Hi there! Happy January! It’s time for the first Spell the Month in Books of 2022. I first saw this on several different blogs and thought it looked like fun! It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.
Let’s see what we have for the month of January. I pulled from books I’ve already read and few that I’d like to read.
J: Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: Nov. 9, 2022
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year comes a heartwarming and hilarious tale that asks: What if you pick up the wrong suitcase in an airport, only to fall head over heels for its unseen owner?
Laura’s business trip to the Channel Islands isn’t exactly off to a great start. After unceremoniously dumping everything in her bag in front of the most attractive man she’s ever seen in real life, she arrives at her hotel only to realize she’s grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport. Her only consolation? The irresistibly appealing contents of the case: a copy of her favorite book; piano music; and a rugged, heavy knit fisherman sweater only a Ryan Gosling lookalike could pull off. The owner of this suitcase is Laura’s dream man–she’s sure of it. Now, all she has to do is find him.
The mix-up seems written in the stars. After all, what are the odds that she’d find The One on the same remote island where her mom and dad had first fallen in love, especially as she sets out to write an article about their epic romance? Commissioning surly cab driver Ted to ferry her around seems like her best bet in both tracking down the mystery suitcase owner and retracing her parents’ footsteps. And if beneath Ted’s gruffness lies a wit that makes their cab rides strangely entertaining, so much the better. But as Laura’s long-lost luggage soulmate proves difficult to find–and as she realizes that the love story she’s held on a pedestal all her life might not have been that perfect–she’ll have to rethink her whole outlook on love to discover what she really wants.
A: As Seen on TV by Meredith Schorr
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Publisher: Forever Pub.
Synopsis: Emerging journalist Adina Gellar is done with dating in New York City. If she’s learned anything from made-for-TV romance movies, it’s that she’ll find love in a small town – the kind with harvest festivals, delightful but quirky characters, and scores of delectable single dudes. So when a big-city real estate magnate targets tiny Pleasant Hollow for development, Adi knows she’s found the perfect story – one that will earn her a position at a coveted online magazine, so she can finally start adulting for real…and maybe even find her dream man in the process.
Only Pleasant Hollow isn’t exactly “pleasant.” There’s no charming bakery, no quaint seasonal festivals, and the residents are more ambivalent than welcoming. The only upside is Finn Adams, who’s more mouthwatering than the homemade cherry pie Adi can’t seem to find – even if he does work for the company she’d hoped to bring down. Suddenly Adi has to wonder if maybe TV got it all wrong after all. But will following her heart mean losing her chance to break into the big time?
N: Never a Duke by Grace Burrowes
Series: Rogues to Riches #7
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Synopsis: Despite having humble origins and a criminal past, Ned Wentworth has learned to dress, waltz, and express himself as elegantly as any lordling. When Lady Rosalind Kinwood’s maid goes missing, her ladyship turns to Ned, precisely because he still has friends in low places and skills no titled dandy would ever acquire, much less admit he possesses.
Rosalind is too opinionated and too intelligent, and has frequently suffered judgment at polite society’s hands. In the quietly observant Ned Wentworth, she finds a man who actually listens to her and who respects her for her outspokenness. As the search for the missing maids grow more perilous, Rosalind and Ned will have to risk everything—including their hearts—if they are to share the happily ever after that Mayfair’s matchmakers have begrudged them both.
U: Using Fejo by Victoria Aveline
Series: The Clecanian Series #5
Publication Date: Jan. 12, 2022
Synopsis: She’ll do anything to get home. He’ll do anything to keep her with him, forever…
Vanessa doesn’t have the luxury of building a happily ever after on a new planet like her fellow alien abduction survivors. She must get back to Earth. Her family needs her, and she can’t afford to let them down again. So, she’ll find a way to break Clecanian law and get home—even if she has to marry (and betray) a sexy space pirate to do it.
Fejo can’t believe his luck when Vanessa, a gorgeous human with a sharp tongue, chooses him as her husband. He doesn’t know what he did to win her favor, but he’s determined to do everything in his power to make her happy. If only he could figure out why his alien bride is so reluctant to accept the kindness—and pleasure—he’s so eager to offer.
Vanessa’s plan was simple. Until she started falling for her ridiculously charming husband. Now, she has to figure out how to get home without breaking Fejo’s heart—or her own. Easy, right?
A: Ashes of Gold by J. Elle
Series: Wings of Ebony #2
Page Length: 416
Publication Date: Jan. 11, 2022
Synopsis: In the heart-pounding conclusion to the Wings of Ebony duology, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicole Yoon calls “bold, inventive, big-hearted and deeply perceptive,” Rue makes her final stand to reclaim her people’s stolen magic.
Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.
But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.
When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.
R: A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
Series: Elements of Cadence #1
Page Length: 480
Publication Date: Feb. 15, 2022
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Synopsis: Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.
With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.
Y: You Have a Match by Emma Lord
Publication Date: Jan. 12, 2021
Page Length: 320
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.
But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.
When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.
The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.
But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.
Have you read any of these books? Which titles would you use to spell the month in books? Comment below!
Great list here, all great covers. I need to get mine done. You Have A Match is the only one I have read.
I can’t wait to see yours! 🙂
I haven’t read any of these! I will be adding Just Haven’t Met You Yet to my TBR. haha! You always have so many good books on your lists!
Thanks! I really enjoyed Just Haven’t Met You Yet – it was cute and funny!
Oh, this is such a cool challenge! I haven’t read these books but I have a few of them on my TBR
Nice! I hope you enjoy them when you get to them!
Nice. Looks like you’re going to have a great month of reading. Thanks for sharing, enjoy!
Thank you! 🙂
Any time!
Oh I really really want to read Just Haven’t Met You Yet! 😍
I really enjoyed it! It has a great romance, and there are some fabulous laugh-out-loud moments!