Books That Bring Me Joy

Do you ever find yourself looking for a book that you can get lost in? One where the world draws you in and lets you forget about the real world around you? A book where the characters seem to be living the ultimate life full of wealth and luxury? Or, characters who have lives so mess you just keep wondering who the author is basing these characters on. I love books with snarky characters, messy wealthy people, and drama that is over the top. Here’s a quick list of books that have brought me joy. Now, this is not a list of joy-filled books. These books brought me joy by reading them.

I fell in love with Charley Davidson years ago when I was searching for a new audiobook. Charley is a Grim Reaper who sees ghosts everywhere. Literally everywhere. Sometimes they are hanging out in her bathroom or never leave her living room. Charley also has the world’s most amazing best friend, a super sexy mysterious figure who has haunted her dreams for years, and a love of coffee that is boderline obscene. These books are snarky, witty, sarcastic, and extremely hot. I listened to them on audio but they are wonderful in print as well. If you love this series, definitely check out the Sunshine VIcram and Betwixt & Between series from her as well.

This is the ultimate Rich People Problems book. The ultimate! Nearly every single character is awful. Everyone is hiding something, or someone, and is only looking for out their own best interests. A elite and exclusive chain of resorts has been the second home to the uber wealthy for years. It has been their safe space from the paparazzi and a keeper of their secrets. But those secrets are about to be exposed and it is explosive! So many horrible people with way too much money trying maintain their deepest darkest secrets. Very soapy, very dramatic, and very, very dark. Loved this one!

I heard this book recapped by Heaving Bosoms and I was immeadiately hooked! It has two of the most beautiful and successful people who are so full of themselves they can’t figure out that the perfect person from them is RIGHT THERE! It’s an enemies to lovers romance with tons of snark, witty dialogue, and chemistry that is explosive! It’s incredible. Read it.

This is the softest, gentlest, cozy fantasy that I have ever read and I want a dozen more. An ogre who wants to leave a life of violence behind to open a coffeeshop in a small town that has never heard of coffee or a coffee shop. It’s a couple hundred pages of making lists, buying suppplies, renovating, and making connections with the locals. It’s a truly delightful book and I loved every single page of it.

This one is smoking hot! It’s a five alarm pants fire and I love it so very much! A young woman is about to lose her job as a maid and finds herself being offered a job at a brothel for non-humans. She is far from horrified about this job offer-she’s up for anything and anyone! It’s a love letter to the monster romance genre and it’s readers and conveys an extremely unconventional romance with grace, love, and respect. It’s a joyous look at sex and pleasure and handles the concept of consent and respect with great care. It’s a wild ride and I loved every minute of it!

As someone who fell in love with Greek mythology as a kid, you better believe I was all over this series of retellings. They’re extremely sexy, full of politics and high drama set against a backdrop of a modern city obsessed with celebrity. Each book, there’s 3 so far, has given us a little bit more information about the world of Olympus but we still don’t have the full story. From what I can gather, Olympus exists in a pocket universe next to the mortal plane and hidden from the eyes of mortals. Instead of the world being ruled by the Gods themselves, their names are treated as job titles and form the powerful group known as The Thirteen. Politics are a part of daily life and each family connected to The Thirteen are treated as celebrities-for better or worse. They are a lot of fun and are really quick and intense reads. Love them so much.

What are some of your favorite reads? Any series that are your go-to reads when you need to escape? Drop those in the comments and we’ll topple some TBR piles.

As always, this list contains links, including Amazon affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.