It’s time for one of my favorite monthly threads, where we ask what you’re reading and you tell us and then we all buy tons of books: Whatcha Reading?
I’ll start: I just finished The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.
Yes, that’s nonfiction. Funny enough, I mentioned this book (it’s giving me Jiffy Pop brain where all the ideas explode in my head at one time) at the Smart Bitches DC gathering at Sona last week (hello to everyone who came!). I was standing next to Maya Rodale, who exclaimed, “Oh, my gosh, I KNOW HER!”
Which was weird, because I’d found this book on my own – by which I mean I hadn’t been emailed about it or anything. I’d read about a book, The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia, in Entertainment Weekly, and when I went to look at it online, I found a link to another book, the interestingly named In Cod We Trust – which was about Norway. As tempted as it was (COD!), I kept clicking book after book and ended up at A Year of Living Danishly, entirely by chance.
But of course the author knows Maya Rodale because there are ONLY romance people in the world, right?
I liked this book a great deal. It’s nonfiction about the writer’s experience relocating from London to Jutland, Denmark, when her husband is hired by Lego. Each chapter takes a month of their year as Russell tries to identify why Danes are ranked by several world measures as the happiest people on earth. I really liked the mix of hard data and interviews with economists, sociologists, doctors, chefs, and government officials – including a person who works for the Danish tax office – and her own personal experiences as she attempts to navigate life in Denmark. Each chapter has given me a lot to think about it, and I’m really happy I stumbled into this book. Then I started The Shopkeeper’s Daughter by Lily Baxter, about a young woman sent to northern England during WWII. I loved the first few chapters, especially because there was so much detail and tension. I think the first few scenes take place over a handful of days, and the book opens on an air raid, with the heroine, Ginnie, trying to make tea quickly for a sick neighbor in the bomb shelter while Nazi drone bombing aircraft are attacking London. Then the book switches pace very quickly once Ginnie and her sister are in Shropshire, and a few months pass in a handful of sentences. The switch in timeline brings with it a strange case of insta-love on the part of an American soldier and I’m hoping the story gets back to the detail and richness of the first few chapters.Next I might try Suzanne Enoch’s classic England’s Perfect Hero ( A | K | AB ). All that HarperCollins backlist on Scribd – mmm mmm good. (And don’t forget, there’s a three-months-free coupon for Scribd for Smart Bitches readers, too.)
RedHeadedGirl:
I just finished The Game and the Governess by Kate Noble and I just got The Manservant by Michael Harwood ( A | K | G | AB | Scribd ).
Carrie:
I am in a weird limbo because I just finished Boy, Snow, Bird and I don’t want to be almost done with a book when I get on a plane, because I’m so overthinking the “what to pack and what will I read thing.” Also I have a cold.So I’m supposed to be reading You Just Don’t Understand by Deborah Tannen ( A | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ) but I’m secretly mostly reading random pages of Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) for the 1,000 time.
Amanda:
I’m almost done with At Wolf Ranch. Loving the hero so far and how attentive he is! A sweet Southerner.After that, I’m moving onto The Master by Kresley Cole ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) and I CANNOT CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT!
Elyse:
I just finished At Wolf Ranch!
I really liked it but there were some info dump moments
I also just read Playing Dirty by HelenKay Dimon ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) I have about a million rom sus I ordered from Amazon at home, too.
Amanda:
Agreed on the info dump! The beginning also hella confused me.
So, what about you? What are you reading? Anything you recommend and want to share? Or… the opposite of that? Please share!
Shopping note:
After a recent Whatcha Reading? discussion, Lisa M emailed me to ask if I could link the books mentioned in the comments to the various retailers to make shopping a little easier. I wish I could! But alas, that isn’t possible.
However, I can drop some retailer links for you right here, so that if you feel like shopping, you can select your preferred retailer. Some of these links are affiliate-enabled, and the site receives a percentage commission from purchases made, so if you use them, many thanks. If you don’t want to us them, no worries, mate! (And if your preferred retailer isn’t here, let me know and I’ll add it for you if I can!)
The love story in Shopkeeper’s Daughter does start with the insta-love trope, but Ginnie and her American GI go through a lot of painful, emotional bumps before getting their HEA. The HEA is quite the pay off for the little over a year that the love story is about.
Also, Ginnie (with and without her American GI) is just the best kind of heroine.
Right now*, I’m reading Obsession in Death. It took forever to get to me through ILL, but so far it seems to be worth the wait.
I’m also in the midst of reading through a bunch of books by Sarah MacLean, which I’ve enjoyed so far, for the most part. I did get a bit frustrated at the couple in A Rogue by Any Other Name, since it seemed like all their problems could have been solved, a couple of hundred pages earlier, by locking them in a room together and making them talk to each other, but I’m cautiously optimistic that the rest of that series will be better.
I also have As You Wish by Cary Elwes out from the library, so I should be getting to that soon. It looks fun, judging by the captions on the pictures.
I’m also listening to Orange is the New Black, but finding it very easy not to get back to and am almost finished with The Temple of My Familiar, by Alice Walker which is well written, but not really for me.
*Well, really, right now I’m trying to psych myself up to get out of bed because it is COLD.
I just blew through Piper Huguley’s African American Historical Romances… two prequel novellas with a third coming soon and then a great series about a black preacher and his wife running a school for former slaves set in post civil war Georgia. Totally scratched my historical fiction itch.
Reading Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat for a book club.
Reading an ARC of The Fall (legal thriller) by John Lescroart because he rocks.
Today starting Christina C Jones African American a Romantic suspense Catch Me If You Can… Book two in this series is out 2/28. I actually just finished her Serendipitous Love series… If you like black romance check her out.
I had a great reading month. I read The Martian based a little on several recommendations and more on the fact that Matt Damon is going to be in the movie based on it. I loved it so much! It reminded me of Apollo 13 and the main character reminded me of Michael Collins in his interviews for the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon. I laughed out loud several times when reading this.
I also read the The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy which was a very sweet book. I think it’s my favorite by Julia Quinn in a while. I usually get annoyed with books where either the hero or heroine is hiding or trying to deceive the other but it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of this book.
I also enjoyed Special Interests by Emma Barry. I started out majoring in political science and ended up minoring in it so I loved reading a romance with a political setting. The only problem I had with it was that it read like more of a New Adult book but the characters weren’t that young.
Other highlights of my reading month were finally checking out Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (great because I discovered a new series to enjoy, bad because I’ve just added several books to my already miles long need-to-read list), Finnikin of the Rock by Melinda Marchetta which was a great allegory, Code Name Verity which took me a little time to get into but ended up ripping my heart out in a good way, and Flirting with Disaster by Victoria Dahl, loved the characters in this one.
I haven’t read all that much this week, which I’m kinda disappointed about that, nothing would keep my interest. I did start Britannia by Letitia Coyne and only got about half way through( I still might finish it later). The only book that really sticks in my mind is Treasure Me by Robyn DeHart. I just recently finished and loved every minute of it. I’ll probably read the other books in the series (Seduc me and Desire me) soon. All three are part of and adenture stories called the Legend Hunters series that hits all my cat nip triggers.
I’m almost done with a book called Out of the Ashes by Lori Dillon (same one from the podcast thread).
However between work stuff and a million other things taking up the space in my brain and sapping my energy, I’m having a really hard time focusing on being able to just sit and enjoy reading (I HATE THAT SOO MUCH).
When I get like that I find I start scouring fanfic for all the random, “I’d like to see something about [enter random show/character here].” Read that ’til I get enough of a fix and then flit around to something else. It’s the quick fix of buffet reading without the commitment to actually finish a book (Though I will say some ff is on par with professional stuff and when I find those I have to set them aside for when I feel up to reading again), or the guilt of having a stack of started books hanging around.
Ugh.
I just finished Playing Dirty by HKD and The Wedding from Dee Tenorio. I’m now reading through Jill Shalvis’ deep backlist (again). Had all of them in print, and bought so many digitally. So why not?
Side note Sarah: I absolutely love England’s Perfect Hero. The heroine occasionally is a little irritating, but she is so perfect for the hero. Sooo good!
Just finished Written in Red by Anne Bishop. I enjoyed it though there were things that really reminded me of her Dark Jewels series, there is a plot moppet, and the heroine is a bit of a Mary Sue. This book did lead me to several days thinking about how I feel about Mary Sue’s in books. In this case, it didn’t bother me so much. The girl’s background (and, apparently, genetics if I am reading the book right) predispose her to Mary Sue-ness. I also, in some ways, having been an exceptionally bright teen who got along well with old people but had little common sense, identify just a bit with the Mary Sue trope. I think it depends on how it is set up, whether it makes sense in context, whether we see the Mary Sue having more human moments, self-doubts, etc.
Before that, I read The Twin’s Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and really loved it. It is told from the daughter’s viewpoint, starting at age 13 and has a lot of details about life in Victorian England. Her mother was a twin, separated at birth, and the story starts when the twin, the girl’s aunt, suddenly appears. The question of the book is: does a child know its mother? This becomes important when one of the women is murdered and the daughter begins to question which one. There is also a romance that is nicely handled and some interesting things about the Sudan that sent me to Wikipedia.
I’ll have to check these books out! Thanks for the recs. I heard about your site through a sales associate at Lush! My latest favorite romance is A Second Chance at Paris by Cole McCade. It’s a fresh, sweet, sexy, smart story with original and unique characters. She’s a brilliant astrophysicist and he’s an author of YA books promoting girl power. It’s one of those books that makes me proud to read in the romance genre. No dumbing down, no cliche. Just beautiful writing with an amazing love story. It’s quite delicious actually. Curl up and read it on a cold winter’s day and you’ll be transported to Paris where you’ll fall in love. Happy Reading!
Just finished RADIANCE by Grace Draven. It’s self pub but very high quality. Thoroughly enjoyable – the protagonists cheerfully admit they find each other hideous at the beginning (right before their arranged marriage), but have a wonderful relationship by the end of the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Radiance-Wraith-Kings-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00S5IDLEQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424530110&sr=1-5
I’m re-reading Jude Devereax’s “Twin of Ice” which I first read in the 80’s. Holds up surprisingly well. Even if the Kindle cover bears no discernible relationship to the story.
Also listening to an audiobook of Amanda Quick’s “Otherwise Engaged”. I like that the hero is an engineer. I LOVE that there is NO ARCANE.
Also reading “Words of Radiance”, the second Stormlight book by Brandon Sanderson. I love the intricate and mysterious world, and the nuanced characters. The only thing that disturbs me is that somehow I had in the back of my mind that this would be a trilogy. Come to find out, it’s projected to be a 10 book epic. I may be dead before it wraps up.
I’ve needed some comfort reads and some paranormal to get my brain functioning through the realities of real life this month. So I’ve been glomming Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series. I love an ass kicking heroine who collects misfits. I think I’ll be moving on to The Rook, since the sample drew me in and the recs on here have been positive.
I have just entered the world of romance novels, and am loving it! Before this month, I’d read 3 or 4 during my lifetime, but I’ve just finished three in two weeks. I’m working on finishing a Ph.D. in the next couple of months, and somehow I’ve discovered that romance novels are a sanity preserver. I read Rogue in My Arms by Celeste Bradley, because it had been on my shelf for 5 years after being given to me by a friend. Now I am tearing through Lisa Kleypas’ wallflowers series. I read Devil in Winter first (obv) and then went back to the beginning and read Secrets of a Summer Night. I’m on It Happened One Autumn now. I love the attention paid to female friendship in this series, because that’s something I’ve always associated with romance — getting to tell your girlfriends about it.
Also, a note to say I was so excited to have discovered this site. I will be keeping an eye on it for more entertaining reviews and suggestions. : )
I finished Theresa Romain’s “Season to Surrender” partially on Sarah’s recommendation in several places. I really enjoyed it. Apparently I have a hidden yearning for winter house parties with bonus library shenanigans, who knew? (And if anyone has any additional recs in that vein, I’m open to ideas!)
I may be alone in missing the Arcane from Quick’s future books. I’ll have to find my historical psychic investigations somewhere else I guess…
I’m re-reading Elizabeth Peters “Die for Love” on Oyster and after that I’m not sure.
I am into everything everything everything Grace Draven right now. I read “Radiance” and was surprised at how compelling I found such a deceptively simple arranged marriage plot. She gets into the heads of her characters so well. After that I found “Master of Crows” (excellent!) and “Entreat Me” (almost better than MoC) and am about to scour the internet for the rest of her backlist.
Right now I’m at the beginning of “Rise” by Karina Bliss. I’m intrigued so far: eager to see how a level-headed, sharp historian and a complex rock star fall in love.
I am reading an historical, which is rare for me, but The Wild Marquis by Miranda Neville is so well written and I’m loving it! The heroine is the only female bookseller in London, and most of the male book collectors snub her. And, bookish girl versus devilish rake? Yes, please.
Good looking reads – I almost hate to look into them because adding to me TBR is dangerous!
Literally just finished the ARC of “A Grave Matter” by Anna Lee Huber that I scored through Goodreads FirstRead. Woke up, finished book, made coffee, came here. I’m really falling down in the whole pre-release read aspect of the FirstRead program as I’ve had this book for months. Any way, third installment of the Lady Darby Mysteries totally earned the happy squee I made when I got the email notification. The who-dun-it wasn’t terribly surprising, but this was more about the characters solving a few personal mysteries more than the big one. The romance aspects heat up, a question is posed, it does NOT go well. Also, there’s a dastardly character worthy of Thursday’s redeem a character post. Hoping he’ll show up again as he owes Kiera a favor.
I’m with you @tealadytoo. Finished JAK’s latest contemporary “Trust No One” last week and it, too, was blessedly Arcane free. Happy sigh.
I’ve been trying to read some of my own books instead of the unending (Damn you GBPL online reserve!) pile from the library, so I’m also on Part IV of “The Kraken King”. The serial was the second thing a purchased for my Kindle and I got this far before, but got caught up in the whole Dad’s hip replacement thing and never got back to it till now. Soooo good!!!
I read the first two books in J L Langley’s Sci Regency series – thanks to a rec in the Jupiter Ascending thread. Completely ridiculous m/m SFR about a royal family with five handsome sons, on a planet modeled after Regency England, with one notable exception – all of the Ton are gay men (they have artificial reproduction) and young lords are sheltered and innocent until they marry or turn 25. I can’t call this a good series – at all – but I had a lot of fun reading it.
I read the new KJ Charles mm PNR, Jackdaw, and it is really good, as well as fun. Same world as the Charm of Magpies series and a lot of spoilers for the series – I think it’s more of a traditional romance than the Charm of Magpies trilogy, and really satisfying.
I read Wild Seed by Octavia Butler – very compelling, thought provoking and disturbing sf/f. It has a romance, but the hero is so disturbing (he’s kind of like a vampire but worse) that I wasn’t sure I wanted them to stay together. I’m hoping for a better resolution in the rest of the series, but I’m also pacing myself.
I second the recommendation for Radiance by Grace Draven. It’s fantasy/romance, and features an inter species Beauty-and-the-Beast political arranged marriage where both parties initially find the other physically unappealing, but fall in love and come to see that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Thoroughly enjoyable. Plus its the beginning of a series.
Right now I am reading Jeaniene Frost Bound by Flames and next I will finally have to read Patricia Briggs Night Broken. I have put it off because I know the stuff with Adam’s ex will annoy me but since Dead Heat is out soon and it takes place in the same universe I need to read it.
I just finished reading The Inheritor, the last of The Marketplace series by Laura Antoniou. The first books were written in the 1990s, but the last one was finished just last year. They are BDSM erotica, but so much more than that. They are all very long, but interesting character studies too. They describe a group of people who train others or train to be slaves. There are many characters, and you really get immersed into the machinations of the world. Some erotica I have read is all sex, but these are more the world building and the characters, particular Chris, who is unique and interesting all by himself. Definitely different than anything I have read before.
I’m reading/looking at V2 by Russell James, a collection of the Victoria’s Secret photographer’s non-commercial pics of the models. And I never thought I’d say this, but a book with naked VS Angels is less thrilling than one might think, as many of the photos are close-ups of various body parts.
And now the GBPL informs me that HKD’s “Playing Dirty” is waiting at the drive through. Thanks, Elyse. Some how I doubt Part V of “The Kraken King” will get much time this weekend. Well, also I apparently left it on my desk at work. I hope it’s on my desk at work otherwise, $&!#!!!
I’m reading Hot and Bothered by Kate Meader A friends to lover troupe. It’s third in a trilogy but thinking about the others in the trilogy already. (contemporary).
I also read Lady Lucy by Kristen Ashley. It’s good but too much swearing and overlong, imo.
I recently finished He’s No Prince Charming by Elle Daniels. I don’t read much historical romance but the cover was too pretty to resist. I really adored it. The premise seemed like a tough sell but I felt the delivery really worked in the end. Really lush writing, too.
I’m now reading Owl and The Japanese Circus by Kristi Parish. I love UF but it’s been a while since anything new has appealed to me. It’s kind of like UF meets Indiana Jones. I’m liking it but there is definitely some first-book syndrome happening. Tedious internal monologue and too much repetition, but otherwise I’m enjoying the story.
I have work to do so no reading for fun for me this weekend, so I will just stare longingly at the books in my TBR pile, including The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy and Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction.
I just finished My Commander by Alanea Alder. It had some great humor in it, including sending the hero and his paranormal commandos out to buy tampons. Very cute. It is an insta love story, but most PNR is these days. I’m just starting the second in the series, “My Protector.”
After one of the recent SBTB podcasts (I think) mentioned the novella _Willing Victim_ (an EC title) by Cara McKenna, I picked it up and got hooked on her writing. Then I immediately read two of her “Intermix” novels published by Penguin, _After Hours_ and _Unbound_. Just about to start the third remaining title, _Hard Time_. I love the way McKenna develops her characters along with the romance. And the stories feel gritty, detailed, quirky, natural. I’ll probably cave and order the first in her Desert Dogs series even though some reviewers complained that it was more mainstream than the above mentioned titles.
Finished The Lover’s Knot by Erin Satie a couple of days ago. Set in Derbyshire, UK, in 1839. There was a lot to love about it: a well-defined heroine with a successful business career as an ink-maker, dynamic prose, and a set of colourful supporting characters. Also a lot of interesting themes that unfortunately aren’t explored anywhere nearly as thoughtfully as they might be, including memory and physical beauty. Plot handling and narrative are uneven, and the pacing is all over the place, but the author shows so much talent that even the flaws are interesting because they expose raw promise. Despite my criticisms I felt that this historical’s good qualities make it stand head and shoulders over smoother, average hist-rom fare. Recommended if you enjoy interesting, individualistic heroines.
Thank you for the promo code to Scribd. Now instead of my goal being to get my to-read list under 300 it’s to get it under 500. No, those are not exaggerated numbers. I have a problem.
You’re not alone, Julia aka mizzelle. I miss the Arcane society, too!
Last week, I read Catherine Asaro’s newest, “Undercity.” Interesting take on a cultural clash and really contains some textbook good stuff about how to help societies transform themselves, buried under a decent plot and romance.
Just finished Cecilia Ekback’s “Wolf Winter” – a powerfully written historical tale, really closer to a saga (not a romance); and Helen Humphreys’ “The Evening Chorus,” a beautifully written story of British life during WW2, but also not really a romance. Some good stuff in there.
Not sure what I will read next, but finally got both “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, and “My Sunshine Away” from the library (both not romances, either, but with very long hold lines). Maybe I’ll look to this list for inspiration. 🙂
This month I didn’t read a lot of romances, just Trade Me and The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (really good even if suffering from a contrived ending, where a simple misunderstanding sends the heroine off to marry a guy she doesn’t love, with the hero chasing after her arriving in time to claim her at the very altar!). Also the Cobweb Bride series by Vera Nazarian, fantasy with a lot of romance. Lushly written with an interesting premise — what happens when Death is unable to carry out his job? the consequences are gruesome — but I didn’t like how the series developed.
I also read Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord, a very hard-to-classify Caribbean folktale/fantasy novel. Interesting for its quietly “unheroic” hero, a woman who the gods have given the task of wielding the power that a cynical member of their company is misusing. It’s full of strange (and often humorous) scenes and folkloric characters.
Finally, a couple of grim and brutal thrillers by Greg Rucka.
I am currently reading (for the third time) Nation by Terry Pratchett. I think maybe I like some of his YA novels, like this and The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the best of anything he’s written, but it’s a hard choice for sure.
My first post, but I’ve been lurking for quite awhile. I always appreciate the recommendations!
For those who love reading, but may not have the time or energy, you might try audiobooks. They are more expensive (though Audible has some great sales); however, local libraries often have CDs or Overdrive in the ebranch. I love them because I can listen on long drives, while crocheting, while cleaning house or while playing video games (I am the ultimate multi-tasker). I found them because my job requires lots of reading and writing, leaving me too tired to read, and I was missing my fiction. They are great for insomnia, too!
I’ve been listening to Miramont’s Ghost. I loved it because I live in Colorado Springs, though it isn’t a happy story. Flip that Haunted House by Rose Pressey was alright. Tall, Dark, and Dead by Tate Hallaway was enjoyable. Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon was fun. I’m currently listening to Under Wraps by Hannah Jane. The jury is still out on that one.
I, too, miss the paranormal in Jayne’s books. However, she has kind of gotten very formulaic recently. It’s been a long time since one of her books really tripped my trigger.
I finally read ANCILLARY JUSTICE and loved it, am thrilled to see ANCILLARY MERCY isn’t far behind. Leckie has created a deep and astonishing world in these books. Also just finished THE ROSIE EFFECT with mixed results and undying love for Don.
Next up is ZODIAC by Romina Russell, thanks to Jia at DA. And I’m going to have to take a look at Grace Draven’s book since so many here have mentioned it.
Does anyone else read the comments for the “whatcha reading” posts like you’re researching an important paper? No? It’s just me? Ok.
This month I finally tasted the crack that is Kristen Ashley. I’ve had Motorcycle Man on my TBR list for a while, but then Sweet Dreams was on sale for .99 and I bought it. I was supposed to start reading something else, but I said “I’ll just read the first couple of pages to see what this KA business is all about.” Yeah, well, I did not stop reading it. Even worse, there was a sample of Lady Luck at the end. And damn it, if I don’t want to read that now. But I’m not a total addict. I can stop any time I want.
I went for a palate cleanser and finally read A Kiss for Midwinter by The Milan. LOVED.
Then I went for something different again with Darkfever by KMM. I told myself I didn’t like it that much, and there are so many other UF series I need to check out, and do I really have to read 4 more books to find out who killed her sister, etc. But I immediately downloaded the next in the series from the library. There’s some serious hotness going on with Jericho.
I also checked out Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh. I’m still shocked by how much I did not love this book. I will not be reading anymore in this series and I’m not sure if I’ll even try the Psy-Changeling series. I feel very alone in this.
I needed another palate cleanser so I’m currently reading Instant Attraction by Jill Shavis. I bought these back in October when they were on sale at the recommendation of SB Sarah. About a third of the way into Attraction and I’m loving it. It’s all so right. Unless something goes horribly wrong I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this series.
To my two TBR lists (don’t ask), I have to add @cleo suggestion for J L Langley’s Sci Regency. Because, YES.
And thanks Sarah for the Scribd code!
I just finished “The Iron Duke” by Meljean Brook, and now I have a problem, because I need to read ALL THE THINGS from her ASAP. So, so good! I read 2 books in Jill Shalvis’ Sunshine, Idaho series that I enjoyed, which for some reason is the only Shalvis series that consistently works for me. The others are very hit or miss for my tastes.
I’m also trying to max out as many Kindle Unlimited reads as I can before my trial expires in a few days. After that, I’m starting on the Scribd trial. I anticipate that Scribd will be the one I keep – it has way more books that I’m interested in. KU was okay but didn’t have enough books that interested me to make it worth sticking with, especially since it is the more expensive of the two.
I decided I would spend two months only reading romances in which at least one of the MCs was NOT white. I’m in the middle of that right now… My favourite so far is Alisha Rai’s A Gentleman in the Street. Am now reading Talk Sweetly to Me.
OMG, Lammie, so funny you should mention The Marketplace series! I’ve had 3 copies of the 1st novel borrowed and never returned, and 2 copies of the 2nd novel in the series borrowed and never returned. I just bought new copies of both and lent one out with a very firm “if you don’t return this you don’t get to borrow the second book.” I was so excited when I bought them to see that there’s a new book! Does it stand up to the earlier books in the series?
I am currently reading Courtney Milan’s “The Suffragette Scandal,” and it’s taking quite some effort. Not because it’s not well written – it’s great – but because there’s some sort of glitch in the Kobo edition that won’t let me advance to the next chapter unless I go back to the Table of Contents and select it. Otherwise I get trapped in an endless loop on the same chapter. SO FRUSTRATING.
I just finished the second book in the Turner series, Unclaimed. I started this series with Unraveled for some reason and it’s interesting to go back to the beginning. The stories are fascinating. But I do wish we actually saw the female characters have friendships of their own. (We know that Jessica had a friend because we are told that, but I wish we were shown the friendship.)
I just finished Mary Balogh’s Only Enchanting – another lovely installment in the “Survivor’s Club” series although not as dear to me as the first three. I absolutely devoured Theresa Romain’s Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress. It was remarkably charming! Now I’m gearing up to read The Unlikely Lady by Valerie Bowman. Good times!