My favorite fiction of 2024

Death At Morning House House by Maureen Johnson
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I love a book about a creepy old house, don’t you? Main character Marlowe takes a last minute summer job out of town to get some distance after she accidently(!) burns down a house while on a first date with the girl she’s been in love with for years.

Sure, the long-abandoned 1920’s mansion where Marlowe will be giving tours for the summer is a little creepy…but surely the house’s secrets can’t hurt anyone in the present day, right? Or at least that’s what everyone assumes.

Marlowe gets to know her fellow Morning House employees as she learns more about the building’s dark past and her own heart.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood
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Misery Lark has been chosen as the Vampyre bride for a marriage to an Alpha Werewolf that will seal a treaty between their two peoples. Misery agrees because she has reason to think the marriage will help her with the only thing she cares about: solving the mystery of her best friend’s disappearance.

Once Misery is in her new home with the Werewolves, she discovers that quite a few things are not as they seem…especially her enigmatic new husband.

This book is a romance, and I must warn you about one thing: in this world, Werewolves are uniquely endowed with a characteristic that human men do not share. Google “wolf knot” if you want to be forewarned.

This book contains on-page sex scenes.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Bookshop.org link | Amazon link

From Bookshop.org:

“There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. […]

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. […]

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.”

Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
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Emily is a librarian with a deep emotional attachment to a young adult fantasy series from her childhood that she rereads constantly (much like yours truly). But the series she loves is unfinished, and when Emily lands her dream job of moving to Ireland to help her favorite author write the last book in her favorite series, she discovers an unexpected complication: the handsome, grumpy owner of the local bookstore.

This sweet contemporary Romance made me cry happy/sad tears. It’s a true book lover’s fantasy and it fits my own personal relationship to books so perfectly that I already know I’ll be rereading it.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
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I read this entire book in one sitting. Not only is it exactly my type of book – fantasy romance with dragons and a strong woman protagonist – the author has the same rare genetic connective tissue disorder as me (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and so does Forth Wing’s main character.

The world feels like a modern reimagining of iconic fantasy classic The Dragonriders of Pern but with fewer sexual consent issues and less domestic violence (no shaking of women). There’s adventure, intrigue, and dragons who each bond to a rider and have the ability to communicate with that rider mind-to-mind.

I was surprised by how much it meant to me to read a book about a character whose body works the same way mine does. Apparently that’s something that I was craving so deeply that I wasn’t even consciously aware of it. Are there better YA Fantasy books with similar vibes? Perhaps, but this drew me in and I’m looking forward to book two.

Fair warning: this book sounds like YA, but the sex scenes are a little more on-page action than I associate with YA. There are only a couple of them, but the spice level puts on the same shelf as ACOTAR rather than The Hunger Games.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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Chandler, a ghostwriter who dreams of being a novelist, is shocked when an underwhelming one-night-stand turns out to be her new client!

They work on the book during the day, but at night Chandler starts to tutor her client in spicier skills. Will the two manage to keep their daylight working relationship professional, or will they fall passionately in love and have a sweet romance that makes me cry?

Rachel Lynn Solomon almost always writes her main characters as casually Jewish – it’s made clear in the story, but doesn’t take over the story. It’s a type of representation I appreciate, as a casually Jewish woman myself.

This contemporary romance contains on-page sex scenes.

Ruby Fever (Hidden Legacy #6) by Ilona Andrews
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Hidden Legacy is Urban Fantasy, which means it’s set in a world similar to ours, but with magic. The series follows the adventures of one family, starting with the oldest daughter, as each member of the family comes of age, embraces their power, and (usually) finds love. I especially loved Ruby Fever, as it marks an new chapter for the family that was particularly fun to witness.

These books are fast-paced, wildly creative, engrossing, clever, and spiced with a healthy dash of romance that should appeal to Romantasy enthusiasts.

I recommend starting with the first book, Burn for Me, and working your way through the series. It’s worth it.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
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Starling House follows Opal as she tries to make ends meet in a dead end small town with a younger brother to take care of – but how can she focus on work when she can’t stop having dreams about the creepy old house that belongs to the Starling family?

I’ve now read several books by Alix E. Harrow and absolutely loved every single one. They’re lush, richly descriptive, intricately plotted and conceived stories with a “fairy tales in the real world” feel – but I don’t mean Disney style fairy tales, more like old school Brothers Grimm.

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1) by Christopher Paolini
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This richly plotted YA fantasy epic spans 4 books (I’m on the bonus 5th book now) and tells the story of Eragon, a young boy living in a small farming village whose life changes dramatically when he bonds with a newly-hatched dragon and becomes the only hope of a brave group of rebels who have been working to overthrow their kingdom’s tyrannical leader for 100 years.

Eragon gest to know elves, dwarves, shapeshifters, and of course (my favorite) his dragon, Sapphira, to learn how to use his powers, support the rebellion, and ultimately challenge the evil king. This expansively-written series has a gradual pace that I thoroughly enjoyed, but the slowness feels deliberate and deeply satisfying rather than boring.