Did you have a blue Christmas? Or perhaps you’ve been feeling a little sad since the holidays are over and it’s back to the old grind. Well, if that’s the case, then maybe we can fight fire with fire. Here are some great blue-covered reads to help ease your post-holiday malaise.
Who doesn’t love a good racing book? Am I right? It’s been a minute since I’ve read a good racing story and this might be the first F1 racing book I’ve read. I think it’s usually more in the world of Nascar. I enjoyed this one. Willow’s had a crush on Dev for as long as she can remember, so when he hires her to be his social media manager, she couldn’t be more thrilled. But as an F1 driver, Dev is having issues with his nepo-teammate and his former manager left a big mess. I thought this one was really balanced - it wasn’t too sappy and it didn’t make us wait too long for the payoff. If you like this one, there is a second book in the series called, Ride with Me. NPL has them in print or audio, so pick your poison and start your engines.
When I sat down to read this one, I only meant to read about 50 pages. The next thing I knew, I’d read the whole thing. I don’t know why, but books about reality TVs shows always hit me in my happy place. It’s doubly weird because I don’t watch any of these shows. I think I like the books better because you get to see all the behind the scenes stuff that they edit out on TV. For this one, Cas gets cast on her favorite show, Hot Summer, at the behest of her social media boss. If she makes it to the finale, he says the company will promote her. But when she gets to the show, the audience likes her the least. I really liked the characters here and I thought the book was very well-balanced. If you are any kind of fan of reality dating shows - or even you’re like me and aren’t - this was still a fun read. Just don’t be surprised if it’s over before you know it.
This is the follow up release to the first book in her second series: A Queen’s Game. In her first series, American Royals, McGee explores what life would be like Washington had chosen to be king instead of handing off the power. I really enjoyed this series and was hoping the new one would be more of the same. It is. And it isn’t. This series (Queen’s Duet), is a historical romance featuring real people like Queen Victoria, Alix of Hesse, and May of Teck. I didn’t realize this until part way through the first book. I will admit that I didn’t know much about this time period. I knew of Queen Victoria and quickly realized that Alix of Hesse would become Russian Empress Alexandra after marrying Tsar Nicholas. I loved their story, but spoiler alert - it doesn’t end well. If you are looking for a historical romance set in the late 1800s, this one is for you.
I love this author. Her books are always so quirky. In this one, Elsy gets stranded in a small town in New York State. As she meets people and tries to get her car fixed, she quickly realizes that she’s stuck in the her favorite author’s last, unfinished story. This one messed with my mind a bit. I can’t imagine getting to meet your fave author’s characters in real life. I polished this one off pretty quickly because I couldn’t imagine how the author was going to resolve this issue. I was pretty sure I wasn’t gonna get my HEA. If you see a book by Ashley Poston, read it. No matter the topic or color, it will tickle your brain. More please.
If you anything about me, you know that I love two things - weather and Gilmore Girls. This book gave me both! Woot! To be fair I knew that the book had a hurricane going into it, but the Gilmore popup with a nice surprise. So Meena flies back to Houston to try and get her estranged husband to sign the divorce papers. (Not sure why it’s always divorce with weather people - see also Twister.) When a large hurricane (think Harvey) heads for Houston, she gets stranded in her old house with the (current?) love of her life. This was a good read. I really enjoyed the characters. Could have had a little more hurricane, but I digress.
If you are feeling sad, for whatever reason, let me offer you a quote from one of my favorite Woody Woodpecker books from when I was little: “Don’t be sad, lad. Don’t be glum, chum. We’re clowns in the circus!” I don’t remember the rest of the story, but I bet you feel better already. If not, maybe pick up one of these reads and enjoy the HEA.
Happy 2026 - blue or otherwise!
:) Amanda
