28. Off Balance

By Domanique Moceanu (256 pp, ebook)

If you know me, you probably know that I am a huge gymnastics fan. This is a memoir by one of the Magnificent Seven, the first US team to win an Olympic gold medal (1996) in a real nailbiter competition. Domanique's story is heartbreaking. Her family of origin was dysfunctional and while her initial gymnastics coaches were wonderful, she started training with the Karolyis who were abusive and terrible. She tried to comeback in her 20s and US gymnastics treated her like garbage. She was way ahead of her time. This book came out in 2012 before anyone was calling out the Karolyis and I don't think she got a lot of support at the time. Also doing elite gymnastics in her 20s and trying to compete again. Oh, also, as an adult she found out she had a sister with disabilities who her parents gave up for adoption. They had a lovely reunion. From her story, it sounds like she has created a wonderful family and works as a coach. She also advocates for young athletes for their mental and physical health. Good for her.

27. Dreaming of You

By Lisa Kleypas (384 pp, ebook)

Is there a better chaser for a long, violent vampire book than Dreaming of You? This is a historical romance where the MC Sara is a bold young woman who writes fiction and is not afraid to get into the grit for her research. She is researching a debauched gambling den when she meets the dark and damaged owner Derek Craven. My romance podcast Fated Mates has an annual event celebrating Derek Craven (That link is NSFW, grown ups only.) I didn't know the book and finally had a chance to read it and enjoyed it immensely. I love MCs that do unexpected things without fear and I love when a broken man falls for the lady in spite of himself. Recommend.

26. Empire of the Vampire (Book 1)

By Jay Kristoff (800 pp, ebook)

I was in the mood for a big fat vampire book and I got one. This is set in a world where the sunrise has disappeared and if people don't have enough problems staying alive, there are also vampires. It's maybe like 1500s Europe (?) Our hero, Gabriel, a silversaint which is a powerful vampire killer, is in prison and telling this story to a vampire historian. There are overlapping timelines and found family, love story, super violent actiony parts where lots of people die. I enjoyed it but it became a repetitive beat for me that the characters had to do something almost impossible, and then everything went wrong and there was lots of gruesome fighting and then a brief reprieve to pull the remaining characters together and then do it again. Definite recommend for people who like epic dark vampire stories.