It turns out I read around 450 books in 2013. Crazy. Let's say it was a stressful year, and I found myself better able to relax with a cup of hot tea and my iPad than with TV or anything else. Losing myself in romance works for me! I went through all the books I rated 5 stars this past year and pulled out my favorites. I loved all these books and highly recommend them. Note these books were not necessarily published in 2013, that' s just the year I read them.
Books with Hurt/Comfort or Disability Theme
I love books in which love comforts and heals. These were my favorite this year:
Billy’s Bones by Jamie Fessenden – One MC is a therapist and the other is man with a deeply abusive childhood he’s buried but not gotten over. Everything about the story feels very authentic
Blind Faith by NR Walker – Acerbic, reclusive blind Isaac is wooed by the vet who cares for his guide dog.
The Boy Who Came In From The Cold by BG Thomas – A homeless youth is rescued by an older man. This trope has been done before, but I particularly liked this story.
Clear Water by Amy Lane – Patrick is a sort of ADHD spaz who is rescued from drowning by a marine biologist and is taught to love and accept himself. Brilliant Amy Lane writing.
Hidden Away by JW Kilhey – One of my favorites of the year. Kurt is a holocaust survivor, a gay musician who was in a concentration camp and now is a janitor at Berkely. The other MC, John, is a student there. A secondary storyline tells Kurt’s story as he went through the holocaust—educational and deeply moving.
How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Amy Lane – Drifter and grifter Jeremy has never had a stable home until he finds one at an alpaca farm and fiber mill. Co-worker Aiden wants a relationship with Jeremy but will Jeremy stay?
Never A Hero by Marie Sexton – My favorite Tucker Springs novel. Two rather underdog MCs – one who is missing part of an arm due to a birth defect and one with a dark secret – find love. Wonderful.
The Tin Box by Kim Fielding – A man in denial of his sexuality takes over custodianship of an abandoned asylum and meets a local gay shopkeeper. There’s a heart-wrenching story-within-a-story of a young man sent to a mental asylum in the 30’s for being gay that underlines how our current ‘freedoms’ should not be taken for granted.