The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane. Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!” Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?
If you’re looking for a contemporary romance, check out Rocked by Grace by M.J. Schiller
Zane Sanders, lead singer of Just Short of Chaos, surprised everyone, including himself, when he plucked a fan out of the audience at one of his concerts.
I don’t know what possessed me to do it. I’d never done anything like that before. But something about Grace drew me to her. And within minutes of pulling her on stage, I knew I’d made one of the best decisions of my life. Since our drummer Devin’s overdose, I’d felt dead inside. Perhaps for even longer than that. But Grace was fun, sexy—and as I would discover later—good and selfless. And an irresistible magic surrounded us that made me feel alive again. That is, until I blew it. In classic Zane style. Funny thing is, when I first got Grace up on stage, I had no idea what to do with her. Now I have no idea what I’ll do without her.
Grace Prescott was living out every girl’s fantasy.
Only thing is, fantasies ended, and I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want this one to stop. Zane had a magnetism about him that was more than mere charisma. That was evident the moment I—the girl who normally had to be dragged out onto the dance floor—practically became a pole dancer in his arms. Then it happened. The moment everyone kept referring to as “The Kiss.” But it was all part of the show, right? It didn’t matter that Zane made more than my feet move. He stirred up feelings that scared the crap out of me. The depth of his sadness called out to me even more than his unbelievable sex appeal, and that was saying something. But it could never work between us. He may have come from a small town like me, but he was all rock star now and totally out of my league. I was a flower shop owner, not his saving Grace.
Are some actions beyond forgiveness or will he be rocked by Grace?
*MAY CONTAIN TRIGGERS FOR SOME READERS. Domestic violence, sexual abuse
If you’re looking for a cozy mystery, check out Hidden Gem: The Secret of St. Augustine by M.S. Spencer
Barnaby and Philo’s story begins with very bad chili and a dead body. Barnaby is in St. Augustine, Florida, to teach a college seminar, and plans to use The Secret—a treasure hunt book—as a framework for his class. He enlists Philo Brice, owner of an antique map store, to aid him in seeking clues in the historic sites of the ancient city. Together they face murderers, thieves, thugs, and fanatics, heightening their already strong attraction to each other. Can they solve the puzzle and unearth the treasure before the villains do? Philo and Barnaby pursue several twisting paths and false leads before arriving at a startling conclusion.
If you’re looking for a dark romance, check out Reign of Desire by A.G. Kirkham
Alessio is known as the Blood King. He’s moving Il Destino into a new era. The world is changing, and his father was running the family into the ground. His father’s death was a blessing to the family. Alessio has everyone falling in line except for the few that were protected by the previous don. Alessio also can marry the woman he’s been lusting over since his teens. He knows of her abuse but has no idea of the extent. Can he protect her from the devil she calls dad? Josephine has endured. Married off to a monster, yet she survived. Becoming a widow was her reprieve, or so she thought, but daddy has other plans and she’s to be used again as pawn for his plans. When Alessio offers marriage to protect her, she’s stunned. It’s not done! Previously married and scarred, she takes the leap and prays they both make it through. Aligned with the most dangerous group of leaders from Nostra Casa and La Famiglia, Alessio plans to have it all, while keeping his wife safe.
Not sure what you’re looking for, check out all the 2022 award winners:
Happy reading!