Hello you, and welcome to Thursday on damppebbles. Before I go any further I would like to wish my American followers a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful day, full of the things you love the most.

It’s day 24 of #R3COMM3ND3D2022 and we’re now, officially, on the home stretch. Which is quite sad but I’m glad I tried this more petite version of #R3C this year. It’s been ‘different’ but ‘good different’. What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Joining me on damppebbles today to talk all things #R3COMM3ND3D2022 is one of my favourite bloggers, it’s the fabulous Rae of Rae Reads. Rae’s blog is a gold mine of bookish delights for us bookworms. So if you don’t subscribe to Rae’s blog already then make sure that changes. You won’t regret it!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2022? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors, book bloggers, reviewers and bookstagrammers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2022. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2022 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

Here are the three books Rae recommends…

Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
I would say when it comes to this story the less said about the plot, the better. Just because I loved discovering it all for myself and I want everyone to have the same experience. I loved all the perspectives in this book it gave everything a much more rounded feel and it felt like I got to know the characters so much better too. They are complex and have so much more to their personalities than what first impressions showed.

There are some important themes throughout and I thought these moments were perfectly combined with writing that conveyed charm, wit and a lot of heart.
Rae’s Review of Love and Other Human Errors

The Earl She Should Never Desire by Lara Temple
The romance itself was a slow burn but the characters connection was built up in a believable way. Both Lily and Marcus sparked off each other brilliantly. With every interaction there is an attraction simmering even though they tried their best to fight it.

The Earl She Should Never Desire was a sparkling, chemistry filled read and I loved every moment!
Rae’s Review of The Earl She Should Never Desire

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan
This was probably my most anticipated sequel for 2022 and I couldn’t wait to catch up with Brie, Finn and Sebastian especially after the way These Hollow Vows ended. It was so easy to be fully immersed in the fantasy world that Lexi Ryan created. There are scheming and underhand manoeuvres that had me wondering what would happen next. I love how Brie isn’t the perfect character, she definitely has flaws but I couldn’t help but care about her.

The chemistry between certain characters (no spoilers) was for me perfect. I loved them together and was so happy with the ending. These Twisted Bonds is now a firm fantasy romance favourite of mine. In fact both books are brilliant and well worth a read!

Thank you so much, Rae. I love your choices, one of which feels a little familiar… If you’ve been paying close attention to #R3C over the last month you may remember that Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift has been selected before! This is the second time we’ve seen it which puts it in the lead along with The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards and Nothing Else by Louise Beech. The race is well and truly on!

About Rae:
I’m a married, mum of two with a very cute cat. You can usually find me with tea and biscuits. Or reading or blogging about bookish things on my blog – Rae Reads.

Rae’s Blog and Social Media Links:
| Rae Reads | Twitter @rae_reads1 | Instagram @raereadsbookblog |

Sadly submissions for #R3COMM3D3D2022 are now closed. Shortly after the last post I will be inviting you to attend the virtual after-show party, which should be fun. We’ll get to gaze upon the marvellous and majestic beauty of 2022’s books and also crown 2022’s winner, if we have one (they’re all winners, right?). Until then stay tuned as we have lots more bookish gorgeousness heading your way throughout November.