It’s Tuesday, everyone! That means new releases are making their way out into the world.
It’s a small week for us in terms of our own TBR piles. However, the last week of March is looking pretty stacked. This time, we have a few historically-set titles, a contemporary romance, and a mystery.
Which new releases are you excited for this week? Let us know!
Author: Alexia Casale
Released: March 19, 2024 by Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
A dark comedy about four women coming together to heal the damage their husbands have done––and hide their bodies once they’ve killed them
When Sally kills her husband with a cast-iron skillet, she’s more fearful of losing her kids than of disposing of a fresh corpse. That just wouldn’t be fair—not after twenty years of marriage to a truly terrible man. But Sally isn’t the only woman in town reaching the brink. Soon, Sally finds herself leading an extremely unusual self-help group, and among them there are four bodies to hide. Can they all figure out the perfect way to bury their husbands . . . and get away with it?
First to join is former nurse, Ruth, who met her husband as a single mom. Now her son is grown and her husband’s violence builds by the day until an attack on the stairs leads to a fatal accident—for him. A few doors down, Samira’s last straw comes when she discovers her husband is planning a campaign of violence against her eldest daughter, who has just come out. Janey, Sally’s best friend, has just had her first child at forty-two. Sleep-deprived Janey needs a hero to slay the monster in the fairy tales she whispers to her daughter each night . . . and as her husband’s violence escalates, it might just be her.
Together, fueled by righteous anger but tempered by a moral core, the four women must help each other work out a plan to get rid of their husbands for good. Along the way, Sally, Ruth, Samira and Janey rediscover old joys and embark on new passions in work, education, and life. Friendship and laughter really are the best medicine—and so is getting away with murder.
Continuing with the theme that Sarah calls, “Goodbye, Earl”
Author: Jessica Lepe
Released: March 19, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
School counselor Lucy Galindo has a secret.
To her coworkers, friends, and even family, she’s shy, sweet, and constantly struggling to hold off disaster (read: manage her anxiety and depression). But online? She’s bold, confident, and always knows what to say—it’s how she’s become the wildly popular @TheMissGuidedCounselor. It’s also why she keeps her identity anonymous. Her followers would never trust the real Lucy with their problems.
History teacher Aldrich Fletcher thought a new job would give him some relief from his drama-filled family. Instead, he’s dodging his ex-girlfriend and pining over his new co-worker—who only ever seems to see him at his worst. Thankfully, he can count on his online confidant for advice . . . until he discovers @TheMissGuidedCounselor is Lucy.
Now Fletcher has a secret too. And while Lucy can’t deny there’s something between them, she’s not sure she can trust him. Can they both find the courage to share the truth and step out from behind their screens?
Amanda: A very sweet and sexy contemporary with great portrayals of depression and anxiety.
Author: J.J. McAvoy
Released: March 19, 2024 by Dell
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The DuBells #3
Hathor Du Bell has always fought to break free from the shadow left by her revered older sister, Aphrodite. It has been two years since Hathor’s debut, and while Aphrodite has married a duke and become a duchess, Hathor has been left with the ton’s most mediocre suitors. With the London season coming to a close, Hathor’s anxieties reach a peak. Will she be the only Du Bell unable to find her perfect match?
Then Hathor’s wildest dream comes true when the queen announces she’ll be presenting her nephew, Prince Wilhelm Augustus Karl Von Edward of Malrovia, during the weeklong society event at the Du Bells’ Belclere Castle. But the dream quickly crumbles when Hathor comes face-to-face with the prince, and he is nothing like she imagined. As a flirtatious rivalry sparks a genuine romance, Hathor fights to make a name of her own despite society’s expectations of her. Amidst the grand balls and growing feelings, the final events of the season promise to be the most romantic and shocking of them all.
The third and latest book in McAvoy’s historical romance series.
Author: Elizabeth Everett
Released: March 19, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The Damsels of Discovery #1
When a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after.
When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy?
A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises.
With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is they must face the future together.
Amanda: An apothecary heroine in Victorian era England?! Love all of this.
Lara: I absolutely adored this book! Full review incoming!
Author: Lucy Holland
Released: March 19, 2024 by Redhook
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy
The acclaimed author of Sistersong transforms the story of Herla and the Wild Hunt into a rich, feminist fantasy in this stunning tale of two great warriors, a war-torn land, and an ancient magic that is slowly awakening.
Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, her land, and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, leading her immortal warriors and reaping wanderers’ souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield—a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes.
Queen Æthelburg of Wessex is a proven fighter. But when she leads her forces to disaster in battle, her husband’s court turns against her. Yet King Ine needs Æthel more than ever. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the Wessex court. His own brother seeks to usurp him. And their only hope is the magic in Ine’s bloodline that’s lain dormant since ancient days.
The moment she and Æthel meet, Herla knows it’s no coincidence. The dead kings are waking. The Otherworld seeks to rise, to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. And as Herla and Æthel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity—and a way to break the curse—before it’s too late.
Elyse: An epic fantasy set in Britain in 60AD.
This is where the host (Jesse Palmer) gives the couples creepy AF handwritten notes inviting them to spend the night together, off camera, to explore their relationship (whatever that means for them).
It’s also usually the episode where one of the contestants gets upset because, despite this franchise having nearly 30 seasons, it hasn’t occurred to them that The Bachelor might sleep with other people on his “journey.”
Before we get started though, someone on social media pointed this out and I can’t unsee it:
That’s Luca from Pixar.
Anyway, we open in Tulum where Joey is (already) crying because he’s worried about his heart being broken. He says he fully opened up to Charity and got his heart broken so he’s afraid to open up again, which makes his decision to be on the show even more baffling.
Then, inexplicably Susan from The Golden Bachelor shows up to talk to Rachel because Jesse asked her to. It’s like a mom telling her daughter about the birds and the bees vibe and it’s real weird.
Susan tells her that if she loves Joey, she needs to be vulnerable with him.
Susan did not win The Golden Bachelor, BTW.
On their date, Joey says of Rachel “We just have this gel that makes sense.”
Like a …a lubricating gel?
Numbing perhaps?
Anti-bacterial. That’s gotta be it.
Anyway, Joey and Rachel go swimming in a cenote. They dive in and Rachel hits the water with her face and is obviously in a lot of pain. A medic shows up and she can’t totally open her jaw until he manipulates it, so that’s not great.
They go to the hospital where x-rays show nothing is broken, but obviously she’s still in pain. I don’t know why Rachel decides to go through with the rest of the date versus take a painkiller and lay in bed with an ice pack, but she does.
She says she feels bad that she ruined the date. How did she ruin the date? Even Joey points out she didn’t do anything wrong.
At one point Rachel starts crying BECAUSE SHE NEEDS TO TAKE SOME IBUPROFEN AND GO TO BED FFS.
Then they open the creepy card from Jesse who writes in all capital letters for some reason. They go to the Fantasy Suite.
The next date goes to Kelsey A.
Mirroring the weird Susan conversation, Leslie from The Golden Bachelor comes to talk to her. Leslie tells her that she wishes she wasn’t so confident on her last date because she was devastated when she was let go.
“Always have something in the back of your head that you might not be it,” she says.
LOL best pep talk ever.
They take a yacht for a spin and make out on the deck.
During dinner, Kelsey tells him that she loves him.
Joey looks absolutely hammered, BTW.
I hope Kelsey finds something good on TV tonight when Joey passes out later. At one point I think he intends to talk, but he just makes this weird silent chewing gesture.
I wish I was that drunk right now.
They go to the Fantasy Suite.
The next morning Kelsey says she’s so happy she could cry.
Daisy gets her “mom talk” from The Golden Bachelor’s Sandra. She tells Daisy to stay positive and be sexual. Sandra isn’t fucking around.
For their date, Joey and Daisy go on a ATV ride in the forest.
Meanwhile Kelsey is sitting in her room, fixating on Leslie’s comments about thinking she had it in the bag and getting her heart broken.
Back on their date, Daisy and Joey take an outdoor shower and make out.
During dinner Joey tells her he worries that people fall in love with the idea of him, not the real him. Daisy starts crying because she’s “thankful” for him.
They opt for the Fantasy Suite as well.
The next morning Joey reflects that if he proposed to Daisy, he thinks she would say yes.
Meanwhile, Kelsey is still freaking out–THANKS LESLIE–and leaves a note on his door.
So then Joey gets home from his overnight, sees the note saying “We need to talk” and completely spirals.
“I’m so done with this,” he says through tears. “I’m giving everything I can and feel like they’re not choosing me.”
All over a note that says we need to talk?
After three successful dates? Calm down, man.
And that’s where we end. Are you watching?
]]>Forget Met Not by Julie Soto is $3.99! This is a contemporary romance debut and I mentioned this one on a previous Hide Your Wallet. I liked this one! The book does switch between past and current events to show more of the main couple’s previous history, but I understand it could be a jarring format for the reader.
An ambitious wedding planner must work with her grumpy florist ex, whose heart she broke, on the most high-profile wedding of her career, in this spicy and emotional romance from popular fanfic author Julie Soto.
He loves me; he loves me not…
Ama Torres loves being a wedding planner. But with a mother who has been married more times than you can count on your fingers, Ama has decided that marriage is not the route for her. But weddings? Weddings are amazing. As a small business owner, she knows how to match her clients with the perfect vendor to give them the wedding of their dreams. Well, almost perfect…
Elliot hates being a florist, most of the time. When his father left him the flower shop, he considered it a burden, but he’s stuck with it. Just like how he’s stuck with the way he proposed to Ama, his main collaborator and girlfriend (or was she?) two years ago. But flowers have grown on him, just like Ama did. And flowers can’t run off and never speak to him again, like Ama did.
When Ama is hired to plan a celebrity wedding that will bring her business national exposure, there’s a catch: Elliot is already contracted to design the flowers. Things are not helped by the two brides, who see the obvious chemistry between Ama and Elliot and are determined to set them up, not knowing their complicated history. Add in a meddling ex-boss, and a reality TV film crew documenting every step of the wedding prep, and Ama and Elliot’s hearts are not only in jeopardy again, but this time, their livelihoods are too.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña is $1.99! This is book two in the Vega Family Love Stories series. It was also featured on Hide Your Wallet. Have you read this one or its predecessor?
“From a comedic cast of supporting characters to an emphasis on the importance of community… A vibrant second-chance love story about repairing community and romantic connection.” — Kirkus Reviews (STARRED)
Santiago “Saint” Vega gets a second shot at love with Lola León, but when duty to his family forces him to do something she’ll never forgive, will everything he’s built come crumbling down?
Years ago, Saint walked away from the girl he loved to fulfill his duty. Now he’s struggling to build bridges between his drifting family, take on more responsibilities at his uncle’s construction company, figure out why his daughter refuses to talk at school and curtail his mischievous abuelo’s escalating pranks. Then she walks back into his life.
Social justice advocate Lola León has returned to Humboldt Park for two to help care for her dear abuelo and to serve the community center she loved, particularly the shelter for unhoused LGBTQIA+ youths. When she finds out that the Vegas are responsible for endangering both, she is more than ready to go to war—even if the boy she never forgot is standing at the front of the battlefield.
Neither of them expects to become allies in saving the shelter, helping Saint’s daughter or ending the decades-long feud between their grandfathers. They definitely don’t expect all of their old feelings to come rushing back. As Saint and Lola enter combat, they can’t help but wonder where the other’s true allegiance lies, and whether they’ll win these battles only to lose each other.
Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole is $1.99! This is book five in the Immortals After Dark series, of which I’m a big fan. This one wasn’t my favorites, as it’s low on adventure and higher in mystery. This one can probably be read out of order.
Bestselling author Kresley Cole continues her seductive Immortals After Dark series with this tale of a vampire shunned even by his own kind and a beautiful phantom, bound together by a passion they cannot resist.
A RAVEN-HAIRED TEMPTRESS OF THE DARK…
Naomi Laress, a famous ballerina from a past century, became a phantom the night she was murdered. Imbued with otherworldly powers but invisible to the living, she haunts her beloved home, scaring away trespassers — until she encounters a ruthless
A VAMPIRE WARRIOR CONSUMED BY MADNESS…
To prevent him from harming others, Conrad Wroth’s brothers imprison him in an abandoned manor. But there, a female only he can see seems determined to drive him further into madness. The exquisite creature torments him with desire, leaving his body racked with lust and his soul torn as he finds himself coveting her for his own.
HOW FAR WILL HE GO TO CLAIM HER?
Yet even if Conrad can win Naomi, evil still surrounds her. Once he returns to the brutality of his past to protect her, will he succumb to the dark needs seething inside him?
The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger by Victoria Alexander is $1.99! This is book two in the Lady Travelers Society series and blends historical romance and road trips. Readers loved that it wasn’t typically set in England. However, others warn of a frustrating big misunderstanding.
Join the Lady Travelers Society in their latest romantic misadventure, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander
She must secure her future
A lady should never be obliged to think of matters financial! But when Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe’s carefree, extravagant lifestyle vanishes with the demise of her husband, her only hope lies in retrieving a family treasure—a Renaissance masterpiece currently in the hands of a cunning art collector in Venice. Thankfully, the Lady Travelers Society has orchestrated a clever plan to get Willie to Europe, leading a tour of mothers and daughters…and one curiously attentive man.
He must reclaim his heritage
Dante Augustus Montague’s one passion has long been his family’s art collection. He’s finally tracked a long-lost painting to the enchanting Lady Bascombe. Convinced that the canvas had been stolen, he will use any means to reclaim his birthright—including deception. But how long before pretend infatuation gives way to genuine desire?
Now they’re rivals for a prize that will change everything
Willie and Dante know they’re playing with fire in the magical moonlit city. Their common quest could compromise them both…or lead them to happily-ever-after.
This book gave my emotions a workout in the best way. Aside from a slightly disappointing ending, it was a delight!
Lucy Peterson is an apothecary in London in 1843. She inherited the shop from her father when her parents died in a cholera outbreak. Lucy has two siblings, Juliet and David. Juliet is an apothecary at a women’s clinic in the East End while David seems to flit from investment to investment losing money.
The book opens with Lucy frustrated that her former lover has stolen her formula for cough lozenges and is making a fortune selling it at his father’s apothecary. The formula for her croup remedy is also missing, so she hires an investigator from Tierney and Co to get to the bottom of it. This investigator, Jonathan Thorne, has led a colourful life. He left behind his aristocratic roots to make his name as a prizefighter. His story unfolds in parts throughout the book, but suffice to say that after the debauchery he becomes a Methodist, a sober alcoholic and the father of a child born out of wedlock, Sadie.
Something this book has in absolute spades is interesting characters. Not a single one of the characters mentioned so far is flat. Jonathan is tortured by his past, but in such a visceral, nuanced way, that it quite wrenched my heart. He is so earnestly trying to do the right thing, but he’s not sure of what is right, so he clings closely to his faith. Lucy challenges his views and Jonathan isn’t sure what to do about it. He has drawn these self-described red lines that he never dared to cross. But perhaps he’s made a cage for himself?
Lucy herself is under a tremendous burden, trying to keep the apothecary afloat with precious little support from her siblings. The siblings are nuanced characters themselves, but I didn’t like how selfish their actions were. Another reader might not find their actions selfish though, so I think this is a mileage may vary situation. While Lucy is for the most part forthright and sure of herself, she is a bit undone by her need for affection and love. She finds this need in herself frustrating.
I usually detest romance novels that feature children, but Sadie was so well-written that she really added to the story rather than detracted from it. She’s earnest like her father, but so curious and truly child-like, which, if you’ve read other romance novels featuring children, you’ll know that’s not a given.
This is a new series but it features settings and characters from the previous series by the author. There was only one scene in this book that I was a bit confused by because of the sudden addition of a number of characters, but otherwise this book was easily read independent from the preceding series. That being said, I enjoyed this book so much that I will be reading the preceding series in full!
The other thing that I found a little confusing is the use of flashbacks. A scene will start with a character tidying a shelf, for example, but then immediately flash to the hours before that moment and tell the reader what happened to bring that character to that shelf-tidying moment. All it really needed was my full attention and it was easy to follow, but I confess that sometimes I was reading this book as I was falling asleep and then my mind slipped a little.
The science is very much of its time with discussion of balancing humours and bloodletting – not that Lucy does any of the latter on the page. The last third of the book is filled with spiky, difficult emotions that can best be described as the characters’ growing pains. For me, the resolution wasn’t as all-encompassing as I needed it to be to erase the hurt feelings of the third act. It happened much too fast, and I just needed a more detailed, slightly longer resolution. That is my only real gripe with the book.
If you are looking for a rich historical romance with life-like emotions, I think you’ll love this book. I know I did. Truly, the only thing that let me down was that rushed ending.
]]>I’m really excited about this edition because there’s so much great stuff in here. There’s a great recommendation from the community, a historical romance that I’m loving that had such a quiet release, a non-fiction title, and more!
Are there any recommendations you’d like to pass along? Let us know in the comments!
Trying to find a gift for a friend going through a breakup or maybe you are that friend? This is a gorgeously illustrated piece of humor writing, that compares deep sea creatures to very particular types of exes.
Your exes as the creeps of the deep sea.
While there may be plenty of fish in the sea, the ones down deep may not be worth catching.
Deep-sea Creeps is a taxonomy of those terrible exes that should have been left lurking in the murky depths of your Tinder messages – from The Self-Proclaimed “Nice Guy” to The Egomaniac, and even The Ex Who Wanted To Break Up (But Wanted You To Do It).
This hilarious oceanographic expedition is for anyone who’s cut a loser from their line, and will (hopefully) help identify the next creep before you reel him in.
This is a recommendation from the community and I wanted to amplify it since I know not everyone reads the comments. Big thank you to ReadKnitSnark for letting us know this exists!
Miss Mildred Percy inherits a dragon.
Ah, but we’ve already got ahead of ourselves…
Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg.
The egg – as eggs are wont to do – decides to hatch, and Miss Mildred Percy is suddenly thrust out of the role of “spinster and general wallflower” and into the unprecedented position of “spinster and keeper of dragons.”
But England has not seen a dragon since… well, ever. And now Mildred must contend with raising a dragon (that should not exist), kindling a romance (with a humble vicar), and embarking on an adventure she never thought could be hers for the taking.
I’m currently listening to this one on audio and what the heck! Why didn’t I hear more about this one?! If historical romances with governess spies sound interesting, maybe check this one out.
In this delightfully witty Victorian romance, a governess spy running away from her past falls for an ex-soldier turned railroad magnate—perfect for fans of Manda Collins and Bridgerton!
The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave it behind in her respectable new role as a governess. But when she is recruited by a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton, it may just be a way to redeem the dark secrets of her past.
Straddling the worlds of the ton and the working class, as an ex-solider turned railroad magnate, Zach hunts killers for the Metropolitan Police by day and dutifully attends balls at night. In neither world has he met a woman with the brazenness to mock him. So when a saucy governess blows him a kiss he is determined to catch her, never expecting that when he does he will find an intelligent, quirky woman hiding more than her true name. As Zach peels back the layers of Emily’s lies, he falls for the street-wise woman who handles a dagger like a pro and kisses like a mistress. But when his affair with Emily intertwines with his hunt for a killer, he discovers Emily is hiding an explosive secret—one that could destroy them both.
I was super disappointed by Hey, Hun, but if you want a better book on the same topic (plus a killer podcast recommendation) check out Jane Marie’s book.
A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read for March 2024 * A Bustle Best New Book of Spring 2024
Peabody and Emmy Award–winning journalist Jane Marie expands on her popular podcast The Dream to expose the scourge of multilevel marketing schemes and how they have profited off the evisceration of the American working class.
We’ve all heard of Amway, Mary Kay, Tupperware, and LuLaRoe, but few know the nefarious way they and countless other multilevel marketing (MLM) companies prey on desperate Americans struggling to make ends meet.
When factories close, stalwart industries shutter, and blue-collar opportunities evaporate, MLMs are there, ready to pounce on the crumbling American Dream. MLMs thrive in rural areas and on military bases, targeting women with promises of being their own boss and millions of dollars in easy income—even at the risk of their entire life savings. But the vast majority—99.7%—of those who join an MLM make no money or lose money, and wind up stuck with inventory they can’t sell to recoup their losses.
Featuring in-depth reporting and intimate research, Selling the Dream reveals how these companies—often owned by political and corporate elites, such as the Devos and the Van Andels families—have made a windfall in profit off of the desperation of the American working class.
Shana: I’m really excited to share this dramatic reading of a fan letter my author friend received from the clueless White person who was paid to copy edit her book.
The letter is about how reading the book reminded the editor of her favorite childhood mammy and it is truly unbelievable.
Shana: Sarah, you do not know how hard it was not to share this with you when I first read the letter.
Sarah: SHANA. SHANA OMG.
I think it’s not going to get worse and then it does and WHAT. The mammy and then the doll?! AM I HALLUCINATING.
Shana: It just gets worse and worse.
Kiki: I AM SCREAMING. IF YOU HEAR SCREAMING FROM BOSTON IT IS I.
Maya: Oh my god.
Shana, tell your friend that she needs to get her shit handled here in the future: Tessera Editorial. I’m a part of it now!
What a mess. White women in publishing are wild. I’m still reeling. So much racism in such an unnecessary moment.
Amanda: I was trying to figure out where I recognized Alison’s face from – Scott Pilgrim!
Can this be nominated for an Oscar?
Tara: I’m trying to pull a coherent thought out of my brain for this, but I think it’s just fully shorted out. I’m definitely going to listen to her podcast episode with Alison Pill now, though.
…
Can you believe that a copy editor thought this was a great idea? To write it all down and send it? And this is someone who is hired by publishers to work on books. Stunning. Truly.
I hope they aren’t hired as a copy editor again soon.
You can find It’s Always Been Ours wherever you get your books.
And, special bonus, that’s our own Shana on the cover!
Isn’t that a glorious picture? I smile every time I see it.
]]>Welcome to Book Beat!
Book Beat aims to highlight other books that we may hear about through friends, social media, or other sources. We could see a gorgeous ad! Or find a new-to-us author on a list of underrated romances! Think of Book Beat as Teen Beat or Tiger Beat, but for books. And no staples to open to get the fold-out poster.
Author: Neely Tubati Alexander
Released: March 19, 2024 by Harper Perennial
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
A delightful Caribbean-set romp about an ambitious designer of apocalyptic video games with a strategy for (almost) everything who discovers what happens when her best-laid plans go off course…
Sloane Cooper is up for her dream job as a designer for a top video game company. During the interview, though, she somehow promises the all-male panel that she’ll remain single and fully dedicated to the work. It’s actually fine—after her last boyfriend cheated on her, she vowed to focus on her career anyway.
Enter Charlie, aka Hot Neighbor Guy, a near-stranger who shocks her with the offer of an all-inclusive trip to a Turks and Caicos resort. The catch? Charlie originally planned the trip with his ex, and asks Sloane to pose as his new girlfriend to make his old flame come running back. Against her better judgment, Sloane says yes; she can use the time away to develop a game design that will dazzle the Catapult team and get her a job offer.
Despite sparks flying in paradise, the trip can’t lead to more. As their connection deepens, Sloane is reminded that she can’t fall for Charlie and get knocked off her professional path. Besides, he’s trying to win back his true love. Can Sloane figure out a way to move past heartbreak, land the job of her dreams, and avoid catching feelings? The zombie apocalypse would be easier to solve—at least she’s prepared for that.
A video game designer fakes a relationship with her neighbor while on a vacation!
Author: Kylie Scott
Released: February 6, 2024 by Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
“Be quiet and listen: He is cheating on you. The name of your soulmate is Alistair George Arthur Lennox. You will be passed over for the promotion. The winning numbers are 5-8-12-24-39-43. And I’m very sorry to tell you this, but you will die next Sunday.”
When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of Good Witch Willow as they’re crossing a busy L.A. street, the last thing she expects is five unwanted predictions as a reward. Who gives someone the winning lotto numbers then tells them they’ve only got a week to live? And who believes in that nonsense anyway?
But when the first three predictions come true within twenty-four hours, Lilah’s disbelief turns to mild panic. She’s further horrified when she nearly runs a car off the road that belongs to Alistair Lennox, who just happens to be the illegitimate son of the British king.
While Alistair is intrigued by her preposterous story, Lilah is adamant about resisting the heat between her and the playboy prince. If she denies he’s her soulmate, then the last prediction can’t come true, right? As the days count down, they become maybe friends…and then maybe more. But between the relentless paparazzi and some disapproving royals, finding time for love isn’t easy, especially when her days may be numbered.
Red White and Royal Blue meets The Last Holiday in this delightfully quirky novel from the New York Times bestselling author of End of Story, about a woman who unexpectedly finds “fall in love with a prince” at the top of her bucket list.
Kylie Scott’s books have been frequently recommended on the site, and I feel like this one flew under the radar.
Author: Rey Terciero
Released: June 6, 2023 by HarperAlley
Genre: Gothic, Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young Adult
In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret.
Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier.
When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there—in particular, the ruggedly handsome and enigmatic Henry.
But as unexpected sparks begin to fly between Cade and Henry, things get…complicated. Henry is reluctant to share the details of his mother’s death, and Cade begins to wonder what else he might be hiding. Inspired by the gothic romance of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Bloom comes a modern love story so romantic it’s scary.
This is a queer, YA graphic novel inspired by Northanger Abbey!
Author: Isabella Kamal
Released: February 20, 2024 by Blackstone Publishing
Genre: Historical: European, Regency, Romance
Bridgerton meets Greek mythology in Isabella Kamal’s delightful historical romance debut, The Temple of Persephone.
Persephone Honeyfield is witty, intelligent, and very aware that the only way to escape the monotony of the life she shares with her father and sister in the English countryside—and the wagging, ever-critical tongues of the people around her—is through marriage. She also knows the likelihood of it being a love match is nearly zero.
Aidon Barrington has carried on the legacy of his family’s funeral furnishing business, losing himself in the process. A shell of his former charming self, he’s traded his reputation as a rake for that of a recluse and regularly appears in the scandal sheets as London’s mysterious Lord of the Dead.
When Persephone finds herself at Gallowsgate—the old Barrington estate—on a seemingly simple errand, an unexpected run-in with the Lord of the Dead himself leaves her on the brink of ruination. With no other way to silence the village rumor mill, or save her sister’s reputation, Persephone agrees to marry Aidon, becoming the wife of a man she hardly knows.
Persephone finds herself increasingly fascinated by her new husband, whose kind, patient nature stands in stark contrast to the ever-swirling rumors about him. But when the gossip begins to sound more like reality than fiction, she attempts to uncover the truth behind the Lord of the Dead while discovering she may have already lost her most guarded possession: her heart.
This is a Persephone/Hades retelling in a Regency romance package. I find the cover to be much brighter than what I’d assume for a retelling like this.
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
]]>The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston is $4.99! I don’t believe we’ve ever had this one on sale before. Carrie reviewed this and gave it C, nothing that she was very confused by this one. Do you feel the same?
A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.
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Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall is $1.99 at Amazon! I remember the book’s predecessor, Something Wonderful, having mixed reviews. Does this one fare better? Let us know in the comments!
From the USA Today bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a riotous Regency romp full of art, expensive hats, and a love that is nothing short of spectacular.
Peggy Delancey’s not at all ready to move on from her former flame, Arabella Tarleton. But Belle has her own plans for a love match, and she needs Peggy’s help to make those plans a reality. Still hung up on her feelings and unable to deny Belle what she wants, Peggy reluctantly agrees to help her woo the famous and flamboyant opera singer Orfeo.
She certainly doesn’t expect to find common ground with a celebrated soprano, but when Peggy and Orfeo meet, a whole new flame is ignited that she can’t ignore. Peggy finds an immediate kinship with Orfeo, a castrato who’s just as nonconforming as she is—and just as affected by their instant connection.
They’ve never been able to find their place in the world, but as the pair walks the line between friendship, flirtation, and something more, they may just find their place with each other.
Walking in a Witchy Wonderland by Juliette Cross is $1.99 at Amazon! This is book 3.5 in the Stay a Spell series. It’s an anthology of short holiday stories, some with characters that have been already introduced. I’ve heard good things about this series as a whole!
Getting hexy for the holidays!
Mischief and mayhem dominate the holiday season for the Savoie sisters of New Orleans. Five sexy stories set in the STAY A SPELL world you don’t want to miss.
Bewitch You A Merry Christmas: Always the peacemaker, Evie conjures Christmas magic between a hexed hottie and his witchy neighbor, while Mateo and Alpha plan to do whatever it takes to get some alone time with their girl.
Rockin’ Around The Hexmas Tree: A Dirty Santa gift with a very special hex boosts Devraj and Isadora’s sex life from sizzling hot to scorching.
Jingle Bell Jock: On New Year’s Eve, a new man puts the moves on Charlie. Tired of pining for his best friend, he’s ready to move on. Fortunately, JJ’s jealousy is just the right ingredient to move them well out of the friend zone.
You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grim: Her first glimpse of grim reaper Gareth Blackwater evokes a major case of insta-hate in Lavinia. In that same moment, Gareth is hit with insta-lust. Fate is playing with them both, and neither one is happy about it.
Jingle Spells: Nico and Violet laugh their way through their first babysitting adventure. But laughter turns to lust when Nico’s “dad” vibes tug on Violet’s maternal heartstrings.
A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews is $1.99! This is a historical romance novella set during a house party during the holidays. Sarah reviewed this one and gave it a C+. Here are some of the good things she said:
I liked the central romance, and I really liked Sophie and Ned. I liked the contrast in their conversations from before they agreed to be mutually candid and afterward. There were some moments I found incredibly charming, and some development of the story that was heartfelt and genuine.
A Dutiful Daughter
Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run of the mill London merchant. He’s grim and silent. A man of little emotion–or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she’s ready to put an end to things. After all, even a dutiful daughter has her limits.
A Taciturn Tradesman
Ned has come a long way since his days working as a draper’s assistant. He’s wealthy, ambitious, and eager to take a wife. But the courtship advice issued in The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Though he’s followed it to the letter, Miss Appersett still doesn’t wish to see him again. Frustrated and hurt, he’s more than happy to oblige her.
A Christmas Courtship
Severing ties with her former beau isn’t as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there’s Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What’s a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to the annual Christmas party at Appersett House and give him one more chance to win her? But this time there’ll be no false formality. This time they’ll get to know each other for who they really are.
I connected with Shirley and Sharon and got a History Lesson in how cover shoots used to work. We’re talking costume, art direction, photography, and painting skills combined to make some very memorable covers, and how much deliberate emotional care went into some of the photo shoots with the cover models.
Listen to the podcast →We have so many links for you this week!
You can find Shirley Green’s portfolio and stock image collection at ShirleyGreenPhotography.com. You can find Sharon Spiak at SharonSpiakArt.com.
We also mentioned:
Some of the images that Sharon and Shirley shared with me:
And finally, the cover art that hangs on my office wall, from The Lion and the Lark by Doreen Owens Malek:
(sorry for the glare)
Music: Purple-planet.com
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Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn is $1.99! I’ve had several friends read this one and mention it brought them to tears. Have you read it?
The acclaimed author of Love Lettering weaves a wise and witty new novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconciling with the past, and finding your path while knowing your true worth.
Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.
But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.
Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.
Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .
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The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn is $1.99! This is book 2 of the Bridgerton series, and a tiny rant about the new Netflix covers: the characters inside are not diverse unless Quinn did some rewriting and I think this is a bad, deceptive piece of marketing. Sarah gave this book a B+:
I do like Kate and I like Anthony, and while the denouement and resolution of the book is a let-down, the scenes with Kate and Anthony, and with Anthony’s family, are marvelous and wonderful and make me, the reader, a happy happy re-reader.
1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London’s most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better…
–Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1814
But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry–he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield–the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams…
Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands–and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister–but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself…
HABO SOLUTION: Always Only You by Chloe Liese is $1.99! This book was the answer to a HaBO! This is the second book in the series and we featured book six in the series on sale. Collect them all!
It’s an office romance on the ice rink in this heart melting story about love’s power not in spite of difference but because of it.
Ren has known Frankie Zeferino was a woman worth waiting for since the moment they met. She’s a master of deadpan delivery, has a secret heart of gold, and a rare one-dimpled smile that makes his knees go weak. But as long as Frankie’s the team’s social media manager, she’s off limits.
Frankie is a self-admittedly blunt, grumbly grump, but even she isn’t immune to sunshiney Ren Bergman. Who could be, when he’s a six-foot-three hunk of happy with a hockey player’s physique? Maybe in the past, Frankie would have gone for a guy like him, but since being burned too many times by people who learn about her diagnoses and see a problem, not a person, she’s wised up.
After waiting years for the right time to make his move, Ren learns Frankie plans to leave the team to pursue a new career. But what he didn’t anticipate is how hard he’ll have to work to convince her to let him have his shot at winning her heart.
A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian is 99c! This is queer, historical romance novella. It was recommended in two Rec Leagues: “Unsexy Jobs” and F/F Historical Romances.
A seductive thief
Lady’s maid Molly Wilkins is done with thieving—and cheating and stabbing and all the rest of it. She’s determined to keep her hands to herself, so she really shouldn’t be tempted to seduce her employer’s prim and proper companion, Alice. But how can she resist when Alice can’t seem to keep her eyes off Molly?
Finds her own heart
For the first time in her life, Alice Stapleton has absolutely nothing to do. The only thing that seems to occupy her thoughts is a lady’s maid with a sharp tongue and a beautiful mouth. Her determination to know Molly’s secrets has her behaving in ways she never imagined as she begins to fall for the impertinent woman.
Has been stolen
When an unwelcome specter from Alice’s past shows up unexpectedly at a house party, Molly volunteers to help the only way she knows how: with a little bit of mischief.
The short version of this review is, if you like this series (as I do – I like it a LOT) you’ll really enjoy this latest installment. The mystery is sharp and poignant, there are myriad historical details folded in, the relationships between the characters continue to grow and mature, and Veronica is as sarcastic as ever.
Longer (slightly) version: I was extremely happy that I received an advanced audio copy of this book, because this is a series I have savored in audio one after another. The narrator, Angele Masters, is superb, and this book is dedicated to her (which must have been fun to read).
I listened to this book in one long gulp, and was annoyed when I had to stop listening (ugh) and talk to people (UGH) about an hour before the end. It’s as immediately immersive as the other books are, and I love how familiar and new different elements of this book were.
Now, because I’ve listened to these one after the other (I joked about it in this podcast interview) my pattern-happy brain can tell you all the moments that I think of as the “Sweet Valleys.” If you’ve ever read the Sweet Valley High books, you know that every single one repeats key details about the Wakefield twins. You can probably recite them – Pacific blue eyes, yadda yadda perfect figures, sun streaked blonde hair, etc.
With Veronica’s narration, there are always some details that repeat book to book, obviously in part so new readers can find their way. But my own familiarity with them caused me to notice immediately when Veronica was about to describe her customized clothing, her living arrangements, or her preferred choice of weapons. It’s not a bad thing, but if you’re as into the series as I am, you’ll recognize these sections. They stand out from the otherwise seamless interweaving of the historical details.
I also recognized many historical references, including L’Inconnue de la Seine, the use of death masks, and the intricate funerary and mortuary practices of the time. One of the strengths of this series, I think, is the placement of very iconoclastic characters in a world rendered with highly specific historical detail. Their environment and the subtle references to actual historical events connect them to their reality and anchor them deeply within it, and in turn make the nonconforming individuals, especially Veronica, seem like probable additions to society. They don’t fit in, per se, but they absolutely do fit.
Also: I will never not snort at Veronica in the first book describing Queen Victoria and the British royal family as having “the values of middle-class Germans” who “believe in God and duty and respectability.”
My favorite parts of this book I want to discuss broadly because I don’t want to spoil anything. Much of the story, and the series as a whole, rests on the fact that so many people, especially men, think of some other people as possessions, or as objects which are easily disposable, and never as beings with their own autonomous lives. The contrast between how Stoker, Veronica, and JJ treat people, especially the victims, and how the non-recurring characters treat those same individuals is stark, and adds a lot of emotional weight to the story.
The relationship between Veronica and Stoker, and their connections with JJ and Mornaday who have a much bigger role in this book (hooray!) grow and develop in distinct but deeply enjoyable ways. JJ and Mornaday are more directly involved in this mystery from the start, and instead of basing her interactions on a foundation of mistrust, Veronica learns to share information and depend on the two of them. JJ, especially, is a terrific character and I’m happy she has more prominence while striving towrd her own ambitions.
A Grave Robbery is a fast, compelling, and extremely delightful mystery. If you, like me, think of the latest book in a long series as a visit with the characters, you’ll have a lovely time with everyone. The conversations fly like sparks, and Veronica remains wry and ruthless in her determination to seek justice for others, while making sure she’s enjoying the chase as much as possible.
]]>by Victoria Flexner
September 19, 2023 · Rizzoli
Historical: EuropeanMystery/Thriller
If you are a history buff, a food buff or (ideally) both, then you have to read A History of the World in Ten Dinners: 2000 Years, 100 Recipes. This book is so well-organized and natural that I’m not sure if I should say that it’s a food book with history or a history book with food.
I was this many days old when I learned about Edible History. Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel host historically themed dinners as well as other culinary projects. They are listed as co-authors of A History of the World in Ten Dinners but throughout the book the author is referred to as a singular, and ever-present, and relatable, figure.
This is a sumptuous coffee-table sized book about historical food with recipes adapted for modern use. The photography is gorgeous, the writing is powerful, the history is riveting. The authors work to incorporate various parts of the world while being transparent about their limitations: the earliest cookbooks that we still have access to were generally written about food for the elite and for and by men. This is not a book that tells you how to make the stew a Roman laborer might have eaten for lunch. It’s a book that tells you how to make The Cockenthrice, which is the front half of a suckling pig roasted, stuffed, and tied to the (also roasted and stuffed) back end of a chicken, including feet.
I don’t normally just up and post the table of contents, but in this case I think it will be helpful for the prospective reader to see what’s involved. The book starts in First Century Ancient Rome, then goes to:
You can see that there is overlap here and a lot of what the authors do is show what ingredients turned up where, and when, and why. The authors discuss lost ingredients and how they work around them, and why their recipes include use of modern tools such as a food processor. In that case, the food would previously have been ground by hand, probably by a child servant or an enslaved child. Using the anachronistic food processor seems a better option.
One thing I CAN’T evaluate is how easy the recipes are to follow and how well they turn out. I consider it a triumph of the human spirit when I summon the energy to scramble eggs. I’m not going to make Glazed Whore’s Farts no matter how much the name fills my heart with bliss (they are meringues from Versaille, and no actual farts are involved). However, the recipes are clearly written, there are suggestions of how to procure unusual cuts of meat or ingredients, there are gorgeous full color pictures, and they look pretty easy to follow if not always easy to carry out. I’m optimistic that an adventurous cook would be able to actually cook from this cookbook. Perhaps some of you in the comments will try it out and report back.
What I can tell you is that I learned a great deal from this book, especially about An-Andulas and Ethiopia as well as patterns that seem to occur in the fall and rise of empires. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and the recipes as entertainment as well as education. While my library copy was spotless and glossy, I can guarantee that, if I purchase this, it will shortly be covered with the flour and butter stains of enthusiastic use – and what greater praise for a cookbook can there be?
]]>March is turning out to be a busy month for me, especially with the lead up to my international vacation next month. Also, can anyone make a compelling case for keeping Daylight Saving Time?
To cheer my partner up this week, I made them their favorite dessert: tiramisu. If you ever want a quick tiramisu recipe, I highly recommend this one!
How’s your March so far? Busy or slow going?
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Hey, can you find Madeleine?
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I’ve discovered this wonderful Instagram channel where the creator Michelle just ranks things! Want a definitive ranking on Haribo gummy varieties? Bonne Maman advent calendar jams?
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With the announcement of Vice‘s closure, people were sharing some favorite articles on the SBTB Patreon Discord. Larisa shared this one and I found it to be very good: “I Played ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ on a Bar Jukebox Until I Got Kicked Out”
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I hope you all enjoy this funk cover of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked!
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
]]>The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath is $1.99! This is book two in the Once Upon a Dukedom series and wow, she’s about to be tits out in that field. The heroine is also named Penelope Pettypeace, which is a mouthful.
Hugh Brinsley-Norton, the Duke of Kingsland, is in need of a duchess. However, restoring the dukedom—left in ruins by his father—to its former glory demands all his time, with little room for sentiment. He places an advert encouraging the single ladies of the ton to write why they should be the one chosen, and leaves it to his efficient secretary to select his future wife.
If there exists a more unpleasant task in the world than deciding who is to marry the man you love, Penelope Pettypeace certainly can’t imagine what it might be. Still, she is determined to find the perfect bride for her clueless, yet ruthlessly charming employer.
But when an anonymous note threatens to reveal truths best hidden, Kingsland has no choice but to confront the danger with Penelope at his side. Beguiled by the strong-willed, courageous beauty, he realizes he’s willing to risk everything, including his heart, to keep her safe within his arms. Could it be the duchess he’s hunting for has been in front of him all along?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan is $1.99! This is book six in The Rogue Files series. Elyse was excited about this one, but was let down. Ultimately, she gave it a D. Did you have a different experience? Or do you feel the same?
Continuing her bestselling Rogue Files series, Sophie Jordan brews up a scintillating romance about a timid wallflower who discovers a love potion and ends up falling for a dashing rogue.
A love potion…
Charlotte Langley has always been the prudent middle sister, so her family is not surprised when she makes the safe choice and agrees to wed her childhood sweetheart. But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a “healing” tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desire…for someone other than her betrothed.
With the power…
Kingston’s rakehell ways are going to destroy him and he’s vowed to change. His stepbrother’s remote estate is just the place for a reformed rogue to hide. The last thing he wants is to be surrounded by society, but when he gets stuck alone with a wallflower who is already betrothed… and she astonishes him with a fiery kiss, he forgets all about hiding.
To alter two destinies.
Although Charlotte appears meek, Kingston soon discovers there’s a vixen inside, yearning to break free. Unable to forget their illicit moment of passion, Kingston vows to relive the encounter, but Charlotte has sworn it will never happen again—no matter how earth-shattering it was. But will a devilish rogue tempt her to risk everything for a chance at true love?
Best Men by Sidney Karger is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it C-:
I think it’s safe to say that I am not the target demographic for Best Men, a romantic comedy between two gay men in New York City. I say this not because I am a woman, nor because I live in the suburbs of Sacramento instead of in an apartment in Manhattan. No readers, I say this because I am OLD and the lives of these characters, all of whom are in their early thirties, sound exhausting.
“Bursting with laughs and so much love, Sidney Karger’s debut novel delivers a truly refreshing spin on the romantic comedy…A big-hearted, feel-good summer escape.”—Anderson Cooper, #1 New York Times bestselling author and journalist
When two best men in a wedding party fall for each other, they realize love isn’t a piece of cake in this hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy debut by screenwriter Sidney Karger.
Max Moody thought he had everything figured out. He’s trying to live his best life in New York City and has the best friend a gay guy could ask Paige. She and Max grew up next door to each other in the suburbs of Chicago. She can light up any party. She finishes his sentences. She’s always a reliable splunch (they don’t like to use the word brunch) partner. But then Max’s whole world is turned upside down when Paige suddenly announces some huge she’s engaged and wants Max to be her man of honor. Max was always the romantic one who imagined he would get married before the unpredictable Paige and is shocked to hear she’s ready to settle down. But it turns out there’s not just one new man in Paige’s life—there are two.
There’s the groom, Austin, who’s a perfectly nice guy. Then there’s his charming, fun and ridiculously handsome gay younger brother, Chasten, who is Austin’s best man. As Paige’s wedding draws closer, Max, the introverted Midwesterner, and Chasten, the social butterfly East Coaster, realize they’re like oil and water. Yet they still have to figure out how to coexist in Paige’s life while not making her wedding festivities all about them. But can the tiny romantic spark between these two very different guys transform their best man supporting roles into the leading best men in each other’s lives?
Going Down on One Knee by Christina Hovland is $2.49! This book sounds kind of bananas in the best way. The hero is a bike and a rockstar, who is then tasked with playing wedding planner. Yep, a biker rockstar wedding planner. Readers liked the opposites attract romance, but as you can tell, there’s a lot going on.
Number-crunching Velma Johnson’s perfectly planned life is right on course.
That’s a lie. Sure, she’s got the lucrative job. She’s got the posh apartment. But her sister nabbed Velma’s Mr. Right. There has to be a man out there for Velma. Hopefully one who’s hunky, wears pressed suits, and has a diversified financial portfolio. He’ll be exactly like, well… her sister’s new fiancé.
Badass biker Brek Montomery blazes a trail across the country, managing Dimefront, one of the biggest rock bands of his generation. With the band on hiatus, Brek rolls into Denver to pay a quick visit to his family and friends. But when Brek’s sister suddenly gets put on bed rest, she convinces Brek to take over her wedding planning business for the duration of her pregnancy.
Staying in Denver and dealing with bridezillas was not what Brek had in mind when he passed through town, but there is one particular maid-of-honor who might make his stay worthwhile.
Velma finds herself strangely attracted to the man planning her sister’s wedding. Problem is, he ticks none of the boxes on her well-crafted list. Brek is rough around the edges, he cusses, and doesn’t even have a 401(k). But trying something crazy might get her out of the rut of her dating life—so long as she lays down boundaries up front and sticks to her plan…
Do not be fooled by this cover. The cover says, ‘Look at me and my whimsy! My light frolic through life!’
No, dear reader, this is not light.
This is a book about persevering through tough times. The title should have been a clue for me. A phoenix doesn’t arise from a bouquet of flowers, after all.
The book is set in 1666. Plague had ravaged London the previous year and reading the characters’ reflections on that definitely had echoes of those early days of our pandemic and the grief and fear of it all. David Mendes is a Jewish physician who has left Portugal and moved to London with his father so that he can practice his religion openly. David is an earnest, serious sort who is dedicated to the job he loves. He is called in to treat Cecilia, a Gentile. Cecilia lost her husband to the plague and has sunk into a deep depression. Her twin sister Margaret fears that she is losing Cecilia and calls in physician after physician. Finally, David’s decoctions manage to lift Cecilia out of the gloom somewhat. In the process, David and Cecilia fall in love. Side note: There is a definite end point to David being Cecilia’s doctor, which happens before so much as a hand is held.
Yes, this is a romance. BUT if you’re looking for the typical romance plot arc of a couple gradually getting to know each other, spending a lot of time together, and falling in love, then you will be disappointed by this book. This love is a relatively quick one and for much of the book, David and Cecilia are separated by several circumstances, including their respective religions, and expectations that they marry other people. I don’t want to say too much because there are some surprises, but if like me, you detest love triangles. Don’t worry. It’s always clear where the true love lies. I did genuinely worry that a HEA was even possible for these two. But while the HEA is not a traditional one, it is certainly there.
My favourite character was certainly Cecilia. As she pulls herself out of her depression, we see more and more of the fire that makes her a phoenix bride. David is a bit more morose, understandably so as he endures quite a lot, and only seeks out happiness for himself towards the end of the book.
I enjoyed learning more about Jewish people in the early days of their return to London after the expulsions of 1290. While there is anti-Semitism in the book, there are no slurs spoken. David certainly faces anti-Semitism but we only hear about it after the fact or see it in suspicious glances from other characters. David himself is struggling with his faith and his identity. After being raised as a ‘converso’ in Portugal (his family ‘converted’ to Christianity in the face of the Inquisition), he is unsure of his relationship to Judaism as he lives openly in London. He has a small Jewish community but he chooses not to attend synagogue.
While both Cecilia and David are fully grown adults, the prose of this book has a bit of a tortured angsty vibe to it, with many a metaphor. Sometimes it has a poetic charm:
Ladies bunch together in laughing splotches of pink and green, while gentlemen brandish canes at each other.
And other times it gets a bit overwrought:
“You said your thoughts are like bees. Do they ever sting you?”
He cocks his head, eyes wide. He looks very much like his spaniel. “Why do you ask? Do yours sting you?”
“Yes. Quite often.”
It’s not enough to pull me entirely out of the story, but the florid word choices and dramatic language were a little jarring.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s a story of perseverance in the face of tragedy and the hardiness of true love. If you enjoy historical romance and don’t mind a romance that deviates from the standard arc, then I think you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.
]]>Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort is $2.49 at Amazon! I mentioned this on a previous Hide Your Wallet and was excited for this Phantom of the Opera retelling. However, I remember reading comment somewhere that it didn’t live up to the hype. Did you read it?
From The Astronaut and the Star author Jen Comfort comes a wildly electric romance about two musicians who collide on the stage of a Nevada opera house.
Self-professed diva Erika Greene has it all: a starring role on Broadway, legions of fans, spectacular natural talent. But after an accident on stage leaves her face scarred and her career in shambles, Erika retreats to Paris, Nevada, where she’s inherited a ramshackle opera house in desperate need of some TLC.
Erika pours her savings into the building, but it’s not enough to stave off casino developer Raoul Decomte’s avaricious gaze. With foreclosure imminent, she leases the space to some unexpected tenants: a German hair metal band, fronted by glam rock god Christof Daae.
Erika is tempted by Christof’s low-slung leather pants—and even more so by his ambitious drive to make Nacht Musik international superstars—but he’s off-limits. The rest of his band thinks he’s still dating their beloved keyboardist, who is conveniently not present on this jaunt to the American Southwest. When Erika finds out Christof’s been unceremoniously dumped and is trying to keep it under wraps, she makes a deal to keep his secret…for a price, of course.
Christof is desperate to hold the rest of the band together after his keyboardist’s departure, but he can’t maintain the charade forever. Nor can he resist the opera house’s mysterious proprietor, who tempts him with midnight singing lessons. It isn’t long before sensuous nighttime interludes turn into smoldering backstage encounters.
But can their newly ignited passion survive the searing light of day? Or will their beautiful duet turn into a brokenhearted power ballad for one?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair is $2.99! This is a Hades & Persephone fantasy romance that skews more toward the erotic side. I know St. Clair gained a huge following in some of the self-pub/indie pub spaces. Have you read anything by her? Thoughts?
Lord of the Last Heartbeat by May Peterson is $1.99! This is book one in the Sacred Dark fantasy romance series. I believe this series and the most recent book The Calyx Charm have been recommended a few times on the site. Have you read this one?
Stop me. Please.
Three words scrawled in bloodred wine. A note furtively passed into the hand of a handsome stranger. Only death can free Mio from his mother’s political schemes. He’s put his trust in the enigmatic Rhodry—an immortal moon soul with the power of the bear spirit—to put an end to it all.
But Rhodry cannot bring himself to kill Mio, whose spellbinding voice has the power to expose secrets from the darkest recesses of the heart and mind. Nor can he deny his attraction to the fair young sorcerer. So he spirits Mio away to his home, the only place he can keep him safe—if the curse that besieges the estate doesn’t destroy them both first.
In a world teeming with mages, ghosts and dark secrets, love blooms between the unlikely pair. But if they are to be strong enough to overcome the evil that draws ever nearer, Mio and Rhodry must first accept a happiness neither ever expected to find.
Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau is FREE! Yes, that’s right! You can start Lau’s Cider Bar Sisters series for the cost of nothing. This was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet and Lau’s romances have usually been well reviewed here.
When small-town engineer Amy Sharpe inherits a house in Toronto, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to start over and go back to school. Away from the family that takes her for granted, away from the ex who expected so much and gave little in return.
The new Amy enjoys wandering around the city and frequenting bubble tea shops, German beer halls, dim sum restaurants, and coffee bars serving Japanese pastries. She has a roommate with the same name as her favorite fictional character, and a group of friends who meet at a cider bar every couple of weeks.
The new Amy is also in lust with her brooding, tattooed next-door neighbor, Victor Choi, who is far from friendly but looks really hot cutting the grass without a shirt. Too bad the grass doesn’t grow faster.
As she starts telling him about her daily adventures—and as a little kissing in the garden becomes a regular activity—Amy finds her feelings are more than lust. But she fears she’s falling into her old patterns in relationships and refuses to let herself be underappreciated again.
Is Victor really more than a hot fling? And what’s he hiding behind that grumpy exterior?
Welcome back and hide that wallet!
A new Tuesday means new releases. We have a series finale, a series continuation, and some really interesting and epic sounding books.
What releases are you checking on this week? Let us know in the comments!
Author: Lyra Selene
Released: March 12, 2024 by Orbit
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Fair Folk #1
Set in a world of perilous magic and moonlit forests, this seductive romantic fantasy tells the story of a defiant changeling, her cursed sister, and the dangerous fae lord she must defeat to save her family.
In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen’s daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.
Most despise Fia’s fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.
When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go alone: with her is prince Rogan, Fia’s dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.
As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.
Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister’s curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.
Amanda: I love this cover and I’m a sucker for any fae books.
Elyse: This sounds like an epic adventure.
Author: Scarlett St. Clair
Released: March 12, 2024 by Bloom Books
Genre: Erotica/Erotic Romance, Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Hades X Persephone #4
The world will burn in the final installment of Scarlett St. Clair’s bestselling Hades X Persephone saga.
The gods are at war, the Titans have been released, and Hades and Persephone must fight tooth and nail for their happy ending.
Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never guessed that a chance encounter with Hades, God of the Underworld, would change her life forever—but he did. Now embroiled in a fight for humanity and battles between the gods, Persephone and Hades have entered a world they never thought they would see. To end the chaos, Persephone must draw upon her darkness and embrace who she’s become—goddess, wife, queen of the Underworld.
Once, Persephone made bargains to save those she loves. Now, she will go to war for them.
The final installment in the Hades x Persephone Saga!
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Released: March 12, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Veronica Speedwell #9
Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.
Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?
Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?
Sarah: New! Veronica! Speedwell! I’m so excited to listen to it. Angele Masters is a terrific narrator.
Author: Lynn Painter
Released: March 12, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
Dahlia: I’m officially a Lynn Painter devotee, and especially after deeply loving The Love Wager, I will try absolutely anything she writes.
Author: Natasha Siegel
Released: March 12, 2024 by Dell
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
“Poetic, romantic, and steeped in seventeenth-century London, The Phoenix Bride is historical fiction at its best.”—Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
A passionate tale of plague, fire, and forbidden love from the acclaimed author of Solomon’s Crown
It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister’s cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her. There is no easy cure for melancholy.
David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart. He is the only one who can see her pain; the glimmers of light she emits, even in her gloom, are enough to make him believe once more in love.
Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming—and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible.
Aarya: Super intriguing blurb!
I read this book in the late 70s or 80s and I’m thinking it was a Harlequin.
A man is on the run (maybe from the FBI) and he kidnaps a woman who suffers from ulcers. Milk toast is the only thing that settles her stomach.
He escapes with the woman by rafting through the Grand Canyon, where she has a change of heart.
These are quite the specific details!
]]>This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
]]>RECOMMENDED: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is $1.99! I’m hoping this isn’t a deal leftover from the weekend. I loved this book so much and gave it an A-:
The Bride Test is so beautiful and Hoang was right when she said it was impossible not to love Esme. She’s tenacious and battles against her fear of failure, of judgement, and of her own self-doubt, to become this confident and self-assured woman. This Bride Test has only solidified my love for Hoang’s romances; they are truly a gift to the genre.
From the critically acclaimed author of The Kiss Quotient comes a romantic novel about love that crosses international borders and all boundaries of the heart…
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions — like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better— that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working… but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.
With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
RECOMMENDED: Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly is $3.99! Carrie read this one and gave it an A-:
I adored Something Wild and Wonderful, a sweet romance between two men who meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I thought it was a beautifully written, funny, warm, touching, empowering, and sexy grumpy-sunshine story.
From the author of Love & Other Disasters comes a sparkling grumpy-meets-sunshine rom-com featuring two men’s sweeping journey across the Northwestern wilderness.
When Alexei Lebedev finally comes out to his conservative community, it does not go well. That’s how he ended up on the rugged Pacific Crest Trail, hoping he can figure out a new life plan in the thousands of miles it’ll take to walk the famed hike. He’s prepared for rattlesnakes, blisters, and months of solitude. What he’s not prepared for is the ray of sunshine named Ben Caravalho.
Charismatic and outgoing, Ben’s personality and infectious laughter is a stark opposite to Alexei’s quiet, reserved demeanor. But no matter how determined Alexei is to hike the trail alone, it seems he and Ben can’t avoid being drawn to each other. Through snow crossings and close calls with coyotes, Alexei inches closer to letting Ben in. As Alexei learns of Ben’s loving family and supportive friends, he begins to get a taste of what found family and belonging could truly feel like. But just as Alexei starts to let down his defenses, a sudden change in plans reawakens his fears—and he must discover if he has the courage to face something even scarier than the trail less traveled: letting himself fall.
The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth is 99c at select vendors! The cover has changed slightly and given a new ISBN, so double check your e-reading libraries. Have any of you picked this up?
She knows a liar when she sees one.
He knows a fraud when he meets one.
In a steam-powered world, Miss Constance Haltwhistle is the last in a line of blue-blooded rogues. Selling firearms under her alias, the “Brass Queen,” she has kept her baronial estate’s coffers full. But when US spy J. F. Trusdale saves her from assassins, she’s pulled into a search for a scientist with an invisibility serum. As royal foes create an invisible army to start a global war, Constance and Trusdale must learn to trust each other. If they don’t, the world as they know it will disappear before their eyes.
If you like the Parasol Protectorate or the Invisible Library series, you’ll love this gaslamp fantasy—a rambunctious romantic romp that will have you both laughing out loud and wishing you owned all of Miss Haltwhistle’s armaments.
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney is $2.99! I mentioned this one on a previous Get Rec’d. It’s a YA horror retelling of Silence of the Lambs. I really enjoy it and it doesn’t skimp on the violence and overall bad stuff, so definitely check content warnings.
The Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie in this riveting psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.
In 1982, two teenagers—serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell—are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can’t crack. But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case—a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers—things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country’s most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson.
Despite Travis’s objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he’s an expert manipulator playing a very long game…and he has his sights set on Emma.
Captivating, harrowing, and chilling, None Shall Sleep is an all-too-timely exploration of not only the monsters that live among us, but also the monsters that live inside us.
From Pam G: So Dr. Nips is back with a truly hideous shirt which he apparently left on when he got the tattoo. Also, where is his left arm?
Sarah: The way the mountain cross fades onto his pec looks contagious.
Amanda: The metal has got to be real cold on that nip.
Sarah: Would the big round part of the stethoscope bend that way on its own or has it fused to his chest??
Sneezy: Wouldn’t that mean he’d need another one? What if that one fuses to him too? How does he keep stethoscopes from fusing to his ears, or is it luck of the draw?
From Jen: The guy looks like he’d rather be elsewhere and the gorilla looks angry.
Sarah: I swear that guy was on The Bachelor.
Is that a Bachelor?
Elyse: His eyes aren’t vacant enough
Sarah: Does he resemble Nick Viall? WHY do I think I’ve seen this person before?
Elyse: Maybe a little? From the nose up.
Sarah: Imagine that as a compliment: “you have Nick Viall’s forehead!”
Elyse: He looks like what AI would produce if you asked it to make a Bachelor
Tara: The gorilla is definitely saying gtfo
Sneezy: He should listen while the gorilla is still speaking nicely.
From Leslie: I love the cover snarks. I don’t know if you have “covered” this one before but submitting one for consideration. Between the side eye and a polar bear. I don’t relate a yeti to a polar bear – but maybe I missed something in college environmental science class in?!
Sarah: OH, gracious. Leslie F has sent us a banger.
Everyone is confused here, especially me.
Maya: Do you think you are supposed to read it as Bearly better yet-I? Like one of the protagonists is barely better from something, yet they…something. Bc I also don’t understand
Sarah: MORE CONFUSION has arrived.
Elyse: They couldn’t afford yeti clip art, so they just went with the bear
Sarah: How much confused yeti stock imagery do you think there is? (Don’t Google that. Your search history deserves peace.)
Amanda: but that’s a polar bear…
even in paranormal romances, the ice caps are melting and the polar bear shifters must travel south for food and boning.
Sarah: Maybe the polar bear ate the yeti and that’s why he looks like he’s about to yark?
Maya: Get ready for a tragic backstory for the polar bear/yeti involving an ice floe and a beloved sibling that in the third act turns out to not be dead
Tara: I can’t even snark this one because I can’t stop laughing.
Sneezy: Said sibling would either have been frozen in an iceberg, or have become a grim dark anti-hero. Amnesia optional.
Amanda: That middle hand is confounding me so much because my brain keeps insisting there are five hands in this cover but there are not. It also looks very big.
Sarah: Even in photography, hands are difficult. This hand makes sense but also doesn’t? It’s very distracting.
Sneezy: I don’t understand how the knife hasn’t tipped over and broke something already. I know I’m nitpicking, but it’s smack dab in the middle of the cover, clearly meant to be a visual and thematic focal point.
]]>
Technically, we have a four-way tie! Books in the 1-4 spot sold the same number of copies.
I hope your weekend reading was stellar!
]]>This is when The Bachelor meets the contestant’s’ families who are often skeptical of this whole bullshit franchise.
We start in New Orleans, which is Kelsey A’s hometown. They go to a park where a woman is having her wedding photos taken. Kelsey reflects that in a couple of weeks that could be her, and says she terrified of having her heart broken.
Kelsey is also struggling with the fact that her mom, who passed away, won’t be there for her wedding.
Joey gets to meet Kelsey’s family, including her dad Mark who people are pushing to be the next Golden Bachelor.
Mark talks to Joey alone and tells him that he worries about Kelsey’s “heart of gold” being broken. Joey says his feelings for her “are real, and they do make sense.”
What does that even mean? Do his feelings for the other women not make sense?
Next up is Rachel’s hometown in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Rachel’s family hails from Hawaii where Joey has been living, so he’s excited about that connection.
This episode is so boring, y’all. I literally took a break to clean my cat’s ears because it was more interesting.
Joey says of Rachel “There’s always so much more to uncover,” like Rachel is a murder mystery or something.
Rachel says her heart has been broken before and her parents took it really hard. “My family won’t be huge fans of [this], I think.”
They go to a poolside barbeque where Rachel’s nephew Liam is dancing. Liam, at 5ish, is 100% more interesting than Joey and I would watch an entire episode of his awesome dance moves.
Rachel’s dad says he’s never seen the show (smart man), but says that if her heart gets broken they’ve already learned that she can recover and to use that strength.
She says she hasn’t felt as happy as she is with Joey in awhile.
So then Joey asks for her dad’s blessing if he proposes. He says, “If that time comes, she has my number.”
At the end of the day, Rachel tells Joey she’s falling in love with him.
Daisy’s hometown is Becker, Minnesota. They visit her family’s former Christmas tree farm. They take a wagon ride through the farm. Her childhood home looks like a Hallmark movie.
Daisy’s family talks about her battle with Lyme Disease and how strong she is.
Daisy’s mom worries Daisy isn’t being vulnerable enough for their relationship to progress. Daisy cries and says she never thought she’d feel this way about someone. She worries she’ll lose Joey because she can’t express her feelings.
I love Daisy’s dad. He tells her “It’s only love. Shoot the shot and if you win, then it’s all the marbles.”
Daisy tells Joey she’s falling in love with him.
Finally we’re in Niagara Falls, NY where Maria is. Joey is still concerned that she almost left the show. They take a boat ride around the falls.
Maria tells him that she’s never brought anyone home to her parents before which makes him nervous. “How has she gone this long in life without opening to someone,” he asks.
That feels kinda judgmental.
When we cut to Maria’s family, they play music over the top that makes it sound like Joey’s meeting the Godfather or something. Also they’re Greek, not Italian.
When Maria talks to her friend, she starts crying because it’s hard for her knowing Joey is with three other girls.
Maria’s dad talks to Joey and says, ” I know there’s three other girls in the mix and if you’re telling me you’re falling for her, and you’re telling them you’re falling for them, then that doesn’t mean anything.”
Joey says it would be hard to get down on one knee without knowing her family supports it.
Her dad says that if Maria chooses him, then he’d be “more to me than a son.”
I also don’t know what that means.
When her dad asks her how she’s doing, Maria immediately starts crying so that’s a great sign. He advises her to let her guard her down and try at the relationship.
I think this season’s families have been more supportive than any other season.
At the end of the night Maria still can’t tell Joey she’s falling for him. Instead she says she appreciates him being there.
Then it’s time for the Dreaded Rose Ceremony, which inexplicably, is held in an airport hangar with a jet in the background. My favorite part is the carefully staged fake cargo.
Before he starts handing out roses, Maria asks to talk to him.
She tells him that the minute she said goodbye to him she regretted it and that she’s falling in love with him. She says regardless of what happens tonight, she wants him to know that.
When she gets back in line Rachel asks her, “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” Maria says.
“You don’t know but you asked him to talk?” Rachel asks.
“It’s just what I had to do in the moment,” Maria replies.
Rachel is clearly annoyed.
After much dramatic music, Joey gives roses to Rachel, Daisy and Kelsey.
Joey tells Maria that he just had stronger connections with the other women, and that he still had a lot of doubts about their relationship.
Maria says she’s confused because she showed him all of her, and she doesn’t know what more she could give him.
“It sucks,” she says.
That’s it. Are you watching?
]]>Here’s how we’re kicking off our own month of reading:
Sarah: I read Night for Day ( A | BN | K ) in two days and really liked it. If you like fantasy and mythology and escape rooms you’ll like this I think.
Next is the new Veronica Speedwell, ( A | BN | K ) which I have an audio ARC for (thank you thank you thank you) and I am Very Excited.
Elyse: I have been waiting for The Devil and Mrs. Davenport ( A | BN )to come out and it was released today so I’ll start that at lunch.
Claudia: I’m on to the second Alexandra Vasti novella, among other stuff, and loving it!
That’s In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint
Tara: I just finished Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton ( A ) and it’s the first book to make me cry in a very long time. It has a lawyer and her celebrity client falling in love, but my lawyer friend assures me that the situation is handled ethically. This will probably be one of my faves this year.Sarah: I and my dragon stitchalong cross stitch are delighted to inform you that the new Veronica Speedwell is a cracking good time.
Most especially in audio. They are delectable as audiobooks.
Shana: I’m listening to the audiobook of Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle and it is just delightful. The hero is the greenest of green flags! He’s a teenage boy who’s the caregiver for his chronically ill mom, is a consent checking superstar, and plans dates more thoughtful than most grown men.
Carrie: I am about a third of the way through Fathomfolk. ( A | BN | K ) Love the setting and concept. Struggling to stay engaged with characters and plot.Sneezy: The English translation of Only Hope season 2 is just coming out and hooooooooohhhh boy. Messy and intense and hot right out of the gate. Didn’t expect shades of dark romance in this one.
I’m normally not a suspense reader, but… I didn’t read the signs and now I have to know what happens.
Lara: I’m reading My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long ( A | BN | K ) and is it scorching me, not just because the lust is palpable, but because it feels so genuinely real. I am being allowed to look in as two very real people fall in confused love. It’s unlike any book I’ve read before.
So whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!
]]>If Only You by Chloe Liese is $1.99! This is book six in the Bergman Brothers series. The series has been highly recommended by the community and their illustrated covers had an upgrade recently. I love the detail!
A longtime good girl and unapologetic bad boy score the love of their life when they least expect to in this swoony, slow-burn sports romance.
Ziggy Bergman is tired of being underestimated. Sure, she’s the youngest player on the National Soccer team and the baby of the family, but that doesn’t mean she still deserves to be treated like a kid. It’s time for her angelic image to get a makeover. What better way to do that than hanging out with trouble incarnate and her brother’s best friend, Sebastian Gauthier?
Sebastian has hit rock bottom. His hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy of ending if something doesn’t give. Seb’s not willing to actually change his destructive ways, but he’s happy to pretend he’s a reformed reprobate by faking a friendship for publicity with sweet, shy Ziggy Bergman.
When faking starts to feel real, Ziggy and Seb discover an unexpected friendship they’re happy to hold on to. At least, until their once-fake friendship becomes the most loving, empowering relationship they’ve ever known, and the end goal—for both of them—changes.
Calamity by Constance Fay is $2.99! I unfortunately DNF’ed this one due to the single, first person POV. However, others in the comments had better luck. Still looking forward to book two in this sci-fi romance series!
Bramble’s inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.
She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…
Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.
Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.
Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie is $2.99! know Carrie really loves this book (and the entire series, I believe). It’s also a Hugo Award winner! Readers really loved the scifi world building, though some admitted wanting more action in the first book of the Imperial Radch series.
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is $1.99! This is a time travel mystery and with Armstrong’s mysteries, there’s usually a romantic subplot to go along with it. Can anyone who’s read this confirm?
Jade City by Fonda Lee is $2.99! This adult fantasy novel incredibly violent, according to reviews. But readers loved the world building and threads of mythology weaved into the story. To be honest, the book sounds intense and awesome.
JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu.
The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It’s the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.
The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion–but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.
When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten is $2.99! This is a dark romantic fantasy that was featured in Hide Your Wallet and was highly anticipated by me and Aarya. I remember starting it but finding it a little slow.
The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.
For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn’t the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.
As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he’ll return the world’s captured gods.
Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can’t control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can’t hurt those she loves. Again.
But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn’t learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara is $3.99! This is book one in a historical mystery series set in the US during the 1940s. I mentioned this one on a previous Get Rec’d.
Chicago, 1944: Twenty-year-old Aki Ito and her parents have just been released from Manzanar, where they have been detained by the US government since the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, together with thousands of other Japanese Americans. The life in California the Itos were forced to leave behind is gone; instead, they are being resettled two thousand miles away in Chicago, where Aki’s older sister, Rose, was sent months earlier and moved to the new Japanese American neighborhood near Clark and Division streets. But on the eve of the Ito family’s reunion, Rose is killed by a subway train.
Aki, who worshipped her sister, is stunned. Officials are ruling Rose’s death a suicide. Aki cannot believe her perfect, polished, and optimistic sister would end her life. Her instinct tells her there is much more to the story, and she knows she is the only person who could ever learn the truth.
Inspired by historical events, Clark and Division infuses an atmospheric and heartbreakingly real crime fiction plot with rich period details and delicately wrought personal stories Naomi Hirahara has gleaned from thirty years of research and archival work in Japanese American history.
RECOMMENDED: The Dry by Jane Harper is $2.99! I read this after Elyse’s review and found it to be a quick read. Elyse really enjoyed this mystery and gave it an A in a Lightning Review, there is a content warning though:
The Dry is an excellent, solid mystery. I loved the setting of a rural community struggling through a drought that sets everyone on edge and amplifies tensions.
A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by an award-winning new author.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
A Crochet World of Creepy Creatures and Cryptids by Rikki Gustafson is $2.99! I featured this on Book Beat and while I’m just starting my crochet journey, I’m very tempted by this sale price. How do you feel about digital books/patterns vs something like a tangible book in front of you?
Create the Monster Menagerie of Your Dreams
Who says creepy can’t be cute? With this impressive amigurumi collection you can unlock a whole new world of creatures and cryptids in all their scaryadorable glory. From classic cryptids like Cthulhu, Nessie and Mothman to paranormal paragons like Zombies, Werewolves and Nosferatu himself, there’s no end to the delightful terrors you can create.
These 40 unique patterns capture each creature’s quirks like the majesty of dragons’ wings, Medusa’s snake hair and the horror of Slender Man’s tentacles. While you’re creating, you can follow helpful tips on making your own colored eyes and pattern customization for color and sizing. Whether you’re looking to add some spooky new additions to your own plushie collection or are hoping to surprise the horror fan in your life, there’s a loveable monster in here for everyone.
I’m Just a Person by Tig Notaro is $2.99! I was pretty excited for this book in June 2016’s Hide Your Wallet since I’m a fan of Notaro’s comedy. While readers loved Notaro’s humor in dealing with serious issues, some felt the book lacked the sharpness of her stand-up.
One of America’s most original comedic voices delivers a darkly funny, wryly observed, and emotionally raw account of her year of death, cancer, and epiphany.
In the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C.Diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Hit with this devastating barrage, Tig took her grief onstage. Days after receiving her cancer diagnosis, she broke new comedic ground, opening an unvarnished set with the words, “Good evening. Hello. I have cancer. How are you? Hi, how are you? Is everybody having a good time? I have cancer.” Word of the set went viral instantly. This set was ultimately released as Tig’s sophomore album, Live, which sold 100,000 units in just six weeks and was nominated for a Grammy.
Now, the wildly popular star takes stock of that no good, very bad year—a difficult yet astonishing period in which tragedy turned into absurdity and despair into joy. An inspired combination of the deadpan silliness of her comedy and the open-hearted vulnerability that has emerged in the wake of that dire time, Untitled is a moving and often hilarious look at this very brave, very funny woman’s journey through the darkness and her thrilling return.
In this episode you will learn about A Tale of Two Biddies. You’ll discover Baby Bothering and God Bothering. And most importantly, are demons really a natural fit for the Regency era?
All these questions are more will be answered in this episode!
Don’t miss the visual aids for this episode!
Music: Purple-planet.com
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Thanks for listening!
Thank you to Shannon Stacey for sending me this issue.
You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind.
And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and absorb all the visual goodness:
Ok, let’s get started!
We’ll have more to say about the cover in the Ads & Features episode.
Starting with Historical Romance, Amanda was extremely curious about Reckless Desire by Isabella Bradford:
I was very intrigued by Antonía Barclay and her Scottish Claymore:
In Mainstream Fiction, The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich received two stars:
While Amanda was surprised that The Pastor’s Husband by Tiffany L. Warren wasn’t in inspirational, given the review:
In Teen Scene we found books that were WAY ahead of their time, like Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky:
This GoodReads review from Nicole is true art.
The cover is also delightfully minimalist:
Amanda took a close look at Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr:
It’s a very short review, and a very short summary, isn’t it?
In the Inspirational section, and I could NOT say the name of this series without slowing down, I investigated Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering:
FARTHERING. My gosh my mouth does NOT want to say that.
This book is set in the 1930s, but it’s set AT a Regency costume house party. So that was confusing for me.
But soft! A Goodreads review has revealed unto me a WONDERFUL new term: “God-bothering.” As in, “the god-bothering gets steadily more intrusive with each book.”
Amanda looked at From Bags to Riches by Sandra D. Bricker:
The scenes with the baby are grating! Baby bothering AND God bothering: this episode has it all.
In Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller, there were many series names, and the book Amanda chose is a perfect pun title:
AND THEN. THERE WERE NUNS. 10/10, no notes.
In Romantic Suspense, I didn’t understand why a book with a SWAT team made up of shifters was NOT in paranormal romance, but what do I know:
Shifters says paranormal more than suspense, but again, not in charge. Just confused!
Amanda thought this review was just word salad:
New love! Past intrigue! Dash of mystery and some sexy romance! That’s literally why I’m here but this doesn’t say anything specific about this book?
In Sci-Fi and Fantasy, a book I had just read for a podcast that will air in September (Plot Trysts is going to do a Vorkosigan re-read! Stay tuned!) was reviewed, leading me to feel like the book is following me around. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen is terrific, but the review is spoilery so I won’t include it here.
Amanda is really confused as to why she hasn’t read this book yet because it is entirely her jam, coulis, and fruit preserve.
Note the typo at the top there – eep!
This review might as well have said, “Amanda, you should read this.”
In Paranormal, we have a book about gargoyles. In fact, Elyse reviewed Rocked by Love by Christine Warren.
Amanda was kind of bummed to find out that this is a prequel to a series that takes place in the present day, but the review for The Deepest Well by Juliette Cross has a TERRIFIC first line.
Demons are a natural fit for the Regency era? Really? Ok, sure.
In the Urban Fantasy section, we have a new grade, Five Star Gold, with no explanation, though it is for a book that is part of a series that I know is very good:
The covers were all pretty great, too.
In Series, Amanda found a review for a book that sounds wild, and a cover with a hero hairstyle that evokes George Michael, of blessed memory.
Look at that floppy hair!
And in Erotica, Amanda was very curious about Julian’s Sins by Robin L. Rotham, especially as the review thinks male/male sex and electrical play are both kinks?
But you are NOT prepared for the summary:
Castle. Bangenschloss. Again, 10/10, no notes, chef’s kiss, perfection.
The series is called FRANKENDOM.
Ah, romance, I love you so much.
Our next episode will examine the advertisements and features in this issue, and that’ll air on March 22.
And remember, if you join the Patreon, you’ll get access to the entire issue as a PDF. So! Many! Reviews! And strange ads, too!
What do you think? Have you read any of these? Which would you recommend?
]]>The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon is $1.99! I’m unsure if this is a leftover Kindle Daily Deal from yesterday. Catherine read this one and gave it a B-:
There was some lovely writing, some fantastic banter, and I really did like Shay and Dominic together. They had terrific chemistry and the sort of teasing relationship that makes me very happy, because it means there is a firm foundation of friendship underneath the romance.
Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling romantic comedy debut.
Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.
When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.
As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane is $1.99! I’m also unsure if this is another leftover KDD. Romancelandia went nuts for this fantasy romance, though I will warn the environment and world is pretty bleak at times. We also had a great guest review for this one by Crystal Anne with an E. What do you think of the series?
A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.
Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.
Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…
Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. Drake is $1.99! Drake, who is known for her romantic suspense books, has written a fantasy romance with Thai mythology. It’s the first in the Mythwoven series.
My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess
The kinnaree
And no matter the cost,
I will be free.
Bennet Andrews represents a secret organization of supernatural beings dedicated to locating and acquiring mythical objects, tucking them safely away where they cannot harm the human race. When he meets Peeraphan Rahttana, it’s too late—she has already stepped into The Red Shoes, trapped by their curse to dance to her death.
But Bennet isn’t the only supernatural looking for deadly artifacts. And when the shoes don’t seem to harm Peeraphan, he realizes that he’ll have to save her from the likes of creatures she never knew existed. Bennett sweeps Peeraphan into a world of myth and power far beyond anything she ever imagined. There, she finds that magic exists in places she never dreamed—including deep within herself.
Wicked Designs by Lauren Smith is FREE! This book is the first in The League of Rogues series. If you already own this one, a couple more books in the series are also priced at 99c! Some readers mentioned being wary because of the kidnapping element of the plot, but many were won over by Smith’s writing.
The League of Rogues takes what they want—but have they taken on too much?
For too long Miss Emily Parr has been subject to the whims of her indebted uncle and the lecherous advances of his repulsive business partner. Her plan to be done with dominating men forever is simple—find herself a kind husband who will leave her to her books.
It seems an easy enough plan, until she is unexpectedly abducted by an incorrigible duke who hides a wounded spirit behind flashing green eyes.
Godric St. Laurent, Duke of Essex, spends countless nights at the club with his four best friends, and relishes the rakish reputation society has branded him with. He has no plans to marry anytime soon—if ever. But when he kidnaps an embezzler’s niece, the difficult debutante’s blend of sweetness and sharp tongue make him desperate for the one thing he swears he never wanted: love.
Yet as they surrender to passion, danger lurks in Godric’s shadowed past, waiting for him to drop his guard—and rob him of the woman he can’t live without.
Warning: This novel includes a lady who refuses to stay kidnapped, a devilish duke with a dark past, and an assortment of charming rogues who have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.
I love suspense/thriller romances but have gotten pretty disillusioned with the military and police for all the reasons you’d might expect. I’ve gotten by with some books about ex military groups or non government entities and I can apparently suspend my disbelief enough in those circumstances to have a good time (think Adriana Anders’s Survival Instincts series, which I LOVE).
I’d appreciate if there are recs along this line, or perhaps other books that might scratch the same itch (teams working together against a common enemy, tension from being pursued by a “bad guy,” high level of competence from both leads).
Sarah: Ok so hear me out: a lot of mid 2000s paranormal will be this exact thing: romantic suspense, likely with shifters, but no cops or government bureaucracy.
But that isn’t exactly what this request is seeking.
Pamela Clare’s I-Team series would qualify. Journalists and activists, surely but not police unless my memory is faulty (and it often is)Some Nora Roberts suspense novels do not feature cops – especially the earlier ones like Honest Illusions. ( A | K | G | AB )
Amanda: I thought I-Team has government and politics.
Sarah: And Katie Ruggle’s Search and Rescue series would definitely work.
It has some government but not law enforcement to my recollection.
Elyse: Bodyguard romance maybe? But I’m drawing a blank.
Sneezy: If it’s okay for police to be Background man 1 and 2, the webtoon My Second Husband might fit the bill. Although one of the leads was/becomes a judge, that’s not part of the story because it’s a time regression story and all the action takes place during the leads’ uni days.
Only Hope is similar, and also has time regression elements.
My Second Husband is complete, while Only Hope’s translation of the second season is just coming out. I wouldn’t wait for Only Hope to finish though, because Line Webtoon puts completed stories behind Daily Pass, where you only get one free chapter per day if you don’t want to buy them and sometimes makes the final chapters of a series pay only. It really adds up for longer series, and Only Hope is already over 50 chapters! Even if you don’t mind the cost, you might be like me and find starting a webtoon with 100+ chapters intimidating.I think Only Hope does a better job with the romance parts of the story, but both are stressful in the way of suspense stories and has competent leads
Shana: I haven’t read it, but what about Iron and Velvet by Alexis Hall? It’s about a queer private investigator.
Also, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer ( A | BN | K )
Sarah: Was it Katherine Center who wrote the female bodyguard romance? It’s pink and peach on the cover…along with 6,823,725 other covers I know
Amanda: The Bodyguard lol ( A | BN | K | AB )
That one wasn’t too suspenseful if I remember correctly.
Which books would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
]]>I had a big productive weekend and I’m still riding that high or I was…until I started getting the telltale pre-period discomfort. Welp, it was nice while it lasted.
Speaking of periods, I posted about this on the SBTB Instagram. I discovered the Menstruation Crustacean in a local store and then discovered there are two more varieties: a crab and a shrimp. I think shape-wise, I’d prefer the crab.
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The ebook and audiobook library app Libby has announced their own book awards, called The Libbys. You can see their inaugural finalists here.
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This link is from Karen, who posted this in my local romance book club Facebook group. It’s also timely if you’ve been listening to Beyonce’s Texas Hold ‘Em on repeat. Essence dives into the history of Black women in the Wild West.
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For the month of March, the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts will accept cat photos as payment if you have library fines and want to reactivate your library card.
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This came from Darlynne, who wanted to share this reel from a “book boyfriend” who needs Sarah J. Maas to cut him some slack.
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
]]>The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges is $1.99! I believe this was my pick on a previous Hide Your Wallet and I was really intrigued by the concept. However, I never got around to reading it; ain’t that just the way.
A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.
From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.
Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey is $2.49! This is a contemporary f/f romance that has been mentioned on both Book Beat and Hide You Wallet. This is the first book in the Ms. Right series and the second is also on sale.
From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes a playful romance about a Manhattan bookstore owner and a reclusive author who love to hate—and hate to love—each other.
Books are Rosie Taft’s life. And ever since she took over her mother’s beloved Manhattan bookstore, they’ve become her home too. The only thing missing is her own real-life romance like the ones she loves to read about, and Rosie has an idea of who she might like to sweep her off her feet. She’s struck up a flirty online friendship with lesbian romance author Brie, and what could be more romantic than falling in love with her favorite author?
Jane Breslin works hard to keep her professional and personal lives neatly separated. By day, she works for the family property development business. By night, she puts her steamier side on paper under her pen name: Brie. Jane hasn’t had much luck with her own love life, but her online connection with a loyal reader makes Jane wonder if she could be the one.
When Rosie learns that her bookstore’s lease has been terminated by Jane’s company, romance moves to the back burner. Even though they’re at odds, there’s no denying the sparks that fly every time they’re together. When their online identities are revealed, will Jane be able to write her way to a happy ending, or is Rosie’s heart a closed book?
Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter is $1.99! This is the first book in the fantasy romance series, Gods of War. I’m curious about this new series, but Showalter’s books have been misses for me, mainly because of the heroes. Are you a Showalter fan?
Knox of Iviland, the most ruthless warrior in All War history, has spent his life fighting others to the death, winning new realms for his king. Now the stakes are higher than ever. If he prevails in the battle for Earth, his slave bands will be removed. Victory is his sole focus…until he meets her.
On an arctic getaway with her foster sister, street tough but vulnerable Vale London is shocked to stumble upon a cave filled with ancient gods waging epic combat. When she is inadvertently drawn into their war, she is forced to team up with an unlikely ally—the sexy god who makes her burn with desire.
Though Vale is his enemy, Knox is consumed with lust and a fierce need to protect her. But only one combatant can triumph, and he will have to choose: live for freedom, or die for love.
The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie London is $2.99! This is book one in the Paws in the City series. I didn’t mind this one! Way more emotional than I expected. The cover did give me pause (heh) as the design gave me more 2007 chick lit vibes.
How do you start over when the biggest mistake of your life has more than one million views?
Forget diamonds—the internet is forever. Social media consultant Isla Thompson learned that lesson the hard way when she went viral for all the wrong reasons. A month later, Isla is still having nightmares about the moment she ruined a young starlet’s career and made herself the most unemployable influencer in Manhattan. But she doesn’t have the luxury of hiding until she’s no longer Instagram poison. Not when her fourteen-year-old sister, Dani, needs Isla to keep a roof over their heads. So, she takes the first job she can get: caring for Camilla, a glossy-maned, foul-tempered hellhound.
After a week of ferrying Camilla from playdates to pet psychics, Isla starts to suspect that the dachshund’s bark is worse than her bite—just like her owner, Theo Garrison. Isla has spent her career working to make people likable and here’s Theo—happy to hide behind his reputation as a brutish recluse. But Theo isn’t a brute—he’s sweet and funny, and Isla should not see him as anything but the man who signs her paychecks. Because loving Theo would mean retreating to his world of secluded luxury, and Isla needs to show Dani that no matter the risk, dreams are always worth chasing.
by Tim Powers
September 5, 2023 · Baen Books
Historical: EuropeanLGBTQIARomance
Y’all know I love my Brontës and I get so annoyed when either adaptations of their work or stories based on their lives get EVERYTHING WRONG, DAMMIT. My Brother’s Keeper is an eerie story involving the Brontë family, werewolves, and warring cults, and, darn it, it gets everything just absolutely perfect. I was so impressed with this book even though the whole warring cults thing was the least interesting thing about it.
I’m copying the plot from the publisher’s description:
When young Emily Brontë helps a wounded man she finds at the foot of an ancient pagan shrine in the remote Yorkshire moors, her life becomes contentiously entwined with his. He is Alcuin Curzon, embittered member of a sect working to eradicate the resurgent plague of lycanthropy in Europe and northern England.
But Emily’s father, curate of the Haworth village church, is responsible for having unwittingly brought a demonic werewolf god to Yorkshire forty years ago—and it is taking possession of Emily’s beloved but foolish and dissolute brother. Curzon must regard Emily’s family as a dire threat.
In spite of being at deadly odds, Emily and Curzon find themselves thrown together in fighting werewolves, confronting pagan gods, even saving each other from the lures of moorland demons. And in a final battle that sweeps from the haunted village of Haworth to a monstrous shrine far out on the moors, the two of them must be reluctant allies against an ancient power that seems likely to take their souls as well as their lives.
When I was a kid I was heavily struck by a Michael Hauge quote (he’s a fantasy artist) in which he essentially said that the more outlandish the the things he wanted to represent, the more convincingly realistic the mundane details must be – trees and rocks and so forth have to look real if the viewer is supposed to believe in the unicorn standing amongst them. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but I was reminded of this as the plot became increasingly mystical.
The story works because, first of all, the mundane details feel correct. Things that ought to be heavy do, in fact, cause the characters difficulty when they try to lift them. People have to eat and drink and sleep. Much mention is made of potatoes, either eating them or peeling them or cutting them up. Struggles are as much mundane as mystical. For instance, the characters make frequent references to their efforts to convince local government to move the town’s well uphill from the cemetery – a real-life problem for the residents of Hayworth, the village where the Brontës lived, was that the cemetery drained directly into their drinking water.
Secondly, the story works because, to me, the portrait of the Brontës, specifically Patrick, Branwell, Charlotte, Emily, Anne, their housekeeper Tabitha and Emily’s dog Keeper, is spot on. Everything they do and everything they say is perfectly in character. As bizarre as the plot is, it actually makes aspects of the Brontës’ lives make more sense rather than less. Dog fans will be especially thrilled that Keeper has a large role in the story. He is a Very Good Dog. For those that need to know how animals fare:
The dog does not die. However, eventually Emily dies just as she did in real life, and Keeper is very sad about it which made me weepy. So there’s that.
This is not a romance. Emily and Curzon clearly have a thing for each other, but circumstances (and history, which is why this is not a spoiler) prevent a HEA. However, the very tenuousness of their relationship, one which moves from animosity to friendship to “some unspoken thing”* makes it all the more moving. It’s a whisper of lost possibility that aches the heart.
The plot is fine. Lots of things happen. The wind wuthers about the moors, and there are ghosts and werewolves and Goddesses and terrible people and other dramatic things. It all holds together well, it’s tightly and beautifully written, it’s exciting and often scary, and it comes to a satisfying resolution.
However, the lasting impression I got from this book was one of tough women living in a tough place under tough conditions and making art and meals consisting largely of potatoes and sometimes mutton, while also caring for the people among them. Also a general spookiness, and an impression of flawed humans and animals alike trying very hard to do good things. A must read for Brontë fans, horror fans, folklore fans, and anyone who likes strongly atmospheric and character-based writing in general.
*Confession: I stole this useful phrase from Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
]]>The Secret to a Southern Wedding by Synithia Williams is $1.99! This is book one in the Peachtree Cove series and it’s a small town romance. We featured this cover on a previous edition of Cover Awe!
An emotional and witty story of love, forgiveness, and second chances as the race to the wedding day begins…
It’s been years since Dr. Imani Kemp has returned home to Peachtree Cove, Georgia. As Tallahassee’s most sought-after OB-GYN, she doesn’t have much time for anything else. But when her mom announces she’s marrying a man she just met on a dating app, Imani knows she has to put a stop to it immediately. Let her mom be hurt again after the disastrous way her last marriage ended? Absolutely not. Always her protector, Imani won’t rest until her mom sees reason. She just never expected sparks to fly with the groom’s son…
After his mother’s tragic death, Cyril Dash and his father relocated to Peachtree Cove to escape the gossip and speculation. Now, in this quirky small town, they’ve made a new life for themselves, and after years of grief, his dad has finally found happiness again. And Cyril refuses to let Imani threaten that. The more determined he is to prove the strength of his dad’s love, the more drawn he is to this beautiful, complicated woman who’s determined to call off the wedding.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is $2.99! This one has dual timelines and perhaps some slight magical elements. I remember it was pretty buzzy when it came out. Did any of you read it?
In this addictive and spectacularly imagined debut, a female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.
Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating exploration of women rebelling against a man’s world, the destructive force of revenge and the remarkable ways that women can save each other despite the barrier of time.
Zora Books Her Happy Ever After by Taj McCoy is $2.99! Shana mentioned this on Hide Your Wallet. This one seems like it might have a love triangle, but I’m not sure how involved that is with the plot. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different.
But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.
Goddess with a Blade by Lauren Dane is $1.99! This is an urban fantasy novel with an ass-kicking heroine and vampires. Readers complain that it’s slow to start, which I think is a common problem with any first book in a new UF series. Many, though, loved the heroine and thought she had a great blend of humor, badassery, and sexiness.
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she’s a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty.
A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas’s new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she’ll mete out her own brand of justice.
Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can’t let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die.
I read this book a friend gave me when I was in 6th grade (I’m 20 now for reference). It’s about a girl in a post-apocalyptic (maybe, not sure?) world, and she has this love interest named Cole.
There are a few other characters. I remember this one guy who dates a girl named Kayla (maybe?). She ends up dying and I think she comes back as a zombie?
The cover maybe had something to do with either zombies or Alice in Wonderland. It’s a romance novel, young adult for sure. When I read it, there were about three or four books to the series. If you have ANY ideas, please send them in! I’ve been searching for the last year for this book!
Sound familiar?
]]>Get ready for another beefy release week! This taper off slightly midway through the month, but then get stacked again toward the end.
We have some series continuations and a series starter. Lots of contemporary romances, but some mysteries and even a historical.
What are you looking forward to this week? Anything already preordered?
Author: Alexandra Riley
Released: March 5, 2024 by Canary Street Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Ready or Scot…
Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm.
Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself.
As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?
For those who have a weakness for a Scottish setting!
Author: Simone St. James
Released: March 5, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Horror, Mystery/Thriller
A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.
July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.
When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.
Lara: This author has been recommended to me a few times. Maybe I need to just dive in there.
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Released: March 5, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
Series: A Below Stairs Mystery #7
To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.
Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.
When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.
Sarah’s pick!
Author: Lyla Sage
Released: March 5, 2024 by The Dial Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Rebel Blue Ranch #2
She’s the city girl who refuses to be saddled with a man. He’s the cowboy who wants her anyway.
The last thing Ada Hart needs is a man to take care of her. Not anymore. After failing out of her interior design program and the disaster that was her short-lived marriage, Ada clawed her way up from her rock bottom. Now, the only person she trusts is herself, and that has gotten her further than ever before. She has her own business, and one of the largest ranches in Wyoming just hired her for the most important project of her career.
When Ada arrives in Meadowlark, she finds herself in a dive bar where she can’t seem to shake the eyes of a handsome cowboy. When she leads him to the back of the bar, he leaves her with a kiss that most people can only fantasize about. She almost regrets that she’ll never see him again…except it turns out he’s her new boss.
Weston Ryder is a happy guy. Even happier now that the mystery woman from the bar is the interior designer for his dream project on his family’s ranch. He feels like he hit the jackpot. Too bad she wants absolutely nothing to do with him outside of work. Ada is convinced the pull she feels toward Wes will go away, but Wes can’t stop thinking about her. Even though walls are coming down around Rebel Blue, Ada’s walls are firmly in place.
Can they make it through this project without giving in? Or will they both put their dreams on the line for a chance at love?
This illustrated cover is so striking that we had to include it!
Author: Kennedy Ryan
Released: March 5, 2024 by Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Skyland #2
“Heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.” ―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.” ―Entertainment Weekly
Aarya: I adore the first book in this series.
Author: Kim Harrison
Released: March 5, 2024 by Ace
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Shadow Age #1
Luck is its own kind of magic, in this first book in an electrifying new contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.
Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she has no talent for magic—and that’s never going to change. But as a sweeper first-class, she’s parlayed her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging, magical waste generated by her more talented kin’s spellwork—into a decent life working at the mages’ university.
Except Grady’s relatively predictable life is about to be upended. When the oblivious, sexy, and oh-so-out-of-reach Benedict Strom needs someone with her abilities for a research project studying dross and how to render it harmless, she’s stuck working on his team—whether she wants to or not.
Only Benedict doesn’t understand the characteristics of dross like Grady does. After an unthinkable accident, she and Benedict are forced to go on the run to seek out the one person who might be able to help: an outcast exiled ten years ago for the crime of using dross to cast spells. Now Grady must decide whether to stick with the magical status quo or embrace her own hidden talents . . . and risk shattering their entire world.
Amanda: New Kim Harrison series!
Author: Lex Croucher
Released: March 5, 2024 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Romance
There’s a new governess at Fairmont House, and she’s going to be nothing but trouble.
Emily Laurence is a liar. She is not polite, she’s not polished, and she has never taught a child in her life. This position was meant to be her sister’s––brilliant, kind Amy, who isn’t perpetually angry, dangerously reckless, and who does (inexplicably) like children.
But Amy is unwell and needs a doctor, their father is gone and their mother is useless, so here Emily is, pretending to be something she’s not.
If she can get away with her deception for long enough to earn a few month’s wages and slip some expensive trinkets into her pockets along the way, perhaps they’ll be all right.
That is, as long as she doesn’t get involved with the Edwards family’s dramas. Emily refuses to care about her charges – Grace, who talks too much and loves too hard, and Aster, who is frankly terrifying but might just be the wittiest sixteen-year-old Emily has ever met – or the servants, who insist on acting as if they’re each other’s family. And she certainly hasn’t noticed her employer, the brooding, taciturn Captain Edwards, no matter how good he might look without a shirt on . . .
As Fairmont House draws her in, Emily’s lies start to come undone. Can she fix her mistakes before it’s too late?
Lara: I’ve not read any Lex Croucher books before but this one has me intrigued.
Author: Sophie Wan
Released: March 5, 2024 by Graydon House
Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Literary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Set against a high-society Shanghai wedding, a heartfelt, funny, dazzling novel about a reluctant bride and her two best friends, each with their own motives and fed up with the way society treats women, who forge a plan to steal all the gift money on the big day
Lulu has always been taught that money is the ticket to a good life. So, when Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor surprises her with a proposal, the only acceptable answer is yes, even if the voice inside her head is saying no. His family’s fortune would solve all her parents’ financial woes, but Lulu isn’t in love or ready for marriage.
The only people she can confide in are her two best friends: career-minded Rina, who is tired of being passed over for promotion as her biological clock ticks away; and Jane, a sharp-tongued, luxury-chasing housewife desperate to divorce her husband and trade up. Each of them desires something different: freedom, time, beauty. None of them can get it without money.
Lulu’s wedding is their golden opportunity. The social event of the season, it means more than enough cash gifts to transform the women’s lives. To steal the money on the big day, all they’ll need is a trustworthy crew and a brilliant plan. But as the plot grows increasingly complicated and relationships are caught in the cross fire, the women are forced to face that having it all might come at a steep price…
This sounds like a fun and possibly scandalous time!
A Duet with a Siren Duke by Elise Kova is $2.99! This is part of the Married to Magic series, which is often featured on Hide Your Wallet. Have any of you picked these up? What do you think of the series?
She sold her soul to a siren and now he’s come to collect.
Victoria risks everything to leave a dangerous marriage and gain a second chance at life. But when her escape goes awry, she finds herself caught in the strong embrace of a mysterious siren, forced to choose: temporary salvation or immediate death.
And so, a cursed deal is struck.
Five years later, Victoria is alive—and the world’s finest ship captain. But her debt to the siren looms while her conniving ex has demanded a king’s ransom as the final price of her freedom. Victoria refuses to cause her family to suffer any more on her behalf, and is determined to make things right before her time is up. But that time is cut short.
The siren comes for her. Six months early.
Taken to the magical and deadly Eversea, home of the sirens, Victoria discovers she’s the sacrifice upon which all sirens pin their hopes. If they want to appease an angry god and save a world on the brink of destruction, then they need her. Which gives her the perfect leverage.
Victoria strikes a new bargain: the Siren Duke will help save her family, and she’ll fulfill his demands. It’s a good bargain until a flicker of passion ignites in the scarred remnants of Victoria’s heart, threatening all she’s worked for. As the sacrifice for the God of Death, she’s meant to give up everything that draws her to the world of the living. But that’s impossible when all she can think about is how this handsome siren’s song, and his hands, make her feel very much alive.
In a realm of ancient magic, submerged secrets, and forgotten gods, can love find a place among shattered hearts as they race against time and the blossoming of forbidden desires? Or will the delicate songs of their hearts be silenced once and for all?
A Duet with the Siren Duke is a complete, *stand alone novel*. It’s for readers looking for a fantasy romance with deep lore, second-chance love, sacrifice, forbidden and slow-burn romance that sizzles on the page, and a happily ever after where love triumphs over all.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book as all Married to Magic novels are stand alones.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev is $2.99! This is more women’s fiction than romance, I believe. It’s also published by Mindy Kaling’s imprint with Amazon, so I believe it’s Amazon only for the ebook.
Living on their own terms means being there for one another.
When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded―and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. On an impulse, Bindu quickly spends it on something unexpected: a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.
The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for her own dreams.
As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors―and they want the dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.
From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt novel about three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women who embark on a shared journey of self-discovery. Join the Desai women as they come together to embrace the hijinks and heartbreak of facing their greatest fears to finally live their most vibrant lives.
The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancee by Annika Martin is $2.49! This also appears to be Amazon only. This is part of the Billionaires of Manhattan series, which I heard can be hit or miss.
I’m no Prince Charming, and the last thing I want is a Cinderella.
My instructions were simple: scour the city for a fake fiancée who’s not my type at all. Have her on my jet Monday morning, dressed appropriately for a yacht vacation.
I need a woman believable enough to convince a certain client that I’ve changed my playboy ways…yet nothing like the supermodels and socialites I usually have on my arm.
Somebody too annoying to tempt me—no emotional entanglements, thank you very much. This is business only.
If she’s unfazed by my looks and wealth, all the better.
Should be easy. Right?
Apparently not, because my people go and hire Tabitha. My hairdresser.
What were they thinking? Yes, I said annoying, but I didn’t mean her, the most frustrating woman in the world.
Tabitha is sunshiny. She has a pet hamster. She loves Hello Kitty, and she gets under my skin like nobody else.
As if that’s not bad enough, the minute we step on deck, she thinks that certain people on the yacht are up to something shady—based completely on her soap opera knowledge.
She won’t listen when I tell her she’s being ridiculous.
But as the days go by, I find that we’re actually having fun. And our fake kisses are heating up. And suddenly her wild theories aren’t sounding so strange after all…
When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath appears to still be $1.99! This is the second book in the Sins for All Seasons series, though I believe it can be read on its own. Some readers found this one to be a charming and funny historical. However, others felt the plot was a bit farfetched.
Gillie Trewlove knows what a stranger’s kindness can mean, having been abandoned on a doorstep as a baby and raised by the woman who found her there. So, when suddenly faced with a soul in need at her door—or the alleyway by her tavern—Gillie doesn’t hesitate. But he’s no infant. He’s a grievously injured, distractingly handsome gentleman who doesn’t belong in Whitechapel, much less recuperating in Gillie’s bed.
Being left at the altar is humiliating; being rescued from thugs by a woman—albeit a brave and beautiful one—is the pièce de résistance to the Duke of Thornley’s extraordinarily bad day. After nursing him back from the brink, Gillie agrees to help him comb London’s darker corners for his wayward bride. But every moment together is edged with desire and has Thorne rethinking his choice of wife. Yet Gillie knows the aristocracy would never accept a duchess born in sin. Thorne, however, is determined to prove to her that no obstacle is insurmountable when a duke loves a woman.
Sarah: This is a mystery but I really like this cover I spotted in a Netgalley email.
Lara: Spooky bread! I’m here for it!
Amanda: And a pun! It wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without a pun on the cover.
Sarah: It’s the yeast they can do.
Sneezy: The little ghostie face rising with the steam is so cute!
I hope some bakers commit summoning rituals like this!
Elyse: This is such a fantastic gothic cover.
Amanda: Thank god this got a new cover. The original was eh.
But I love an image within an image.
Sarah: And the symbolism of the house being her body/bodice of the dress. Nice.
Sneezy: I used to think I didn’t like picture within pictures, but there’s been so many covers like this one that’s been hitting it out of the park!
Book design by Daniel Blount
Amanda: More border designs!
Sarah: SHROOMS!
I dig this cover, tbh. I like it a LOT.
Amanda: Me too! I love the little moth
Tara: As someone who got mushrooms tattooed yesterday, I’m feeling very happy about it
Carrie: Also let’s give credit to those pitcher plants, we don’t see enough of those!
Sneezy: A friend of mine is a full on lesbian garden witch, and this is how I imagine her garden to look at night some parts of the year.
She also built a couple sheds for herself and knows her way around power tools. All interested femmes, come line up!
Elyse: I love the color and the unusual perspective.
Amanda: Agreed on the perspective! I also love that everything has a texture.
Sarah: The perspective and the color palette is incredibly alluring to my eyeballs. I keep scrolling up and down to look at the details again.
Sneezy: Agree on what everyone’s said! This artist is so skillful! They use so many bold elements together and balance them so beautifully! It’s just exhilarating to look at.
]]>Last time, I featured mostly fiction and one true crime book. This time, it’s half and half, but I’ll be honest that none of these are uplifting. For the fiction, get your tissues ready. The non-fiction titles skew more toward activism and systemic racism.
What recommendations have you received lately? Are they on any particular theme?
In a previous edition of Get Rec’s, I mentioned The Bodies Keep Coming by Brian H. Williams. If you’re looking for more like it, I highly recommend this memoir, which came out in January.
“Legacy is an illuminating and stirring journey of a book.” —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times- bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist
The rousing, captivating story of a Black physician, her career in medicine, and the deep inequities that still exist in the U.S. healthcare system
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, it never occurred to Uché Blackstock and her twin sister, Oni, that they would be anything but physicians. In the 1980s, their mother headed an organization of Black women physicians, and for years the girls watched these fiercely intelligent women in white coats tend to their patients and neighbors, host community health fairs, cure ills, and save lives.
What Dr. Uché Blackstock did not understand as a child—or learn about at Harvard Medical School, where she and her sister had followed in their mother’s footsteps, making them the first Black mother-daughter legacies from the school—were the profound and long-standing systemic inequities that mean just 2 percent of all U.S. physicians today are Black women; the racist practices and policies that ensure Black Americans have far worse health outcomes than any other group in the country; and the flawed system that endangers the well-being of communities like theirs. As an ER physician, and later as a professor in academic medicine, Dr. Blackstock became profoundly aware of the systemic barriers that Black patients and physicians continue to face.
Legacy is a journey through the critical intersection of racism and healthcare. At once a searing indictment of our healthcare system, a generational family memoir, and a call to action, Legacy is Dr. Blackstock’s odyssey from child to medical student to practicing physician—to finally seizing her own power as a health equity advocate against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The fiction in this edition of Get Rec’d leans more on the emotional side. Fair warning! The main character has severe depression and hasn’t left her home in over three years. This is for readers who felt moved and/or seen by Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
You’ll be laughing and crying as “the brilliant author of this brilliant book” introduces Meredith, who, after spending three years inside her house, figures out how to rejoin the world one step at a time (Gillian McAllister, author of the Reese’s Book Club pick Wrong Place Wrong Time).
She has a full-time remote job and her rescue cat Fred. Her best friend Sadie visits with her two children. There’s her online support group, her jigsaw puzzles and favorite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson poems. Also keeping her company are treacherous memories of an unstable childhood and a traumatic event that had sent her reeling.
But something’s about to change. First, two new friends burst into her life. Then her long-estranged sister gets in touch. Suddenly her carefully curated home is no longer a space to hide. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door…
I spend a lot of time on social media, sometimes to my detriment, and I admit getting bogged down in finding ways to speak out about current issues and be an “activist” in my own way. Micro Activism is for people who want to get into activism at their own pace and comfort levels
Everyone can be an activist with the guidance of Omkari Williams, a life coach who guides readers in identifying their “activist archetype” and mapping a personal action plan for engaging in small, change-making activities with potentially big impacts.
In this age of social justice, those who don’t necessarily want to lead a movement or join a protest march are left wondering, “How can I make an impact?” In Micro Activism, former political consultant turned activism coach Omkari Williams shares her expertise in empowering introverts and highly sensitive people to help each of us, no matter our temperament, find our most satisfying and effective activist role. Using Williams’s Activist Archetype tool, readers discover their unique strengths and use this to develop a personal strategy. To ensure sustainable involvement, Williams encourages starting small, working collaboratively, and beginning locally. Advice on self-care practices, burn-out prevention, and profiles of activists engaged in a range of activities and causes (from voter registration to craftivism, literacy programs, community gardens, and more), provide readers with the inspiration and practical know-how needed to engage in small, doable actions that make a lasting impact.
I think I’d recommend this one for Maisie Dobbs fans. It isn’t a series and does lack the episodic feel of the mysteries, but if you want a great leading character in a similar time period and plenty of chances to cry, give this one try.
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK • A transporting, irresistible debut novel that takes its heroine, Cristabel Seagrave, from a theatre made of whalebones to covert operations during World War II—a story of love, family, bravery, lost innocence, and self-transformation.
“Absolute aces…Quinn’s imagination and adventuresome spirit are a pleasure to behold.” —The New York Times
“Utterly heartbreaking and joyous.” —Jo Baker, author of Longbourn
One blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household—her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby, long-awaited heir to Chilcombe manor; Maudie Kitcat, kitchen maid; Taras, visiting artist—build a theatre from the beast’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel can escape her feckless stepparents and brisk governesses, and her imagination comes to life.
As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II rears its head. She and Digby become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France—a more dangerous kind of playacting, it turns out, and one that threatens to tear the family apart.
Brace yourselves, Bitches, for a very abbreviated description of the life of Margaret Beaufort, one of the most Kickass Women in Tudor history, a period of time during which Kickass Women rather abounded despite their lack of legal rights.
Here’s the basics. Lady Margaret Beaufort was born on May 31,1443. She was a descendant of King Edward III. Margaret became the sole heir of her father’s fortune in infancy and survived all manner of complicated political dramas. She was married to Edmund Tudor at twelve and pregnant with Henry at thirteen, during which time her husband died of the plague leaving her a 13 year old pregnant widow in the midst of a horrendous war. She had a horrendous labor and had no further children despite two subsequent marriages, presumably because of complications from the childbirth. She was devoted to her son.
Margaret’s son was Henry VII. She kept him alive through the War of the Roses and managed to get him crowned, making him Tudor monarch. That alone would elevate her to Kickass status (if not, shall we say, Super Ethical status) as it involves countless pages of historical details including alliances that Margaret created, as well as marriages, exiles, and possible murders.
The Tudor Dynasty largely owed itself to Margaret’s friendship with Elizabeth Woodville, another Kickass Woman. The two women worked together to undermine the rule of Richard III and replace him with Henry. Upon Richard III’s death, Margaret and Elizabeth arranged to have Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, marry Henry, which solidified the ending of the War of the Roses.
How complicated is all this? Well, for one thing, Elizabeth Woodville was the mother of the Princes in the Tower, the young deposed Edward V and Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The disappearance of these children was blamed on Richard III but might possibly be owed to Margaret, who had a substantial motive (there is, however, no evidence against her, and there are many other suspects).
Despite their alliances prior to the marriage, Margaret and Elizabeth Woodville seem to have not gotten along when in the same household due to both being extraordinarily strong-willed people. Thankfully, Elizabeth of York was, by all accounts, a sweet, lovely woman who loved her husband and her many children. Were her temperament otherwise one suspects that any household inhabited by all three women would have spontaneously combusted.
Once the smoke cleared and the blood was mopped up, Margaret:
Let me tell you, Bitches, I bit off way more history than I could chew with this one! This is only a tiny slice of Margaret’s life and of Tudor history. My purpose is to demonstrate that women have always done amazing and unconventional things, and to suggest certain trails for you to head down should you choose to google on your own.
Margaret Beaufort is someone I could happily spend my whole life studying without ever running out of things to learn either directly or tangentially about her and her life. If you want to learn more about this person whom I have barely described, here’s a few links to get you started.
https://www.thecollector.com/tudor-history-overview/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Lady-Margaret-Beaufort/
https://www.thoughtco.com/margaret-beaufort-tudor-dynasty-3530617
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/margaret-beaufort-the-kingmaker-and-mother-of-the-tudor-dynasty
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This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
]]>Hopefully you’re having a better week than our Bachelor, Joey, who earlier mixed up Ruth Bader Ginsberg with Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
I would argue that Joey has the same number of thoughts as Fish, and this is Fish.
There are six women left, and we’re in Jasper National Park in Alberta.
Jenn says she wants to “get naked and cuddle in the woods,” which doesn’t seem like a great idea because you’re either dealing with inclement temperatures or insects.
The first one-on-one goes to Daisy. They go horseback riding–HORSE BUDGET. Joey keeps saying, “This is so beautiful!” in increasingly wacky voices.
At this point (I couldn’t get a picture) my cat, Muzzy, jumped up in front of the TV and was intently stalking the video of the horses walking across the screen. At first I thought it was the horses/motion that she was stalking, but then I realized that Joey, with his lack of thoughts, might actually be more like her natural prey.
Muzzy: My instincts tell me to eat this one.
After the horse ride is the random hot tub in the middle of fucking nowhere, and I always laugh thinking of the poor PAs who have to 1. acquire a hot tub and 2. schlep it into the middle of the wilderness.
I source transportation for a living, and I don’t even know how to approach that. A truck and trailer with off road capability that can hold a standard size hot tub? Do you need straps? Tarps? I think you would. Plus then you need to somehow get the water out there to fill it, and it’s not like there’s a hose nearby. I feel like there’d be one guy who’d fill that niche, his name is probably Gary, and he just follows this franchise around making bank because no one else will do this shit.
Gary is going to fucking retire on reality TV hot tub money, God bless him.
Anyway, after they make out in the hot tub for awhile, Daisy tells the camera she’s not in love with Joey yet. The expectation of this franchise is that by now she’s at least “falling” in love which means you meet the in love requirement with a tiny bit of plausible deniability so when you go home you can tell your family you just had a fever from the communal virus going around and were briefly delusional.
Back at the hotel, Jenn finds out she’s going on the group date and she gets upset by that and cries.
During the dinner they aren’t allowed to eat, Joey asks her how she’s feeling. Daisy says “I really, really like you, but am I [in love] yet? No. I can see us being great together and I can see myself falling in love with you.”
Cue dramatic music.
“This is a very real conversation with Daisy,” Joey tells the camera incredulously, dumbfounded that she’s not following script.
Poor Joey. He’s not smart enough to pivot. You gotta prep him for this stuff.
He still gives her the date rose.
The next group date is with Jenn, Kelsey T, Maria and Rachel. They meet a champion lumber jill who teaches them to throw axes, chop wood and use a saw.
Maria, a city girl, is struggling.
They compete in a log roll, log flip and single buck cut competition. The final challenge is chugging elk milk.
Rachel is lactose intolerant and may have barfed.
I bet milking an elk is…interesting.
Maria fails miserably. Kelsey T is the winner.
During the cocktail hour, Maria says she knows what she signed up for, but she’s “spiraling.” She hasn’t introduced anyone else to her family and Hometowns is next week.
“At first I was like I want him to experience every girl in here so when he winds up with me it means more,” she says. Now she’s having a hard time with his connections to the other women.
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” she says.
Joey, who is clearly drunk at this point, says he’s shocked. “Logically by brain can understand,” he says (it can’t), “but my heart says something different.”
He also makes some shitty remark about wanting someone to choose him when he’s got all the power in this dynamic.
He asks her if her mind is made up and she walks away crying.
“Do you know how scary it would be, getting to the end of this and getting down on one knee and her being across from me and not knowing if she’s gonna say yes or no?” he asks the camera.
THAT IS THE ENTIRE POINT OF THIS SHOW YOU DAMP GYM SOCK OF A HUMAN BEING.
Maria comes back and says she’s sticking it out.
All of this shakes Joey’s confidence and he says he can’t give out a group date rose because he needs more time. Or he’s too intoxicated to remember names.
The next day is a one-on-one date with Kelsey A. They tour the town of Jasper and then do a Polar Plunge. Later they warm up in a sauna.
During dinner, Kelsey tells him she’s starting to fall for him. She tells him that if she gets to Hometowns she’ll meet her dad who raised her and her four siblings after her mom died from cancer.
He gives her the date rose.
Then we cut ahead to the Pre Dreaded Rose Ceremony cocktail party. The women are all sitting by a fire and Jesse comes in. He says they’re going straight to rose.
STRAIGHT TO ROSE PEOPLE!
Joey asks to talk to Maria privately. He asks if she really wants to be there and she confirms that she does.
It’s a lot of dramatic music for nothing.
Joey sends Kelsey T and Jenn home.
That’s it. Are you watching?
]]>Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha is $1.99! This is book one in Bound to Fire and Steel fantasy romance series. Book two is out this August. Did any of you pick this one up? If so, what did you think?
From cult-favorite writing duo Kit Rocha comes a fiery novel set in a lush fantasy world brimming with ancient magic, dangerous secrets, and erotic connections.
For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort…for as long as they can survive.
Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful—and she has three secrets.
First: she’s a disposable orphan trained in seduction.
Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved.
Third—and most dangerous: she’s cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king’s curse will steal not just Sachi’s life, but her very soul.
The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is $1.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal and is good for one day only. When I previously worked at a local indie bookstore, this was a coworker’s best of 2021 book. What’d you think of this one?
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.
The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce is $1.99! This one was featured in a previous Book Beat post. We’ve also had Bryce’s debut Wild Women and the Blues on sale before.
A stunning portrait of an African princess raised in Queen Victoria’s court and adapting to life in Victorian England—based on the real-life story of a recently rediscovered historical figure, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift.” To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria’s magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those who would cast her aside. Her keen intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps Sarah navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges.
But embedded in Sarah’s past is her destiny. Haunted by visions of destruction and decapitations, she desperately seeks a place, a home she will never run from, never fear, a refuge from nightmares and memories of death.
From West Africa to Windsor Castle to Sierra Leone, to St. James’s Palace, and the Lagos Colony, Sarah juggles the power and pitfalls of a royal upbringing as she battles racism and systematic oppression on her way to living a life worthy of a Yoruba princess.
Based on the real life of Queen Victoria’s Black goddaughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s story is a sweeping saga of an African princess in Victorian England and West Africa, as she searches for a home, family, love, and identity.
RECOMMENDED: The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite is $1.99! Carrie read this one and gave it a B+:
The book is evocative, interesting, and full of competence porn, fashion, art, and intelligent people saying intelligent things. Anyone who doesn’t mind a slow pace will love this.
As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.
Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.
While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?
Shake off the cold and usher in the springtime with these delightful new queer romances!
Author: Markus Harwood-Jones
Released: March 12, 2024 by Carina Adores
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
A little domestic bliss never hurt anyone…right?
Charlie Dee is headed for burnout. They’ve been burned before, both by their bio family and the now-defunct queer collective they once called home. So when they’re asked to take a work trip outside the city, they jump at the chance. Sure, it’s additional work with no additional pay, but it’s also an excuse to get out of town—and out of their own head.
That dream is shattered when Charlie opens the door to their supposedly private rental. There’s a bird on the loose, circling the living room as it’s chased by a cat, who is chased by a small child. The girl’s parents, Hayden and Buffy, only manage to add to the chaos. They promise to leave first thing in the morning, but when a massive snowstorm rolls in, this overnight trip becomes a weeklong affair.
Reluctantly charmed by this unfiltered—if forced—look at a loving, healthy family, Charlie begins to develop feelings for both Hayden and Buffy. And they both seem to be flirting back. But when a potential promotion lures Charlie back to the city, all three will have to decide where they go from here—and what it means to truly feel at home.
I was drawn in by the title, because who doesn’t like really cute people?? But the premise! A nonbinary cutie in forced proximity for a week with a family and everyone is Deeply Into It? Definitely not like anything I’ve seen before, and I must know how this all goes down.
Author: E.M. Lindsey
Released: March 14, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: BrewBiz #2
Part owner of the BrewBiz Deaf Café, Wren might not be the most self-aware man, but he does know a few important things he won’t compromise on.
No relationships.
No commitments.
No complications.
Then Percy shows up fresh from the UK and stumbles right into Wren’s path. Literally.
Percy is obscenely good looking, and since Wren never denies himself, he pursues Percy, and that one night rocks his world.
Now Wren doesn’t want to let Percy go, and that feeling threatens to upend the very core of his identity. So, Wren does what he does best.
He panics.
He ruins things.
And leaves Percy in shambles.
But he’s immediately filled with regret. Chasing Percy away is the last thing he wants, so he turns to his found family who show him that he doesn’t have to fit inside a box to be who he is. He can have what he wants and not lose everything he’s come to accept about himself.
If only he didn’t realize that after hurting Percy. His only hope now is a big apology, and praying that it wasn’t too little too late.
London Fog is the second book in the BrewBiz series. It contains a one-night-stand to lovers romance with disasters in babysitting, grey-aromantic acceptance, planetarium dates, the merits of a good cuddle, panic kissing, and a steamy, swoony happily ever after.
Coffee shops are just one of my fave Romance settings, and characters who are dead-set against relationships but oh noooo here comes a charmer who proves them all wrong (especially if they do it with a British accent) are just the best. Put them both together? Yes, I’ll have what they’re having!
Author: Rachel Lacey
Released: March 26, 2024 by Montlake
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Natalie Keane is one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, but she’s paid a steep price for her fame. After she was stalked eight years ago, the ensuing media frenzy almost broke her. So when a new threat arises, Natalie agrees to extra security, but she wants to keep it under wraps. The last thing she needs is another tabloid spectacle, especially during awards season.
Taylor Vaughn has made a career as a bodyguard to the stars, but an injury has kept her sidelined for the past three months, jeopardizing her future in the job she loves. When an opportunity arises to work for Natalie Keane, Taylor jumps at the chance—even before knowing the details of the assignment.
From the moment they meet, Natalie knows this could Taylor, the bodyguard, masquerading as her girlfriend. The perfect cover story. But as circumstances push the two women closer, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur.
Author: Steven Salvatore
Released: March 26, 2024 by Afterglow Books by Harlequin
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
What happens when a simple deal gets… complicated?
After losing his marriage and his beloved retail plant business, Teddy Hughes is ready to drown his sorrows—or would be, if he could afford another beer in his favorite dive bar. He has no choice but to uproot his dreams and leave New York for good. And then a gorgeous stranger walks in with cheekbones that could cut glass and a confidence that leaves Teddy panting.
Like the leather harness he wears under his designer suit, Cole Vivien is a mass of contradictions. He’s a successful entrepreneur whose app, VERSTL, allows consumers and sex workers to form real—if temporary—connections. But now Cole is in the unfamiliar position of needing something from someone else. A fake boyfriend can help Cole project a more traditional image for a potential investor. And Teddy—shy, smart and so much hotter than he knows—is perfect for the part. Maybe too perfect.
Cole just has two no kissing and no falling in love. In exchange for one week together, Teddy will get enough money to get back on his feet, and no messy feelings will be in the mix.
But some rules are made to be broken…
Author: A.J. Truman
Released: March 27, 2024 by Truman Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Single Dads Club #4
Is it in bad taste to sleep with a client? Asking for a friend…
In high school, Derek ruled the school with his fellow hockey players, while I fantasized from afar. He only knew me as his little brother’s shy friend who, thanks to one vicious rumor from a former flame, had garnered a reputation as the school freak.
Twenty years later, I’m a successful real estate agent who’s put my embarrassing past behind me and smartly stayed away from love. I have things under control…until Derek suddenly returns to Sourwood sans wedding ring, and in dire need of a house for him and his daughter.
Clinching this sale will cement my hard-earned status as a top agent and distance me from my embarrassing past. If only I can stop shamelessly flirting with my new client. If only I can stop dreaming about him bending me over newly updated marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. Old habits die hard.
Soon though, my fantasy version of Derek fades away as I learn the truth about his return. Maybe I can get him to no longer see me as his little brother’s weird friend. Maybe he can get me to let down my guard and trust a guy again.
Or maybe those dreams are as unrealistic as the housing budget for a couple on House Hunters.
The Fireman and the Flirt is the fourth book in the Single Dads Club series, but can be read as a standalone. It will give you all the brother’s best friend, businessman/client, nerd/jock vibes you can handle without charging a commission.
We also talk about current issues, like Findaway Voices and Spotify’s changes to the terms of service for authors.
Listen to the podcast →You can find Katee Robert on her website, KateeRobert.com. You can also check out her Patreon.
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Molly Molloy & the Angel of Death by Maria Vale is $2.49! This is a Kindle Daily Deal, as are most of today’s featured sales. I highly suggest listening to the podcast we did with Maria on this book. She explains it well that this isn’t a romance per se.
Death needs a do-over.
Azrael—grim reaper and devourer of worlds–has messed up. Instead of taking Molly Molloy’s soul, he patted her on the back and saved her from choking on an atomic chicken wing.
Now she can see him. Talk to him. Touch him. Say ‘no’ to him. And make him question the assumptions he has held for an eternity.
Molly is sick of Death capsizing her life. He’d taken her parents, then her grandparents, then her first great love.
Now, just as she was on the verge of getting her life together with a job that paid enough and a NYC apartment that didn’t cost too much, Death interferes again in ways she could never have imagined.
The Powers that Be want Azrael to fix his mistake but before he can, Death makes one more.
He falls in love.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
RECOMMENDED: The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick is $2.99 and a KDD! M.A. Carrick is the name for the writing duo of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms. Carrie wrote a Lightning Review of this one and gave it a B+:
Readers who like political scheming, fashion as a weapon and a tool, secrets, and swashbuckling will enjoy this, and as a special treat for Tarot fans the characters have their own form of cartomancy which is described in detail in the book.
The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling and darkly magical fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick.
Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.
Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.
But as she’s drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.
Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey is $1.99! This one was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet and I remember Sarah being interested in the epistolary elements. This is the only one of today’s sales that aren’t part of a today’s KDDs. Have you read this one?
A charming and heartwarming new romantic comedy by the acclaimed author of Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey.
Teddy Phillips never thought she would still be spending every day surrounded by toys at almost thirty years old. But working at a vintage toy store is pretty much all she has going on in her life after being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend. The one joy that she has kept is her not-so-guilty pleasure: Everett’s Place, a local children’s show hosted by Everett St. James, a man whom Teddy finds very soothing . . . and, okay, cute.
Teddy finds the courage to write to him, feeling slightly like one of the children who write to him on his show. He always gives sound advice and seems like he has everything figured out—and he pretty much does: Everett has a great support system, wonderful friends, and his dream job. But there is still that persistent feeling in the back of his mind that something is missing.
When a woman named Theodora starts writing to Everett, he is drawn to her honesty and vulnerability. They continue writing to each other, all the while living their lives without meeting. When their worlds collide, however, they must both let go of their fears and figure out what they truly want—and if the future they want includes each other.
All Consuming by Jaci Burton is $1.99 and a KDD! This is book three in the Brotherhood by Fire series, which is about firefighters. Catherine wrote a Lightning Review for this one and gave it a B:
All Consuming does not, perhaps, have the intensity that its name suggests. But it’s the kind of book you buy and keep around for a day when everything is terrible and you just can’t cope. It offers an escape into a kinder, gentler world, and sometimes, that’s the best kind of book in the world.
A sizzling new romance about a firefighter who reunites with an old flame and tries to rekindle the passion they once felt, by New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton.
When firefighter Kal Donovan transfers to the Tactical Rescue Team, he’s determined to succeed by giving work one hundred percent of his attention. This proves more difficult at his ten-year high school reunion when he runs into Hannah Clark, his first love. She’s still the smart, funny, beautiful girl he loved in high school, but everything has changed. She’s divorced, has a son, and has zero interest in exploring an old romance.
Hannah has moved back home after a disastrous end to a marriage that never should have been. Now her only focus is getting her hair salon up and running, and making sure her son is happy. She doesn’t have time for love–especially not with Kal. She intends to look forward, not backward, and Kal is most definitely part of her past.
However as Hannah and Kal start spending time together, Hannah realizes that what she’s feeling for him isn’t nostalgia, but red-hot attraction. Kal’s intent on showing her what it’s like to be cared for, romanced, and consumed with passion–and Hannah loves it. But she wonders if she has the courage to risk her heart again, even as Kal vows not to lose her a second time.
by Penelope Ward
August 29, 2021 · Penelope Ward Books, LLC.
HorrorHistorical: EuropeanScience Fiction/Fantasy
I suspect mileage will vary significantly for readers of The Aristocrat. It’s going to depend a lot on how much emotion you want in your reading (this one has quite a bit). I kept raising my eyebrow at the heroine’s implausible perfection and that pulled me out of the story.
Felicity lives in Narragansett with her foster mother. She’s enjoying a summer off before going to law school when two handsome Brits move into the house across the bay from her and she’s caught spying on one of them with binoculars. The Brits are Leo and his cousin Sigmund. Leo is enjoying a gap year of traveling around the US before he settles down to take over his father’s vast family business and meet his mother’s social expectations. This includes a marriage to “the right kind of woman” before he’s thirty. To add pressure to the situation, Leo’s father is dying of cancer and Leo wants his dad to see that Leo’s affairs are truly settled before he dies.
Felicity and Leo have a summer fling that turns into true love, which is a problem because Felicity is definitely not “the right kind of woman” from Leo’s mother’s perspective. She’s the orphaned daughter of a drug addict who was raised in the system. She’s also putting herself through law school in order to become a lawyer helping kids who are growing up in the foster system. She helps build an addition on the home of a foster family in town during her free time. She doesn’t have any vices, and honestly, she’s a little too perfect.
The first section of the book is Leo and Felicity falling in love. The next section jumps ahead five years after Felicity has graduated. She’s cleaning out her late foster mother’s things and finds a letter from Leo professing his love and telling her that he won’t get married to his mom’s choice if she contacts him before the wedding. So instead of calling she flies to England (like you do) where she finds out the letter was older than she thought, and Leo is already married.
There is a lot of emotional conflict in this book. There’s the pressure Leo feels to please his dying father, the pressure Felicity feels to be the perfect example of a kid growing up in foster care (this really isn’t explored very much), and of course their forbidden love. In order for them to be together forever, Leo will have to break a third person’s heart.
I think this is a book for a reader who wants to have a lot of feels. I was frustrated with Felicity’s perfection sometimes, and the fact that she got a millionaire foster mom and had zero trauma from growing up with a drug addict mom or in the system. I felt like the heroine’s tragic backstory was used to make her more like a Cinderella character, and the plausible trauma that would come from being a child growing up in the system after her mom OD’s on drugs was never actually explored. It was like “insert tragic backstory here.” I think a reader more willing to overlook that will enjoy the book more. I did like The Aristocrat, but I think it’s going to work best for someone who wants more emotion in their reading than I set out looking for.
Did you know the makers of Wingspan came out with a new game last month called Wyrmspan? My partner and I played it over the weekend and loved it! If you’re familiar with Wingspan, I’d say the games are 75-80% similar. However, there are some rule changes and new mechanics to Wyrmspan. I personally like this base game better than the base game of Wingspan. If you’ve played it, I’d also love to hear your thoughts!
I’m also so excited that it’s Cadbury Creme Egg season. Easter candy is my favorite because I find it to be so distinct. Other holidays just get repackaged, popular candy to fit with a color scheme…but Peeps?! Cadbury eggs?! So many jellybeans?! I love it.
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Thanks to Susan who suggested this link! The Washington Post interviewed romance authors on how to increase the chemistry when it comes to home decor. I believe this article is paywalled (sorry!).
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The Conversation has an article on the “astonishing rise” of queer romance. I did roll my eyes a little but because queer romance existed a lot in digital only spaces and I think an addendum needs to be made that they’re framing this in terms of “mainstream” media channels.
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An Atlanta stylist has turned Madam C.J. Walker’s salon into a museum! If you live in the area, I’d love a report back.
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Author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, who we love on this site, has co-founded Authors Against Book Bans.
Future resources will include:
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
]]>New Adult by by Timothy Janovsky is $3.34 at Amazon! It doesn’t appear to be on sale for elsewhere. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one as I felt the main character to be pretty unsympathetic but your mileage may vary!
Nolan Baker longs to be “thirty, flirty and thriving” in this charmingly quirky LGBTQIA+ romance that’s one part 13 Going on 30 and one part One Last Stop.
WHY CAN’T WE SKIP TO THE GOOD PART?
Twenty-three-year-old Nolan Baker wants it all by the time he’s thirty. Too bad he’s single, barely able to cover his own expenses, and still paying his dues at a prominent NYC comedy club. When faced with his perfect sister’s wedding, Nolan takes it as a wakeup call. It’s time to quit comedy and make good on his practical dreams—most importantly, asking Drew Techler, his best friend, to be his date.
But right as Nolan is about to give it all up, he’s asked to fill a last-minute spot for a famous comedian. Score! He crushes his set, but stands Drew up, misses his sister’s big day, and disappoints his entire family. After major blowouts with everyone he loves, Nolan desperately wishes on a set of gift “magical healing crystals” to skip to the good part of life. When he wakes the next morning, it’s seven years later, he’s a successful comedian, and he has everything he always thought he wanted. Everything, that is, except his friends and family, none of whom are taking his future self’s calls.
With nowhere else to turn, Nolan sets out to find the only person he trusts to help. Except Drew is all grown up now, too. He’s hot, successful…and hates Nolan’s guts. As Nolan works to get back to his younger self—and the life he so carelessly threw away—he’ll have to prove he’s not the man everyone thinks they know in order to regain Drew’s trust, friendship, and maybe, ultimately, his heart.
While part of a series, this book stands alone.
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Doing Time by Jodi Taylor is 99c! This is book one in her spin-off series, The Time Police. Taylor has been recommended previously on the site for her Chronicles of St. Mary’s books. I’m unsure if you need to be familiar with those to read this one. If you know, chime in!
Introducing The Time Police, the brand-new series by international bestselling author, Jodi Taylor – an irresistible spinoff from the much-loved Chronicles of St Mary’s series. Perfect reading for fans of Doctor Who, Ben Aaronovitch and Jasper Fforde.
A long time ago in the future, the secret of time travel became known to all. Everyone seized the opportunity – and the world nearly ended. There will always be idiots who want to change history.
And so, the Time Police were formed. An all-powerful, international organisation tasked with keeping the timeline straight. At all costs.
Their success is legendary, and the Time Wars are over. But now the Time Police must fight to save a very different future – their own.
This is the story of Jane, Luke and Matthew – arguably the worst recruits in Time Police history. Or, very possibly, three young people who might just change everything.
RECOMMENDED: Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann is $2.99! It has an asexual heroine and Carrie gave the book a B+:
This book does a great job of discussing asexuality and different forms it can take, as well as other common problems that students have. There is an appropriate amount of ramen. The romance is very sweet.
Striking a perfect balance between heartfelt emotions and spot-on humor, this debut features a pop-culture enthusiast protagonist with an unforgettable voice sure to resonate with readers.
Alice had her whole summer planned. Nonstop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting—working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating—no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.
But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).
When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library-employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.
Claire Kann’s debut novel Let’s Talk About Love, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, gracefully explores the struggle with emerging adulthood and the complicated line between friendship and what it might mean to be something more.
RECOMMENDED: The “I Do” Dilemma by Jayci Lee is $1.99! This one was previously titled Temporary Wife Temptation. Lara recently wrote a Lightning Review of this one and gave it an A-:
There’s a reason I’m mad about tropes. I like to follow a familiar groove, one that hits all the emotional high points that I need. While these old favourites feel slightly stiff in places, overall, it was just the kind of emotional rollercoaster I love being on.
A read-in-one-sitting, fast-paced Rom Com.
Oprah Magazine recommended as one of the Best Romance Novels We Couldn’t Put Down in 2020!
Resolute bachelor Garrett Song’s single-minded focus on business is about to pay off. He’s this close to taking the reins of his family’s L.A. fashion empire. But his family is throwing up a roadblock: Marry the Korean heiress they handpicked for him or lose the CEO seat. To foil the plan, he needs a fake bride, fast. As if on cue, Natalie Sobol enters his office, reading him the riot act about breaking company rules…dare he pop the question?
Talk about breaking the rules. Natalie can’t believe her ears when the big boss proposes—and she says, “I do”! Where the heck did that come from? Sure, Natalie needs to show she can provide a stable home to keep custody of her adorable orphaned niece, and adding a husband to the picture, even temporarily will make her case. She’ll benefit from a fake marriage as much as he does. But there’s one hitch: the spark between them. Will red-hot chemistry burn their bargain?
Previously published as Temporary Wife Temptation in 2020.
A Haunting in the Arctic is emphatically not a romance, but it has some elements that are relevant to our interests, specifically female rage and mermaids and selkie legends. It’s very atmospheric and creepy, but it forgets to make sense. The plot revolves around a LOT of rape, and also includes graphic violence, self-harm and gaslighting.
If I had realized that the plot involved so much rape, much of it committed on page and the rest implied, I would not have read this book. Once I started though, I got invested and couldn’t stop reading, which does speak well for the pacing of the book in thriller/horror terms. However, instead of getting any kind of catharsis from the story, I was just left feeling sad and, for lack of a more sophisticated word, icky, as well as confused.
Because the story is a mystery/horror/thriller/ghost story, it’s hard to describe any of the plot in any meaningful way without spoilers. It’s told from two points of view in alternating chapters. One is the point of view of Nicky, a woman who finds herself on a whaling ship, the Ormen, in 1901. The other is that of Dominique, an urban explorer in the present day who wants to explore and document the wreck of the ship, which washed up on the coast of Iceland, before it is dragged out to sea and sunk. There’s also a mystery about what happened on the ship in 1973, when it was a research vessel, and what happened to Skúmaskot, a village near the location of the wreck.
Not only is there rape, on page and off, torture, and death and trauma, but major plot elements are brought up and then dropped, questions are raised but never answered, and supernatural aspects to the story are only partially explained and explored. As a result, I was mostly confused when I wasn’t horrified by what was happening.
I can’t wrap this up without discussing a surreal and disturbing chapter in which the ship docks near an Inuit village. It’s not a spoiler but I’m hiding it anyway because it is just so very racist.
The Inuit women run all over the ship naked and have consensual sex with the sailors. It is stated that they do this as a way of bringing genetic diversity to the tribe. The Inuit are not given a single line of dialogue. None of them are named.
There are many historical instances of Inuit and non-Inuit people having sex, and in some cases marrying, and these instances take place within the complex cultural mores of everyone involved. However, this book does not address any of these complexities and instead portrays a kind of frolicking free-for-all.
This chapter felt awful because introducing Inuit people without allowing any of them to have any characterization AT ALL is horrendous. I can’t over-emphasize how much they are treated as wallpaper, but sexualized wallpaper, as if someone had dumped a bunch of sex toys onto the ship. Nicky observes them the same way she observes fish and seals – a new thing to look at and then ignore.
When I read horror/thriller/suspense, I’m looking for a certain cathartic feeling. I did not get that feeling with this book, because both heroines are passive until the last minute. Both heroines deal with their trauma by becoming numb, compartmentalizing, and dissociating. This is realistic and valid. However, their frozen state, and the limitations imposed on them by their respective situations, leaves them unable to exercise much agency. Once the revenge kicks in, it’s not satisfying because it’s not fairly directed and because it leaves the victim even more trapped in their identity as victim instead of allowing them to feel empowered and free. Not everyone looks for the same experience when reading this kind of material, so my dissatisfaction might not apply to every reader.
An even bigger problem is that the twist at the end does not bring coherence to the story. Linda Holmes wrote a review of Don’t Worry Darling which helped me understand why A Haunting in the Arctic doesn’t work:
The mechanics of a good mystery are usually such that as the story builds tension, it’s like the construction of a complicated lock on an ornate door. Every piece of new information creates another complication within the mechanism of the lock. Then, at some point, you are given a key. You put the key in the lock and you turn it, and there is a satisfying click as it disengages the lock and lets you in.
The story in A Haunting in the Arctic fails to give that satisfying moment when things fall into place. The pieces of information in the book appear and disappear willy-nilly. The ending hinges on a major choice, but the reason the character makes that choice is unclear. The motives and reasonings and emotions behind the characters are inconsistent and often illogical – not in the understandable way that real people are often illogical, but as though the puzzle of the book was simply not completely thought out.
This book isn’t all bad. I loved the atmosphere. It was genuinely spooky and scary and I kept reading, devouring the whole thing in a day. But afterwards, I felt grimy. I felt exploited instead of empowered. And, most damning from a literary perspective, I lacked the satisfaction of hearing that click as things fell into place. Instead, I felt more adrift and confused than I had before. There are not enough vengeful selkies in the world to make me read this book ever again.
]]>A Duke Worth Fighting For by Christina Britton is $1.99! This is book three in the Isle of Synne series, which is the last one. We’ve featured the other two books on sale, so if you’re looking to collect all three, this is your chance!
Daniel Hayle, Duke of Carlisle, returned from Waterloo a hero, and he has the wounds to prove it. But he dreads the coming London season as he never did the battlefield, where his lack of social skills is certain to make it difficult to find a wife. What he needs is someone to help him practice socializing with the ton. Someone who isn’t frightened away by his scars . . .
Margery Kitteridge is still mourning the loss of her husband. So when she receives a blackmail letter accusing him of desertion, she’s desperate to protect his reputation. The answer to her troubles appears in the form of a damaged, reclusive—and much-too-desirable—duke in need of a wife. She proposes an alliance: she’ll help him find a bride, in return for the money to pay off the blackmailer. But working so closely together awakens passions they never imagined possible, and reveals secrets that might tear them apart.
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You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle is $1.99! This contemporary romance was featured in a previous Hide Your Wallet by both Aarya and Catherine. I’ve heard good things about this one from fellow romance readers, though some did find the barbs the leads throw at one another to be particularly mean at times.
When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.
Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.
Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.
But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
The Beauty of Us by Kristen Proby is $1.99! This is the fourth book in the Fusion series. Book three is also on sale. The entire series follows a restaurant started by a group of friends, so female friendship is huge in this series. Readers loved seeing the group of women together, though some didn’t enjoy the hero as much.
New York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby delivers another sizzling novel in her delectable and sexy Fusion series.
Riley Gibson is over the moon at the prospect of having her restaurant, Seduction, on the Best Bites TV network. This could be the big break she’s been waiting for. But the idea of having an in-house show on a regular basis is a whole other matter. Their lives would be turned upside down, and convincing Mia, her best friend and head chef of Seduction, that having cameras in her kitchen every day is a good idea is daunting. Still, Riley knows it’s an opportunity she can’t afford to pass on. And when she meets Trevor Cooper, the show’s executive producer, she’s stunned by their intense chemistry.
Trevor’s sole intention is to persuade Riley to allow Best Bites TV to do a show on her restaurant. But when he walks into Riley’s office, he stops dead in his tracks. The professional, aloof woman on the phone is incredibly beautiful and funny. But can he convince her that he’s interested in Riley for himself? Or is he using the undeniable pull between them to persuade her to agree to his offer?
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid is $2.99! I believe this is a standalone contemporary from Reid. Lara reviewed this one and gave it a B:
I read this book in a day. A delicious day. A work day! In between meetings and emails I was reading this book. (Sorry, boss.)
For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.
Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.
As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.
I haven’t read this book, but it was casually referred to in another book, and it is driving me crazy. It is a romance novel. The main character is a physicist and she collects medieval assassins’ tools. It was mentioned in one of Ghost Mountain Pack books by Audrey Faye. I think it was in Shield, but it could have been in Sentinel. The way she mentioned it made me think it was a real book.
That’s it, that’s all I know, but I want to read it! I know it is a long shot, but can someone identify it? I just got obsessed with finding it. I know it is a longshot, and if you guys don’t recognize it, maybe I’ll try to contact her directly. I hate to bother authors, though.
The concept does sound very cool.
]]>This month was in like a lion and out like the lamb. We had so many new releases in the first half of the month and then things trickled off. March is looking a bit more steady with more at the beginning and end of the month.
Fantasy and contemporary romance reign supreme this week.
How is your TBR celebrating the end of February? Anything on your list you’re really anticipating?
Author: Danielle Jensen
Released: February 27, 2024 by Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Saga of the Unfated #1
A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
Amanda: A shield maiden you say?
Elyse: I would read this for the cover alone.
Author: Eliza Chan
Released: February 27, 2024 by Orbit
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Drowned World #1
Revolution is brewing in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawi, between humans and the fathomfolk who live in its waters. This gloriously imaginative debut fantasy, inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, is a novel of magic, rebellion and change.
Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess – is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
I feel like this fantasy novel is getting some buzz!
Author: Traci Chee
Released: February 27, 2024 by HarperCollins
Genre: Historical: Other, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.
Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.
Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.
Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.
Amanda: Growing up, I would look forward to Samurai Saturdays on the Independent Film Channel, so seeing this reference Seven Samurai has be interested.
Author: Melodie Edwards
Released: February 27, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
This modern reimagining of Persuasion is full of witty banter, romantic angst, and compelling characters as it captures the heart of the classic Jane Austen novel.
When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure.
In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful career, filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional goose attack. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as-is, the more it all feels like a show—and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her.
So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s life is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life—and it’s clear he hasn’t forgotten or forgiven her for breaking his heart. A joint project between the winery and Anne’s theater forces both Ben and Anne to confront their complicated history, and as they spend more time together Anne can’t help but wonder if there might be hope for their future after all.
Aarya: Enjoyed the debut (old-fashioned in a 90s category way) so I’ll definitely be picking this up.
Author: Kristina Forest
Released: February 27, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Two former high school sweethearts get a second chance in this marriage of convenience romance by Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor.
To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything…
Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.
Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending?
Dahlia: All of Forest’s romances are super cute, so this was an easy preorder after adoring The Neighbor Favor!
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
]]>A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden is $1.99! This is book one in the Sacred Stones Trilogy. I’m definitely curious about this fantasy romance, but I find that I don’t often have the patience to follow the same romance over several books.
The breakout TikTok fantasy romance!
Captured by the king of darkness, she was forced to find the light within.
Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.
Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning—and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.
But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.
To make it out of enemy territory, she’ll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and dangerous beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life—and hopefully, her heart.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
Never Seduce a Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries is $1.99! This is book one in the School for Heiresses! I love how historical romances are just chock full of schools. (I know nothing about historical accuracy, but how prevalent were these things? Would love to know more!)
“Be careful, Amelia — you know how reckless you can be!” — Mrs. Charlotte Harris, headmistress
Lady Amelia Plume has many admirers — it’s too bad they’re all fortune hunters and fops who can’t provide the exotic adventures she seeks.
But the ballrooms of Mayfair have become much more appealing since the arrival of Major Lucas Winter, an American with a dark past and a dangerous air. Lucas is brash, arrogant — and scandalously tempting.
Every thrilling kiss sparks hotter desire, yet Amelia suspects that Lucas has a hidden motive in wooing her. And she intends to discover it, by any means necessary.
Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall is $1.99! This is the first book in the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series. It’s urban fantasy with some background romance. Catherine enjoyed book three, but does issue a warning that it can get pretty violent.
Previously published; newly refreshed by the author
I like my women like I like my whiskey: more than is good for me.
Name’s Kane, Kate Kane. I’m a paranormal private investigator, which is like a normal private investigator except—and stop me if you’re having trouble following this—more paranormal. This business comes with a few basic rules: don’t start drinking before noon, don’t get your partner killed, don’t sleep with the woman who killed him.
Last year I broke all of them.
The only rule I didn’t break was the one that said don’t work for vampires. But then a dead werewolf showed up outside the Soho shag palace of Julian Saint-Germain—a bloodsucking flibbertigibbet who’s spent the last eight centuries presiding over an ever-growing empire of booze, sex and hemoglobin.
I shouldn’t have taken the job. The last thing I needed was to get caught in a supernatural smackdown between a werewolf pack and a vampire prince. Even if the vampire prince was dangerously my type. But what can I say? I was broke, I’m a sucker for a pretty face and I gave up on making good decisions a long time ago.
The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken is $2.99! This is a contemporary romance with some forced proximity. Check content warnings for this one as I bet grief plays a major component to the story. Has anyone read this one?
Life’s Too Short meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling, steamy, and swoon-worthy novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, in which two sworn enemies must share house, home—and maybe their hearts—when they become co-parents after a sudden loss.
Colby’s living her best life: as a popular food blogger, she gets to fulfill her dreams of exploring the globe. But her world comes crashing down when a tragic accident leaves her co-guardian of her best friend’s two adorable children. Not only does she need to put down roots—fast—but she’ll be sharing custody with the one man she can’t stand sharing a continent with, let alone a house.
Accountant-extraordinaire Rip values rules and plans. But when he loses his sister and his best friend and becomes an insta-guardian all in one night, Rip sees his organized life imploding. What he really doesn’t need is his sister’s irresponsible, flighty—albeit kind and gorgeous—best friend making it worse.
Rip doesn’t trust Colby to take their new responsibilities seriously, while Colby can’t believe Rip thinks children will thrive under his rigid control. Yet soon Rip and Colby discover they need each other more than they hate each other. Could it be possible that following their hearts is just what their new little family needs?
From Jfhobbit in the SBTB Patreon Discord: I have a submission to Cover Snark, entirely on the basis of their expressions mid-embrace. He looks confused? She looks like she’s trying to imagine she is anywhere else.
Amanda: Definitely a “did I leave the hair straightener on” look.
Elyse: Or hearing the cat start to puke
Tara: He looks like he doesn’t know where he is and she’s considering if the edible she took was a little stronger than she’d thought.
Sarah: “…was that 10mg or 100 mg?”
From Jen: This has to be the worst photoshop I’ve seen in awhile.
Sarah: Cannot stop laughing
I was prepared by Jen’s comment that something was going to be weird with his head BUT I DID NOT EXPECT THAT.
Amanda: He looks like the wayward son who has to work in his parent’s Italian NY deli
Oh and he’s also an alien
Sarah: “No, no, you don’t WEAR the capicola.”
Amanda: Zerberu Gabagool
Sarah: Somewhere a deli is unable to make a full italian sub and they’re all very sad.
Tara: I need him to be a himbo so bad.
Sarah: A hot guy who is obsessed with cold cuts.
Elyse: I scrolled up and actually let out a startled noise that scared the cat.
From Gloriamarie: Is her gift that awakened the gift of pyromania?
Amanda: But also the bottom half of her looks like it’s covered in dirt? Also she looks so bored of setting buildings on fire.
Sarah: Did she just explode out of the earth after setting off a gas fire in a house?
Elyse: That’s Groot, isn’t it
Sarah: Or someone had some feelings for the leshen in Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Tara: I’m deep into Baldurs Gate 3 and that looks like someone I might meet here.
Carrie: Hey Groot is hot.
]]>In pursuit of this knowledge, I decided to take a cheese pairing class of month at the lovely Curds&Co in my area. It’s a fabulous cheese shop owned and managed by an awesome team of women.
Over the course of twelve classes, I got to know the management team well (shoutout to Marisa and Gillian!). My “Stay Gold, Horny Girl” sweatshirt definitely prompted discussion when I wore it to a class and that turned into me explaining the site and floating the idea by of a class inspired by romance novels. It’s the kind of idea that you think is great but really freak out when someone actually takes you up on it and that’s exactly what happened! I received an email the next day with plans to develop a fun Valentine’s Day class that paired cheese with romance genres.
The classes usually have four cheese that are paired with wine and various accoutrement. I’ve never had a bad pairing and props to the team for never repeating a cheese during my twelve classes.
The actual class I co-hosted was great! We had thirteen people, some of whom were friends whose support warmed my heart. Marisa was my co-host and she would introduce the bites, I’d talk about the subgenres, and then she’d continue with a more in-depth discussion about the particular cheese. People were free to ask cheese or book related questions at their leisure. Afterward, the entire shop (minus alcohol) is 10% off to attendees!
Now I’m sure you’re curious about the pairings; this was before the wines were poured and all were served chilled:
Cheese: Toma Della Rocca by Alta Lange in Italy
Food pairing: Gochujang Chile Sauce by We Love You
Wine pairing: Sangio by Union Sacré in California
Adventure romance is supposed to be thrilling and is all about battling the elements, so this pairing has a bit of pepper and spice. I cannot recommend this sauce enough; it’s a staple in our household. The cheese is a mix of sheep, goat, and cow leading to a variety of textures. Sometimes the cheese is creamy. Sometimes it’s a bit more dense and cakey. Adventure romance often has characters in unfamiliar environments, which is why we paired a more traditional Italian cheese with a Korean sweet and spicy sauce.
Cheese: Taleggio
Food pairing: Unicorn Garden Jam by Brin’s
Wine pairing: Foxi by Fondo Bozzole in Italy
I mentioned that a lot of forbidden, erotic romances have a focus on billionaires and are a luxury fantasy. This jam has pomegranate, strawberry, and rose. It was made in conjunction with The Met where the labels are inspired by works of art. This label was inspired by “Unicorn in Captivity.” The wine was a little fizzy, reminding me of a champagne, and the cheese was smooth and silky.
Cheese: Wrangeback by Almnas Bruk in Sweden
Food pairing: Pickled Red Onion by Kansas City Canning Co.
Wine pairing: Leptir by Sanctum Wines in Slovenia
Wrangeback is Sweden’s oldest cheese! Marisa even passed around photos from the first time this cheese was captured on film. We wanted to focus on old and classic flavors, given that historical romances harken back to older time periods and that many of us carry some nostalgia for getting started in the genre by reading historicals from our moms or grandmas. Pickled anything is always a good staple for a charcuterie and a lot of Slovenia vineyards were started by French Carthusian monks during the 12th century.
Cheese: Red Rock by Roelli in Wisconsin
Food pairing: Pine Cone Bud Syrup by Primitivizia
Wine pairing: Midash by Chertok in Vermont
This was by far my favorite pairing. It was just so…weird. Red Rock is this bright orange cheese with veins of blue running though it, but it’s not considered a blue cheese by definition. It gives me vibes of an alien planet and when served at room temp, reminds me fondly of Cheez Whiz. The syrup apparently has a variety of uses, from drizzling on ice cream to using as glaze for pot roast. These particular pine cones are protected and the woman that makes this syrup has a special permit to forage for them in Dolomite Alps National Park. How cool is that! The wine is co-fermented with apples and grapes; yes, I bought a bottle.
…
I’d love to host another one in the future or a separate bookish night taking on a new genre, like horror novels for Halloween.
Do any of these pairings sound good to you? Which would be your favorite?
]]>I hope your weekend reading was action packed!
]]>Joey is Montreal. We get his monologue while he looks out over scenic views, saying that his biggest fear is that he won’t wind up in a relationship at the end of the show.
Then he says, “I’m trying to do my best to show who I am and express how I feel, but it’s just hard to do that while also being more fun and being light and sometimes it’s just not me… I’m not this super energetic ‘here we go Joey’ and that’s not who I am.”
He starts getting teary eyed.
Someone behind the camera asks him why he feels the need to be perfect.
“I don’t feel the need to be perfect, I feel like people expect me to be,” he says, holding back tears. “Most of my life I’ve been struggling with the fact that I don’t feel perfect. I feel like there’s a lot of shit that’s wrong with me.” He sniffs. “I gotta work through it. It’s tough. I’ve always been my biggest critic.”
Then he says he needs a break and he walks away.
Guys, this is just the intro monologue.
For some context, at this point in the competition everyone is exhausted and their immune systems are in the toilet and they’re all hungover and they’re all fighting off the same cold.
Anyway, we cut to Jesse greeting the women and it turns out he speaks French. Huh.
The first date is a group date and they go souvenir shopping. Later they make their own poutine. Jenn adds pineapple and Sriracha to hers. Joey gags when he tries it.
Meanwhile Jess is struggling with why she hasn’t had a one-on-one.
During the cocktail hour, everyone is kind of down.
Joey asks them how they’re doing and there’s an awkward silence.
Honestly, everyone needs to go to take a nap.
The first person to talk to him is Katelyn, and she pretty much starts crying right off the bat.
Then Kelsey A talks to him and tells him that she’s really struggling. She starts crying.
This is going great you guys!
[Ed. note: poor Canada. It’s not you, it’s their exhaustion!]
Lexi asks Joey what his plans for kids and a future are. He tells her he imagines a 2-3 year engagement plus a few years before he has kids. She starts to cry because she wants kids within the next two years.
Is it just me or does a three year engagement feel long? IDK.
Jenn tells Joey she’s falling for him.
Jess also tells him that she’s falling him even though they haven’t had a one-on-one yet.
Meanwhile Joey looks like he’s trying so hard to stay awake.
Joey says that he can’t picture them together in the future. “I know that’s not easy to hear, but I have to be honest through this. I think you’re unbelievable and you deserve the world. I just don’t think it’s right to keep you here.”
He asks to walk Jess out. She cries and asks if she did anything wrong.
The other women, still lounging on the drinking couches, are shocked. Joey gives the date rose to Jenn.
[Ed. note: I am very confused by the similarity of all these names, and I’m just editing text. No wonder Joey is so tired.]
Next up is the one-on-one with Kelsey T. She says she doesn’t open up to people and her trust level is at “0.0%” so it makes total sense that she chose this show to find true love.
ANYWAY.
They get to train with Cirque du Soleil. They are doing stunts and Joey gets motion sick. The dinner they aren’t allowed to eat is served in the middle of an empty church because…I got nothing.
Kelsey tells him that she’s estranged from her dad because she chose not to follow his religious path and she went to college, which he didn’t approve of.
He gives her the date rose.
Then they kiss while some guy plays the violin and an aerialist performs behind them. In an empty church.
The next one-on-one goes to Maria. Joey picks her up in a limo and they go on the much coveted shopping date. She picks out a fancy dress and then they take a helicopter ride over the city.
During dinner she tells him that she’s falling for him. Then we get a pop up concert and they dance.
Later we see Lexi knock on Joey’s hotel room door. He looks so tired, you guys. His eyes literally keep closing.
Lexi, meanwhile, pours her heart out saying she wants to start on a family right away because she doesn’t know what that journey will look like with her endometriosis. She tells him that she feels a connection with him, but that they’re on different timelines.
Joey walks her out.
Then it’s time for the pre-Dreaded Rose Ceremony cocktail party. Daisy makes Joey give her a foot rub, and I respect it.
Jenn teaches him how to play the piano.
He and Rachel have kind of a goofy chemistry and I ship it… as much as I ship any of them.
When the women line up for the Rose Ceremony, Maria and Kelsey T have roses. There are only three roses left on the table, so two women are going home.
Katelyn and Lea go home. That’s it.
Are you watching?
]]>Shana: I’m reading Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a Ramadan-Christmas-Hanukkah romcom set in a Canadian small town. I really love that it takes place in 2000, because there’s lots of cultural easter eggs to enjoy.
Lara: I just finished The Martian by Andy Weir ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) and it was completely different to my usual reading. Truly an action movie in book form.
Sarah: I am starting Night for Day by Roselle Lim, ( A | BN | K ) because the Ladyhawke vibes are very effective on me, it turns out
Claudia: DNF’ed The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George ( A | BN | K ) even though the synopsis was right up my alley, boo for me! I’m reading Alexandra Vasti’s In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation and really enjoying it so far.Sarah: Oh I started that too! It’s very fun.
Claudia: Definitely stayed up too late last night!
Sarah: It’s so lively!!
Tara: I recently finished Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter, ( A | BN | K ) which is now my favourite romcom ever. The cover doesn’t do it justice at all, even if it’s showing items from the story.
Susan: I started reading NeuroQueer by CJ DeBarra, ( A | BN ) because the intersection of queerness and neurodivergence is where I live. Still only in the intro though, so I can’t say much about it yet
Elyse: I’m about halfway through To Cage a God. ( A | BN | K ) It’s reminiscent of the Grisha series but sapphic.
Whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!
]]>RECOMMENDED: While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory is $1.99! Elyse and Shana reviewed this one and gave it an A:
Shana: Overall, I loved this low-conflict celebrity romance with all the fun of dating in the public eye, and little of the stress.
Elyse: I agree. This is a tropey, low angst read with hot sex scenes and supportive secondary characters.
Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.
Ben Stephens has never bothered with serious relationships. He has plenty of casual dates to keep him busy, family drama he’s trying to ignore and his advertising job to focus on. When Ben lands a huge ad campaign featuring movie star Anna Gardiner, however, it’s hard to keep it purely professional. Anna is not just gorgeous and sexy, she’s also down to earth and considerate, and he can’t help flirting a little…
Anna Gardiner is on a mission: to make herself a household name, and this ad campaign will be a great distraction while she waits to hear if she’s booked her next movie. However, she didn’t expect Ben Stephens to be her biggest distraction. She knows mixing business with pleasure never works out, but why not indulge in a harmless flirtation?
But their lighthearted banter takes a turn for the serious when Ben helps Anna in a family emergency, and they reveal truths about themselves to each other, truths they’ve barely shared with those closest to them.
When the opportunity comes to turn their real-life fling into something more for the Hollywood spotlight, will Ben be content to play the background role in Anna’s life and leave when the cameras stop rolling? Or could he be the leading man she needs to craft their own Hollywood ending?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
Yours Truly, The Duke by Amelia Grey is $2.99! This is book one in the Say I Do historical romance series. The heroine has become the guardian to her late sister’s three children and enters into a marriage of convenience to maintain custody.
Yours Truly, The Duke is the first novel in the historical romance Say I Do trilogy about dukes needing to wed to tap into their wealth by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.
Fredericka Hale needs a husband, and fast. She’s been caring for her deceased sister’s three young children, and now a childless cousin has petitioned the court for custody. Fredericka is powerless to stop her, but having a husband might sway the ruling. The last thing Fredericka wants is a hurried-up marriage to a man she doesn’t know—much less love, but she’ll do it for the children. So when the handsome Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He’ll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But distance cannot keep them from their powerful attraction.
At the top of his game in London, the Duke of Wyatthaven has no interest in marriage. However, if Wyatt doesn’t marry by week’s end, he’ll lose a sizable inheritance from his grandmother. When Wyatt’s solicitor finds Miss Fredericka Hale, Wyatt considers this little hiccup solved. Miss Hale is lovely, and intelligent. Most importantly, she prefers country life to London, so he’s free to continue his life as usual. But when circumstances force Fredericka and the children to show up at the duke’s door, Wyatt can’t deny he’s always been under her spell. Will the duke give up his bachelor lifestyle and give into the fiery passion growing between them?
How I Married the Marquess by Anna Harrington is $1.99! This is book three in the Secret Life of Scoundrels series. We ran two RITA Reader Challenge reviews of this one (wow, remember those?) and it earned a B and B+ respectively.
A SHOCKING DECEPTION . . .
Josephine Carlisle, adopted daughter of a baron, is officially on the shelf. But the silly, marriage-minded misses in the ton can have their frilly dresses and their seasons in London, for all she cares. Josie has her freedom and her family . . . until an encounter with a dark, devilishly handsome stranger leaves her utterly breathless at a house party. His wicked charm intrigues her, but that’s where it ends. For Josie has a little secret . . .
. . . LEADS TO AN EXQUISITE SEDUCTION
Espionage was Thomas Matteson, Marquess of Chesney’s game-until a tragic accident cost him his career. Now to salvage his reputation and return to the life he loves, the marquess must find the criminal who’s been robbing London’s rich and powerful. He’s no fool-he knows Josie, with her wild chestnut hair and rapier-sharp wit, is hiding something and he won’t rest until he unravels her mysteries, one by one. But he never expected to be the one under arrest-body and soul . . .
How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart by Vivienne Lorret is $1.99! This is book four in The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. I’m not sure if we featured this on Cover Snark, but I definitely remember talking about that dog in the SBTB Slack.
In USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret’s latest steamy romance, a determined debutante discovers that making a deal with a notorious rake might just give her more than she ever bargained for…
Ruined debutante Prudence Thorogood lost everything when she was ousted from polite society, including her inheritance. Now she’ll do anything to take back what’s hers… even if she has to steal it. Accepting a scandalous offer from Lord Savage seems like the perfect solution to disguise her criminal intentions from the ton. Until she discovers that there’s more to this scoundrel than meets the eye.
Leo Ramsgate, Marquess of Savage, has everything except for a heart. That organ dried up long ago after a devastating betrayal. Since then, he vowed never to trust or love again. He ensures that his dalliances are mutually satisfying, but always temporary… until he meets the reserved Miss Thorogood. Not one of his previous lovers has ever beguiled him the way she does. Not one has made him want to break his own rules. Not one has tempted him to keep her… forever.
Prue has every intention of disappearing from London after their affair ends. But her plan falters when she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with a man who may never love her in return. With time running out and so much at stake, she cannot help but wonder…
We discuss the evolving cover art for the Immortals After Dark series and style changes in illustrated covers. We also talk about
And a FULL PAGE of Mr. Romance.
When I start talking about Redeeming Love, massive trigger warning and content warning, just a giant pile of YIKES. The book summary begins at 35:20.
Thank you for the reviews, the support, and the positive feedback to this series! If you’re enjoying these episodes, please drop a comment below or on the visual aids post and let me know?
Don’t miss the visual aids for this one!
Music: purple-planet.com
Listen to the podcast →We also mentioned:
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Thanks for listening!
Support for this episode comes from Age Matters by Enjelicious!
A hopeless romantic and a reclusive billionaire rewrite the rules of friendship, love, and work in graphic novel version of the hit WEBTOON series, Age Matters.
Age Matters follows 29-year-old Rose Choi as she tries to pick up her life after her ex-boyfriend cheated on, and then dumped her. In need of employment, she takes over her best friend’s odd job to cook and deliver meals to a mysterious boss. This boss turns out to be the 23-year-old CEO of Lime, Daniel Yoon. She finds him too abrasive while he finds her too desperate, but they eventually learn to get along with each other . . . and fall for each other.
This edition collects episodes 1-15 of the WEBTOON, which has over 3.6M subscribers, and more than 390 million reads!
If you love an addictive, slow-burn romance this one’s for you–and right in time for Valentine’s Day. Publishers Weekly calls it “charming” and says it’s got “plenty of romantic heat.”
Pick up your copy of Age Matters, Volume 1 by Enjelicious now! And look for other print versions of your favorite hits from WEBTOON published by WEBTOON Unscrolled available wherever books are sold.
Special and massive thanks to Shannon Stacey for sending me this issue!
You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind.
And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and absorb all the visual goodness:
Cover!
We have discussed this in the Reviews episode, but you can’t be in paranormal romance in 2006 if you’re not in leather pants AND a bustier.
The best Immortals After Dark cover is this one:
Mostly because of the light hitting above his belt. I can’t unsee it.
This ad for Avon books alleges that they know what women want, and apparently, what women want is…blue books.
But on the next page, what women want is a summoning circle and some hot shoes:
The Kresley Cole cover feature is massive, and very fun, and includes this bit of Florida that Amanda was very curious about:
This was the era in which the Author Photos Were Leaning to One Side.
There are many of these.
Remember Palm Pilots? There’s a letter about using a book tracking software called BookBag from Wakefield Software that would allow readers to track their books.
RT BookClub did a LOT of teaching readers how to access digital books on different platforms.
Does anyone know who Flavia Knightsbridge is? Because the book gossip column includes a blind item?! About an author who is defending themselves on message boards?
I really want to know who the heck this was because this column gets DISHY in different issues.
This was SUCH a cute feature: match the authors to their prom photos!
Look at the old review blogs!
Rakehell.com!? What a great name for a review blog.
Author photos! Leaning to One Side.
This two-page ad for HQN completely baffled us.
Ad for books? Ad for travel? Could be both?
New website with bonus content! Go dig your magazine shipping plastic out of the trash!
Yet another GoodReads predecessor.
The first sentence of this article absolutely floored me:
“FOR YEARS, vampire novels came in two she’s one of an flavors: light (and a little nutty) and dark (and a little gooey).”
Do you want your vampire nutty or gooey?
The journey I took in researching this book is A RIDE. TW/CW if you go hunting for the synopsis.
This book was published in 1991, this ad is from 2006, and it was made into a movie in 2022.
And speaking of things that Did Not Age Well:
I’m pretty sure this person is naked.
I am once again asking you and everyone, who the heck is Flavia Knightsbridge?
Flavia Knightsbridge, Enigmatic Socialite?!
Do you have a guess as to who Flavia Knightsbridge is? Please let me know in the comments.
Also: “At the end of the competition, the winner will receive a publishing contract with
Dorchester and a publicity boost, compliments of RT BOOKclub.”
Aw, hey, Dorchester.
The article on promotional tips from authors is absolutely off the wall. We’ve got old blogs and group author tours – remember those?
BLOG-CITY. It’s like visiting the ghost towns of the internet over here.
And then there is this absolute banger of a marketing strategy:
If that’s too small:
23. How to sell your first book in hurricane-ravaged Florida? Make good friends with a local rooter. As people with blue-tarped roofs woo him with six-packs of beer, new plasma TVs and other enticing incen-tives, convince your new best friend to cart around your books on his truck and offer service only to those who will buy lots of them! The more books they buy, the further up on the wait list they’ll go. So for the cost of a few boxes of books, plus the cost of a roof, a desperate homeowner gets the job done and you’ll be a bestseller instantly, in Florida.
Goodness me.
And then there was this contest where you can Win a Date with a Zillionaire?! The prize is for three lucky winners, so it’s like a Bachelor group date?! WHAT IS THIS.
It’s so bizarre. And creepy.
The more you look at this Fern Michaels cover, the more there is to tilt your head about:
Gravity does NOT apply here.
That kitten is going to be really mad in a minute.
What is she SITTING ON. How.
This poor guy has a swelling problem:
Might want to get that checked out.
Y’all. Imagine the RT convention in Daytona, Florida.
And, the picture we were DELIGHTED by:
I found this article about Michael Ward from Ocala.com, which says he’s a soldier by day, and mr romance by night.
Here’s a picture of Elyse and Amanda meeting two of the Mr Romance contestants at RT in 2017 from the SBTB IG.
Next in the promotion of the conference: the emcee!
James Scott, formerly of All My Children where he played Ethan Cambias, was the emcee. I wonder if he remembers this experience. According to google, he has retired from acting and is now a life coach with a business called The Whisper Within.
And finally, the back cover. Ellora’s CaveMen!
We’re pretty sure that some of the models on this back cover are also in the Mr. Romance pageant page, too.
And that’s it for the ads & features! A reminder: if you join the Patreon, you’ll get access to the entire issue as a PDF.
See you next month, when we head to March 2016!
Seriously, though: who the heck is Flavia Knightsbridge?!
]]>The Midsummer Bride by Kati Wilde is $1.99! This is part of the Dead Lands series, which has been recommended before on the site. It also looks like seven books in the series are available for roughly $17, though some of these installments are novellas. Can you jump in anywhere, or should you start with book one?
A Barbarian Who Must Lie
When a prideful queen comes to his prison cell with an unbelievable proposal of marriage, Warrick of the Dead Lands is quick to accept … but not merely to secure his freedom. Because he recognizes the powerful jewels the queen wears — jewels pilfered from the temple of a goddess, who unleashed her wrath upon a kingdom. His plan? Pretend to go along with Queen Elina until he can steal the jewels back, then use them to lift the goddess’s curse.
Except the queen isn’t who Warrick assumes she is at first glance, and his deception might cost him everything…
A Queen Who Must Die
Betrayed by everyone she’s ever loved, trusting no one, Elina has spent years searching for the warrior prophesied to overthrow the sorcerer who stole her throne … and Warrick is the one warrior she’s found whose description matches the prophecy. She doesn’t want to marry a barbarian, but she’s running out of time — the sickness ravaging her body means she’ll be dead long before she sees home. Only the enchanted jewels she wears give her the strength to continue on … and her new husband’s touch offers the only pleasure she’s ever known.
But after a life spent running from those who betrayed her, Elina doesn’t know whether to trust Warrick with her kingdom — or her heart…
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
Strike the Zither by Joan He is $2.99! This was mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet and is the start to a new YA fantasy series. I believe Susan was really excited for this one.
An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.
The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.
But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.
Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.
The Pursuit Of… by Courtney Milan is 99c! This is a novella that was originally including in the Hamilton’s Battalion anthology. It’s also connected to Milan’s Worth Saga.
What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a white British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually.
• They attempted to kill each other the first time they met.
• They’re liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they’re inexplicably sharing.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are… Oh, no.
The Pursuit Of… is about a love affair between two men and the Declaration of Independence. It’s a novella of around 38,000 words.
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire is $1.99! This is book one in the InCryptid series. I think I tried this one, but it wasn’t for me, though I’m a big fan of many of McGuire’s other books. Have you read this one?
Cryptid, noun: Any creature whose existence has not yet been proven by science. See also “Monster.”
Crytozoologist, noun: Any person who thinks hunting for cryptids is a good idea. See also “idiot.”
Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night…
The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity—and humanity from them.
Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she’d rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right?
It would be, if it weren’t for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family’s old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed.
To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone’s spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city…
This trip we added in a stop the The Last Chapter Bookshop in Roscoe Village.
First of all, and perhaps most importantly, I was immediately happy when I walked in the door. The vibes here are excellent. Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” was playing on speakers, the store was busy but not so crowded I was uncomfortable, and the staff was friendly and greeted me. The people shopping, all of them women with the exception of my husband, were happy.
For context, I’ve been dealing moving aging parents into assisted living/ memory care and late night panicked phone calls from a parent with dementia and things have just generally really sucked. This is the first thing I’ve done just for fun for me in a few months, and I am so happy I did it. It was being surrounded by the things I love and people who also love those things and it was very uplifting.
Now that you know the vibes were great, it’s time for details.
You’ll be street parking to shop here, so plan for that. We had to drive around a little bit given it was a Saturday, but ultimately were able to grab parking right in front of the store. You also have to pay for street parking.
There is also a cannabis store next door, in case you want to have a really good visit.
The store is about 50/50 books and bookish items like drink-wear, clothing, candles, totes, stickers and pins.
I immediately snagged two cute magnetic bookmarks and a Bridgerton scented candle (floral and sweet). I also found a tote bag to bring my loot home in.
As you move toward the back of the store, there are three former fitting rooms that have been converted into selfie rooms and they’re amazing.
I loved this because it makes it clear that the space is not just for buying stuff, it’s also for celebrating that you love romance novels. You have the space to take pictures of yourself or you with friends and document that you love this stuff, and I wish a space like this had been around 20 years ago when I was hiding my historical romances in between other books at the library because I thought the librarian would judge me.
There were groups of women shopping together and they were excited, showing each other what they had found. This made me so happy.
So now for the actual book selection. I was a little bummed to see that most of the books appeared to be curated from Book Tok, and most were contemporary romance of some variety. I only saw a few historical romances, for example.
The shelves were divided up by subcategory–romantasy (a lot of Sarah J. Maas), sports romance, dark contemporary (which included more erotic titles that weren’t really dark romance, IMO, like Sara Cate), and shelves for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC titles.
There was also a section for special editions.
I wish there had been a greater variety of books, but even as I say that, I did buy six titles so obviously the pickings weren’t slim.
I also think this is a place you go for the atmosphere and the bookish swag, not necessarily just for books.
I’ll be rolling a stop here into my future Chicago runs.
Want to see what I snagged? Of course you do.
Have you been to The Last Chapter Bookshop?
]]>Bitchery, I want to get into monster romance and I don’t know where to start! I want quality writing along with blush-inducing smut. Non-con is a no-go for me.
What do you suggest?
Sarah: Railed by the Krampus ( A )
A Lady of Rooksgrave Hall 1000000%. And the sequel, The Company of Fiends ( A )
All of CM Nacosta for sure: Morning Glory Milking Farm ( A )
The Dragon’s Bride and sequels by Katee Robert ( A )
Deceived by the Gargoyles ( A | BN )
How do I know so many titles?
Amanda: Especially since this isn’t usually your thing lol
Sarah: This is not my lane but I know ALL the cars on the road over there.
Which monster romances would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
]]>I had my Romance Novel + Cheese Night on Friday and it went really well! Keep your eyes peeled for a write-up soon on how it went and what the yummy pairings were.
I’m still a little sick so my partner and I definitely put a pause on any Valentine’s Day celebrations. We even had a fancy dinner reservations planned, which we wound up cancelling in favor of eating chips and dips.
Listen, I was recording a podcast episode with Sarah and she mentioned bean dip and that was suddenly all I could think about.
…
The Guardian wrote about the influx of romance bookstores popping up around the U.S. Do you have one near you? Have you visited one?
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This link came from Marlene! The New York Public Library compiled a list of new romances. I think it’s a pretty great list!
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Posted on r/HistoricalRomance, there’s a lovely tribute to author Louisa Rawlings who passed away recently.
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These leading men have the Hallmark Channel on speed dial! I definitely think it’s interesting that Hallmark often reuses the same actors and actresses. Thanks to EC Spurlock for this one!
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I’m always so impressed by people’s creativities. Look at these cool wreaths!
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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!
]]>RECOMMENDED: D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins is $2.99! Shana and Tara joint reviewed this one and gave it a B+:
Tara: Although the pacing of the last half was off for me, overall I had a great time reading D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding. I love reality show romances and I love fake relationship romances, so I was thrilled that this book is like the old Reese’s tagline: two great tastes that taste great together. These characters are memorable and I enjoyed my time with them.
Shana: Damn, now I want a peanut butter cup. Overall, I loved this book. There was just enough fake relationship and reality show drama to keep me reading, and I enjoyed the family antics, and healing. This book might appeal to readers who like seeing a chivalrous person woo a reluctant heroine, and don’t mind a few loose ends. I’d happily read this again.
D’Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding.
Their whole relationship is fake.
Instant I Do could be Kris Zavala’s big break. She’s right on the cusp of really making it as an influencer, so a stint on reality TV is the perfect chance to elevate her brand. And $100,000 wouldn’t hurt, either.
D’Vaughn Miller is just trying to break out of her shell. She’s sort of neglected to come out to her mom for years, so a big splashy fake wedding is just the excuse she needs.
All they have to do is convince their friends and family they’re getting married in six weeks. If anyone guesses they’re not for real, they’re out. Selling their chemistry on camera is surprisingly easy, and it’s still there when no one else is watching, which is an unexpected bonus. Winning this competition is going to be a piece of wedding cake.
But each week of the competition brings new challenges, and soon the prize money’s not the only thing at stake. A reality show isn’t the best place to create a solid foundation, and their fake wedding might just derail their relationship before it even starts.
Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas is $1.99! I mentioned this debut in a previous Get Rec’d and Cañas’ sophomore novel was mentioned in both Cover Awe and Hide Your Wallet. This is an eerie Gothic novel with Rebecca inspiration.
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches…
In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?
Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.
Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda.
Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.
The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley is $1.99! This is book one in a new series and was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. Elyse was super excited about the heist element and I feel like the other books in the series have been talked about positively here.
A NYT bestselling author kicks off a new Regency series of “irresistible romance and a family of delightful scoundrels” as a woman looking to recover a stolen painting accidentally kidnaps a duke instead. (Eloisa James)
Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she’s ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she’s the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she’ll also abduct a handsome duke.
Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father’s mistakes. To repair his estate’s ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family’s legacy to follow true love?
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler is $2.99! This was mentioned on a couple podcasts, including one with Mara Wilson! Given how highly this one is rated on Goodreads but seemed to have a quiet release, this feels like an underrated though perhaps well worth it read. Thoughts?
A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.
Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.
She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.
After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.
But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.
by Constance Sayers
November 14, 2023 · Redhook
HorrorHistorical: Other
I think I wouldn’t have been so disappointed in The Star and the Strange Moon had the premise not been so intriguing. This book had the potential to be so excellent, but the pacing was all over the place and most of the novel just dragged on while the best parts felt rushed.
In 1968, French-American actress Gemma Turner’s career was struggling. She’s starred in surfer movies that while popular aren’t exactly critically acclaimed. Now she has the chance to work with a French director on a new horror film, L’Etrange Lune that may reshape how the public thinks of her. Gemma finds the director, the set and circumstances around the film to be unusual and creepy.
Cut to the nineties. Christopher Kent is a young man searching for a purpose. His mother was mentally ill and he was removed to live with relatives, where he never really felt like he fit in. Prior to the era of podcasts and internet sleuthing, he becomes obsessed with the mystery around Gemma Turner. While filming L’Etrange Lune she vanished without a trace. Christopher studies cinematography which allows him to become closer to the Gemma mystery. In a wonderfully creepy twist he learns that every 10 years the only existing copy of the film is screened–and every single time it’s different even though that’s impossible.
I love a missing person mystery and the twist about the film changing every ten years was wonderfully weird and spooky. Unfortunately the execution of this book was all over the place. We spend way too much time with Gemma before she even gets to the film set, taking in lots of backstory that ultimately doesn’t impact the plot. It’s about halfway through the book that we even learn about the mysterious screenings and changing films.
There’s a lot loaded onto the front and back ends of this novel with most of the action and intrigue condensed into the middle. The result is that I had a hard time sticking with the book in the beginning, and then felt unsatisfied by the end.
The concept of The Star and the Strange Moon was excellent, but the execution failed making most of the book a chore to get through. I think most readers will have to be very invested in finding out the ending to this story in order to stick with it.
There was beef between Sydney and Maria (that appeared to be manufactured entirely by Sydney).
Joey sent Sydney home, but now Lea has taken over having pretend drama with Maria.
None of this makes any sense by the way.
Don’t try to think about it too hard.
Then it’s time for the Dreaded Rose Ceremony. Maria has a date rose, so she can’t be eliminated.
Lea stays. Edwina and Allison go home.
The next day everyone departs for Spain.
The first one-on-one goes to Kelsey A. They take a Vespa and go shopping for food for a picnic. During their picnic Joey asks her if she’s falling in love yet and she says she’s not falling, but she’s tripping.
During the dinner they aren’t allowed to eat, Kelsey tells him about how her mom passed away from breast cancer and it’s hard for her to think about the fact that her mom won’t be at her wedding. She gets the date rose.
The next day is a group date at this really gorgeous villa. The women have to come up with a quote about Joey, and then use paint and a canvas to turn that quote into art.
My quote would be, “Eh.”
Then I would go for a swim in the pool that looks amazing.
Again, I don’t know why Joey is participating in these challenges that are about him, but he is and he does a terrible painting of a faceless man holding an engagement ring and that man’s hand is on backwards. Like the thumb is on the outside.
Lea paints a bunch of flowers and is explaining the meaning of the hibiscus when Joey goes “Biscus!” really loud. Is he drunk again?
I mean, to be fair, I would be.
Jess wins the date. The prize is she and Joey get to rub body paint on each other. Meh.
During the cocktail hour, Kelsey T tells him she has strong feelings for him.
Maria tells him she was raised mostly by men after her mom left. She winds up getting the group date rose and Lea says, “My heart …is in my ass.”
I feel like that would be a medical emergency, but ok.
PAGING DR NIPS. Her heart is in her ass!
The next one-on-one goes to Rachel. They learn to flamenco dance.
Joey wears flamenco boots and white shorts. It’s a great combo.
During dinner she talks about her passion for nursing (she’s an ICU nurse). Despite not doing the performative trauma thing, she still gets the date rose.
The next morning Jesse and Joey are playing tennis while the women hang by the pool. Then it’s time for the Pre Dreaded Rose Ceremony cocktail party.
This episode is really boring.
Then Maria, who already has a rose, steals Joey from another woman, and Jess is upset because not all the women have roses (which is the point but ok) and haven’t had time with him.
Jess calls Maria rude and disrespectful.
Maria says she needs to grow up and Jess storms off.
There’s a bunch of yelling by everyone.
Jess sobs in Lea’s arms.
Is this episode sponsored by Excedrin?
Then it’s rose time. Madina and Autumn go home.
That’s it. Are you watching?
]]>The Deadly Hours is $2.99! This is an interesting take on an anthology. You have four great historical mystery writers writing an interconnected story about a cursed gold watch. I’m super curious and Aarya mentioned it on a previous Hide Your Wallet.
A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. The characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all.
From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
All the Kings Men bundle by Kennedy Ryan is $2.99! This collects the first two book in the All the King’s Men series, which follows the same couple. There’s also a bonus epilogue. I believe the third book in the series is a different couple.
From beloved, RITA-award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes her gripping All the King’s Men duology.
The Kingmaker
In a world of haves and have-nots, Maxim Cade’s family and their oil empire have it all…and he wants nothing to do with it. At odds with his mogul father, he’s determined to build his own empire, even if it means traveling far from home, painted as the black sheep.
Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of Maxim’s rules. At a protest for the oil pipeline that threatens to mar her ancestral land forever, they meet in a flurry of stars and sparks, and that one moment changes everything. But Maxim’s family is the one stealing from hers, and his father is the man she hates most. He has to lie in order to have her once, and despite the truth, he’ll do anything to keep her.
Even though Lennix tries to hate Maxim, too, their hearts are pointed in the same direction. The inexorable pull between them, across miles and years, will not be denied.
And neither will Maxim.
The Rebel King
Though surrender is what Maxim Cade demanded of Lennix Hunter’s body and heart, she had other plans. They were fast-burning fascination and combustible chemistry, the son of an oil baron and the Apache daughter at war with his family, but she trusted him, and he turned out to be a thief who stole her love.
Still, if what they had was a lie, why had it felt so real?
Now, the man she swore to hate is about to have it all, and he wants Lennix at his side. But when the two of them are forced to face the unthinkable, their rocky foundation is tested, as is the invisible thread that seems to wind their fates together. As they navigate a treacherous political landscape in their quest for justice, Maxim and Lennix soon learn that power is a game, and they are merely the pawns and players. Facing insurmountable odds, will they win the world, or will they lose it all?
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann is $2.99! I mentioned this on a previous Get Rec’d. This one is pretty dark and has known fairy tale characters meeting together in a trauma support group.
A darkly funny and provocative debut novel that reimagines classic fairy tale characters as modern women in a PTSD support group
In present-day New York City, Ruby (Little Red Riding Hood), Gretel, Bernice (Bluebeard’s widow), Marlena (the miller’s daughter from Rumplestiltskin), and Ashlee (the winner of a Love Island-esque dating show, a new kind of fairy tale heroine) all meet in a basement support group to process their traumas.
Though they start out wary of one another, judging each other’s stories, gradually these women begin to realize that they may have more in common than they supposed…What brought them here? What will they reveal? And is it too late for them to rescue each other?
Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny, this debut for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, Kristen Arnett, and Kelly Link takes our coziest, most beloved childhood stories, exposes them as anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women.
Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan is $1.99! This is the first book in the Final Hour romantic suspense series. I enjoyed the action in this one, but there are a lot of moving parts. I also want to warn readers that this deals with the heroine miscarrying which leads to her having an awful breakdown. It’s off the page but recalled in detail.
48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right
Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes…even if it destroys her.
When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews’ life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.
I’m trying to track down a STEM romance that I meant to read but Iost track of.
I remember that the heroine is a lab manager who takes a lot of pride in running a tight ship and taking care of “her scientists” as she calls them. The hero is a wealthy tech mogul with a lot of media/pop culture buzz, but is tired of the “cool” factor overshadowing the seriousness of his work. There may or may not be a cybersecurity element to it. He is planning a big launch that will change all that and make a difference.
The hero and heroine are online pen pals, so only know each other through screen names, and first names maybe. They are comfortable joking and sharing their true selves online, since they’ll probably never meet in real life.
The hero’s business ends up partnering/consulting with the heroine’s lab for the new project. He is annoyed with the media and is very rude to the staff at the lab, but no one calls him on it because he is a “big deal.” Except our heroine of course, who comes to the rescue, telling him off and demanding respect for her team. Palpable sexual tension ensues. Not knowing this is actually his pen pal soulmate/BFF, he is snarky and rude to her as well.
Somehow he realizes later who she is and feels bad (maybe when they are ranting to each other in their latest pen pal exchange about having a horrible day at work). The author and/or heroine may have a Spanish/Hispanic name/background.
I feel like I remember so many details except the title. Can you HABO?
I know a few people who would love to read this one!
]]>Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s a new week of new book releases.
Fantasy and magical elements are leading in this one, but there are also some contemporary romances and even horror. Next week is looking a little slimmer in terms of books we’re excited for, but overall, February was pretty packed with great stuff.
Which new releases this week are on your TBR pile? Tell us in the comments!
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Released: February 20, 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Blood and Tea #1
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.
Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.
From the New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance, revenge, and an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
Amanda: Coming soon to a Cover Awe near you!
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Released: February 20, 2024 by Wednesday Books
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Crimson Moth #1
“A steamy game of cat and mouse between witch and witch-hunter, played out against a backdrop of opulence, secrets, and bloody history. I couldn’t look away.” – Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Champion of Fate
Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy
On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.
Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?
Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.
“Enchanting and deeply romantic, Heartless Hunter drew me in with the first sentence and left me breathless by the last. A story that unfolds like a spell, and one that is destined to capture your heart.” – Rebecca Ross, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals
Amanda: This reminds me of Serpent & Dove, which I absolutely loved.
Elyse: You had me at cat and mouse game.
Author: Amanda Jayatissa
Released: February 20, 2024 by Berkley
Genre: Gothic, Horror, Historical: Other
Inspired by Sri Lankan folklore, award-winning author Amanda Jayatissa turns her feverish, Gothic-tinged talents to late 19th century Sri Lanka where the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.
Being the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon-priest, Amara is used to keeping mostly to herself. Influenced by the new religious practices brought in by the British Colonizers, the villagers who once respected her father’s craft have turned on the family. Yet, they all still seem to call on him whenever supernatural disturbances arise.
Now someone—or something —is viciously seizing upon men in the jungle. But instead of enlisting Amara’s father’s help, the villages have accused him of carrying out the attacks himself.
As she tries to clear her father’s name, Amara finds herself haunted by dreams that eerily predict the dark forces on her island. And she can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected to the night she was recovering from a strange illness, and woke up, scared and confused, to hear her mother’s frantic No one can find out what happened .
Lush, otherworldly, and recalling horror classics like Carrie and The Exorcist , Island Witch is a deliciously creepy and darkly feminist tale about the horrors of moral panic, the violent space between girlhood and adulthood, and what happens when female rage is finally unleashed.
A spooky Gothic steeped in folklore!
Author: Roselle Lim
Released: February 20, 2024 by Ace
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Two people destined to be together, but to never see each other again, fight against the greatest odds in this powerful and moving fantasy novel by critically acclaimed author Roselle Lim.
Exes Ward Dunbar and Camille Buhay thought they would never see each other again. They had broken up to pursue their dream jobs on opposite sides of the country—her to New York City, and him to Los Angeles. But years later, they unexpectedly reconnect in London, where they are interviewing for similar jobs. The spark they feel when they meet again is palpable—the attraction comes back like muscle memory, reminding them of what they had lost. When Ward and Camille discover they both got the job working opposing shifts, they vow to give their relationship another try.
Ward starts the day shift and finds the immortal clientele unusual and dazzling. When he clocks out at the end of the day, he finds the door locked and himself trapped in the building. After a horrific first night shift contending with restless spirits and ghosts, Camille is also unable to escape. In their respective prisons, they discover that they’re able to talk to each other a few minutes before dawn. This fleeting encounter incites longing for each other, but their promise to be together feels impossible. Because they are caught in the middle of a war of the gods—and their choices will determine the outcome.
Sarah: Remember Ladyhawke? Two characters are cursed to night and day shifts and can only communicate for a moment. THE NOISE I made when I read the description!
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Released: February 20, 2024 by Kensington Books
Genre: Historical: American, Historical: European, Literary Fiction
Based on the true story of the Fortune sisters, three young women each at a crossroads when they boarded the RMS Titanic in the spring of 1912 –and how that maiden voyage would transform their lives in profound and unexpected ways.
Fans of The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé and Patricia Falvey’s The Titanic Sisters will be captivated as USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber expertly weaves real historical figures and events into this vivid, surprising, emotionally powerful novel about the longing for independence and love—and the moments that irrevocably change even the best laid plans . . .
April, 1912: It’s the perfect finale to a Grand Tour of Europe—sailing home on the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built. For the Fortune sisters, the voyage offers a chance to reflect on the treasures of the past they’ve seen—magnificent castles and museums in Italy and France, the ruins of Greece and the Middle East—and contemplate the futures that await them.
For Alice, there’s foreboding mixed with her excitement. A fortune teller in Egypt gave her a dire warning about traveling at sea. And the freedom she has enjoyed on her travels contrasts with her fiancé’s plans for her return—a cossetted existence she’s no longer sure she wants.
Flora is also returning to a fiancé, a well-to-do banker of whom her parents heartily approve, as befits their most dutiful daughter. Yet the closer the wedding looms, the less sure Flora feels. Another man—charming, exasperating, completely unsuitable—occupies her thoughts, daring her to follow her own desires rather than settling for the wishes of others.
Youngest sister Mabel knows her parents arranged this Grand Tour to separate her from a jazz musician. But the secret truth is that Mabel has little interest in marrying at all, preferring to explore ideas of suffrage and reform—even if it forces a rift with her family.
Each sister grapples with the choices before her as the grand vessel glides through the Atlantic waters. Until, on an infamous night, fate intervenes, forever altering their lives . . .
Sarah: Three sisters aboard the Titanic.
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Released: February 20, 2024 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.
As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi’s matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.
Set both in the chaos of fame and the high stakes world of New York City restaurants, this novel sprinkles in a second chance at love and a dollop of celebrity drama to create a romantic romp that will make even the most jaded reader smile.
Amanda: I am solely motivated by that delicious stack of pancakes on the cover.
RECOMMENDED: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters is $3.99 at Amazon! This is book one in The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series, which I remember Sarah enjoying. Here’s what she said:
This book and the next few books of the series got me through the scariest parts of early Quarantimes.
On an expedition to acquire a saint’s remains, Brother Cadfael instead finds intrigue and murder
It is 1137, and the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey wishes to acquire the remains of Saint Winifred for the glory of his Benedictine order. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to the saint’s final resting place in Wales, where he finds the villagers divided over the Benedictines’ quest.
When the leading opponent to moving the grave is shot dead with a mysterious arrow, some believe Winifred herself delivered the blow. Brother Cadfael knows that an earthly hand did the killing. But he doesn’t know that his plan to root out a murderer may dig up a case of love and justice, where the waves of sin may be scandal—or his own ruin.
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Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard is $1.99! This is book two in the Daring Dukes series. Book four just came out. The heroine is an heiress who wants to avoid marriage at any cost, but seems to enter into a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience.
USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard whisks you away with a historical romance full of drama, true love, and the perfect happily ever after. Readers will devour this tale
A rebellious heiress determined to be independentA shunned duke forced to return to his family estateAnd a scandal between them that will have the whole town aflutterSometimes, finding love means flouting the rules…
Born to a life of privilege, Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She’s refused dozens of suitors and cried off multiple betrothals, but running away—even if brash and foolhardy—is the only option left to secure her independence.
Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashvale, was driven from England at the behest of his cruel stepmother. Scorned and shunned, he swore never to return to the land of his birth. But when a twist of bad luck throws a rebellious heiress into his arms, at the very moment he finds out he’s the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to massive scandal.
Both are quick to deny it, but a wedding might be the only way out for both of them. And the attraction that burns between them makes Ravenna and Courtland wonder if it’ll truly only be a marriage of convenience after all…
Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper is $1.99! This is a small town paranormal romance between a witch and a librarian. Sounds a little too twee for me, but it could be right up your alley.
Juggling newfound witchy powers, a house full of ghosts, and verbal battles with the handsome local librarian is almost too much for a new witch to manage. A new witch with a coven, however, can get so much more done…
From the moment Riley Everett set foot in Starfall Point, magic bubbled inside of her. But with only her late aunt’s journals and a cantankerous live-in ghost butler to instruct her on all things witchy—including her newly inherited Victorian haunted house—Riley seeks out a coven for sisterhood and support. The last person she expects to be drawn to is the town’s frustrating, yet ridiculously attractive head librarian.
Edison Held knows almost everything there is to know about Starfall Point, but Shaddow House was always off-limits, thanks to its elusive owner. If he can convince the new owner, Riley, to let him take a peek inside, there’s so much he could learn. But as he gets closer to Riley, he’s fascinated by her dazzling wit and fiery spirit. Edison will do whatever he can to help Riley keep her family legacy alive, especially if it means spending more time with the captivating new witch in town.
Bestselling author Molly Harper wields a magical pen in this hilarious, delightful witchy romcom perfect for readers of The Ex Hex and Payback’s a Witch.
RECOMMENDED: Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson is $2.99! Carrie loved this book and gave it an A:
For the most part, Miss Buncle’s Book is not a laugh out loud book. Its humor is gentle and understated but very funny nonetheless. It’s also a delightful ode to the power of the written word.
Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from fellow residents of her quaint English village, writing a revealing novel that features the townsfolk as characters. The smashing bestseller is published under the pseudonym John Smith, which is a good thing because villagers recognize the truth. But what really turns her world around is when events in real life start mimicking events in the book. Funny, charming, and insightful, this novel reveals what happens when people see themselves through someone else’s eyes.
by Olivia Dade
February 13, 2024 · Avon
GothicMystery/ThrillerTime TravelScience Fiction/Fantasy
CW: death of a infant (off-page, in the past), depressive episode
This is my first Olivia Dade novel and it certainly won’t be my last. It was emotional, grown-up and absolutely compulsive reading.
Athena has no direction in life. When the book opens, she’s working as a teacher an hour and a half away from Harlot’s Bay, the setting of the novel. She’s burnt out and really not sure what to do next careerwise. Her distress is particularly acute because at the age of 37, she really feels like she should have her shit together by now. At the start, she is engaged to Johnny, a pediatrician who is younger than her. He’s based in Harlot’s Bay and they have big plans involving her moving to Harlot’s Bay and leaving teaching as she hunts for what will fulfill her more. There is a problem though: Johnny’s brother, Matthew, is very opposed to the match and really wants Johnny to break off the engagement. Matthew is a pediatrician as well and works with Johnny and Matthew’s best friend, Yvonna, in a practice in Harlot’s Bay.
On a surface level, this story might seem a bit messed up. When Johnny calls off the wedding, Matthew swoops into Athena’s life. But to present the story as simply that does it a great disservice because heavens the EMOTIONS in this novel are intense and plentiful. It’s also a disservice to call it an enemies-to-lovers novel because while at one stage Athena and Matthew are enemies, and yes, they do become lovers, this is only one sliver of their experiences with one another. Yes, there is some banter and some hot sex, but for the most part this novel is packed to the brim with messy emotions. These messy emotions mean that the banter I might have expected from an enemies-to-lovers story would be inappropriate and while there are humorous moments, they accentuate the emotional journey rather than undermine it. In fact, there is a LOT of crying in this book. It didn’t make me cry, but it certainly gave me a heavy heart.
What Matthew does is pretty messed up, but when I look at things with a more nuanced lens, it is clear that Johnny and Athena were indeed poorly matched. Matthew is opposed to the marriage for a variety of really good reasons. Yes, Matthew does his best to break them up, but it’s clear even at the start that this is a good decision for all parties. There is a tremendous amount of hurt feelings, understandably so, when the engagement is called off, but the writing makes it so easy to see all sides of the story. For example, right from the jump you want to root for Matthew and Athena because it is clear that they are really well suited. Before the reader even meets Johnny on the page, Matthew and Athena interact before either knew who the other was and their chemistry was off the charts! (Incidentally, there is a very good explanation for how it is that Athena and Matthew haven’t met even though Athena is engaged to Johnny at that stage. I appreciate that kind of careful detail as it helps me stay in the story.)
There is also a rather beautiful extended metaphor of life being a sea voyage, specifically Athena’s search for meaningful, fulfilling work. At one stage, Athena is a shipwreck but Matthew quotes Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: “They make glorious shipwrecks who are lost in seeking worlds”. Matthew sees Athena’s search as a brave endeavour.
There is one instance that pulled me out of the story. I’m going to hide it behind a spoiler tag because it happens about midway through the book.
Readers who pick this up should note that I initially felt certain that this book was ‘women’s fiction’ rather than ‘romance’ because of the depth of the relationship between the two brothers. There’s a whole lot to unpack there. While the full story is only revealed much later in the novel, suffice to say that Matthew has a bit of a martyr thing going as he cares for his brother like he always has. They have more of a father-son relationship and so it always falls to Matthew to take care of Johnny. Matthew is worn down to nubs protecting his brother and trying to do the right thing. However, despite the father-son relationship that Matthew and Johnny have, when the romance between Athena and Matthew heats up, Johnny is pushed to the side and we don’t interact with him until the inevitable confrontation in the third act of the book.
If you’re looking for a book of sparkle and light, then this is not the book for you. It’s heavy going emotionally, but so well-written that I could not put it down. My normal routine went out the window because I NEEDED to know how things would unfold. The cast of supporting characters are sincerely charming and I do look forward to the next book in the series.
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