My Top Reads for 2022

I read 105 books in 2022 and it was so hard to choose just 10 favourites that I gave up and selected 12! Like last year, my favourite genre to read seems to be fantasy (escapism!), particularly books that have a nod to fairy stories or myths. I also love romantic comedy and historical fiction. There are some new-to-me authors this year, such as Vanessa Len, Rachel Gillig and A.G. Slatter, as well as old favourites Harlan Coben, Sarah Morgan and Karen Swan.

The list is in the order I read them. If you'd like to see what other books I've enjoyed this year, you can find them on Goodreads. 

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her job at the historical Holland House, and when her co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place. Then a Good Samaritan attempt gone wrong sends Joan spinning through time, and her life begins to quickly unravel. Her family aren't eccentric, they're monsters with terrifying hidden powers. And Nick isn't just a cute boy: he's a legendary monster-slayer who will do anything to bring them down. Because in this story, Joan is not the hero... Full review here.

The Match by Harlan Coben

Wilde tries to locate his real family via a family history website - one of those that uses DNA samples to match relatives. When one of his contacts disappears under mysterious circumstances, Wilde feels obliged to investigate. The trail leads to a secret online group who expose online trolls. When people connected with this group begin to die, one by one, it becomes clear a killer is out for revenge - and the next person on their list could be Wilde. Full review here.

The Birdcage by Eve Chase

Twenty years after their last visit, half-sisters Lauren, Kat and Flora are summoned to Rock Point: the beautiful and windswept Cornish cliff house where they sat for their father's most famous painting, Girls and Birdcage. The last time they were all together, in 1999 for the Eclipse, something terrible happened. Now they're back, no one mentions it - which Lauren finds unsettling and confusing, because there's a bit of a gap in her memory... Full review here.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora is a literary agent often compared to a shark. Charlie is an editor with a publishing house and is Nora's Nemesis after he turned down one of Nora's authors who went on to become a bestseller. The bestselling book in question was a feel-good story set in a small town called Sunshine Falls. For a treat, Nora's sister suggests they take a holiday there but it soon becomes apparent that the Sunshine Falls in real life is not remotely like the one in the book. To make matters worse, everywhere Nora goes she bumps into Charlie. What on earth is HE doing in Sunshine Falls? And is Nora's sister being entirely honest about the reason that they're here too...? Full review here.

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk

In 1754, renowned maker of clocks and automata Abel Cloudesley must raise his new-born son Zachary when his wife dies in childbirth. When an accident leaves six-year-old Zachary nearly blinded, Abel is convinced that the safest place for his son is in the care of eccentric Aunt Frances, who owns a menagerie of weird and wonderful animals. Offered a job by a politician with dubious intentions, Abel leaves his son, his workshop and London behind. This decision will change the course of all their lives forever. Full review here.

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede

At the beginning of time, the goddess Dea created mankind but Crollo insisted humans were too flawed to survive. So the two of them made a wager. Crollo could send his demons to kill the humans but Dea would would bless the humans with gifts: 'Fontes', who are born with magic to defeat the demons, and one 'Finestra' to enhance that magic when the time came to do battle.

Three years ago Alessa was chosen to be her island's Finestra but so far she has accidentally killed each of the three Fontes she chose to be her partner. Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find another partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island's only hope, even her own soldiers are tempted to assassinate her! Full review here.

The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter

Asher Todd goes to live with the eccentric Morwood family as governess to their three young children. Asher knows little about being a governess, but she is skilled in botany and herb-craft - and perhaps a little bit more. Morwood Grange might be a creepy old house, chock-full of dark family secrets, but Asher has a few of her own - not least the real reason why she is there! And exactly what did happen to the governess before her...? Full review here.

Book of Night by Holly Black

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn't pick, a book she couldn't steal, or a bad decision she wouldn't make. She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie...

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Carrie Soto has been coached by her father from her childhood to be a winner at tennis, partly because she has a natural talent, inherited from him, but also to help them both cope with the unexpected death of her mother. By the time she retires from the sport she holds several sporting records, including that of most Slam wins, and is considered a sporting legend. When another tennis player looks set to break that record, years later, Carrie announces her comeback. But in risking everything, is she making a terrible mistake? Full review here.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Centuries ago, when the townsfolk of Blunder wanted help, they would seek blessings and gifts from the Spirit of the Wood. One day, the Spirit granted the King powerful magic of his own. He wanted to share this with his people so he created the twelve Providence Cards. 

Twelve blessings, twelve, curses...

Now the townsfolk had magic of their own, they forgot about worshipping the Spirit, who began using mist to lure people back to the wood in revenge. Children caught in this mist grew sick. Few survived, but those that did were 'infected' with magic that caused them to degenerate. So the King went back to the wood to barter with the Spirit, who told him the way to cure the children was to reunite the Cards - then she tricked him into handing over the last Card before he could do so. Full review here.

Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Lucy works for an advertising agency, which feels more like family than work, especially since her only relative, her grandmother, died at Christmas a couple of years back. Now the agency is in trouble, she doesn't hesitate to head off to Scotland to try to win over Ross Miller, the CEO of a famous gym/sportswear company. She even has the perfect way to get his attention. Wrap her proposal to look like a present and hand-deliver it to his house. What could possibly go wrong?  Full review here.

The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan

Natasha is staying in an Airbnb in Vienna with her husband and young daughter Mabel, when they oversleep and nearly miss their plane. Too late they realise Mabel's precious toy cow, Moolah, has been left behind. Even when they return to their home in the Cotswolds, Mabel is distraught and refuses to sleep without it. Unable to find a substitute, Natasha puts out a request on social media that goes viral. It turns out Moolah was found by a climber named Duffy, who has now adopted it as a lucky mascot because it reminded him of a toy his sister had. Now hiking through the Himalayas, Duffy can occasionally get an Internet connection, but there are no post offices, so he can't send Moolah back. Instead, he sends electronic postcards to Mabel detailing all Moolah's adventures. Full review here.