Another great reading month for me, with some very satisfying romances and spooky thrills, and another winner from A Man Called Ove‘s Fredrick Backman.

But my absolute favourite was…

The Lovers’ Guide to Rome by Mark Lamprell

If you’re a fan, as I am, of the film Love, Actually I suspect you’ll adore this book. It’s gorgeous and charming and romantic, and will make you want to jump on the next plane to Rome.

Unusually, the story is told by Rome itself which allows for the sneaking in of lots of quirky and interesting history without slowing the pace. The narrator follows several sets of people who have come to the Eternal City for specific reasons, and each is in a different stage of love. I won’t spoil the story by giving more away, but I will say that I found the entire concept wonderfully romantic and fun, that I adored Alice’s story, and thought Lizzie and Constance a hoot.

I gobbled this down. I bet you will too.

Winning Lord West by Anna Campbell

Anna C does it again with this lovely story of headstrong Helena Nash and the gallant Lord West. I adored how steadfast West was in the face of Helena’s resistance. He understands her like no other and is convinced he can show this Dashing Widow that there’s life and love after a disastrous marriage, if only she’ll give him a chance. One to give you a smile and a sigh at the end.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

I really liked this young adult book. The premise was fascinating – a one thousand floor tower that stretches into the sky, creating a stratified world within, and where the most beautiful and privileged girl in the world lives her perfect life on the top floor, but one shadowed with a dark secret. If it weren’t for the cliffhanger ending this might have been my favourite read of the month but I was left feeling a little cheated by the lack of resolution. Guess I’ll just have to read the next book when it comes out…

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

I’ve been wanting to read this for ages but it’s only recently become available in Australia. Being a fan of this kind of thriller-horror genre and books with religious-supernatural plots, I liked it a lot. I loved the way it kept me guessing about Merry’s reliability as a narrator, and I was particularly pleased by the ending, which left me thinking. Spooky!

The Medium by CJ Archer

The first in CJ Archer’s Emily Chambers Spirit Medium trilogy and a ripping read with a gorgeous, if problematically dead, hero and an independent and brave heroine. As with other CJ Archer books I’ve read, The Medium was hugely entertaining and very well written. You can pick the ebook up for free on Amazon.

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Now THIS was spooky and more than a little disturbing. Another in the horror-thriller genre I’ve been wanting to read for a while. It’s fairly short but, boy, does it pack a punch. There’s horror and madness and tension and creepiness up the wazoo. The ending was a surprise but a satisfying one. Not a book for when you’re alone though. Every noise is likely to end up creeping you out.

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrick Backman

Backman’s brilliant A Man Called Ove is one of my all-time favourite reads so I was always going to pick this new one up, and I’m so glad I did. If you’ve read Ove you know that the titular character is a difficult man. Well, Britt-Marie is waaaay beyond that. So far beyond that I admit I struggled with the first third of the book, but I trusted Backman to lead me somewhere wonderful and he did. By the end I was cheering and bawling and completely wrung out. Loved it.

Festive Deception by DB Tait

DB Tait’s Dark Mountain series, vividly set in the New South Wales Blue Mountains, is a great romantic suspense series and I was thrilled when I heard she was releasing a related Christmas novella. I loved this one. The characters were fantastic and there are red-herrings galore, and it was lovely to meet up with Julia and Dylan again.

NB: There’s a Festive Deception giveaway running right now on this week’s Teaser Tuesday. You’ll need to hurry to enter though. Closes midnight tonight, AEST, Friday 4^th November. A great way to taste this series if you haven’t already. Enter now.

Second Chance Town by Karly Lane

Another hugely enjoyable and sympathetic rural romance from Karly, this time with a large dash of suspense. Set in the small community of Bundah, Second Chance Town follows not only Bundah’s attempt at renewal but the blossoming romance between single mum and hard worker Lucy and new-to-town hottie Hugh. Plenty of page-turning drama in this one!

What were your favourite reads?