Happy February, everyone! Even though it’s almost over and it’s a rather short month, I’m sure we’ve all been getting some reading time in, especially with winter refusing to go away. Be warned that this post is hazardous on your book budget, so careful with the one-clicking!
Amanda: I’m not actively reading anything right now because I’ve been in a weird slump, staring listlessly at my TBR pile. However, I’ve picked out two books that I really want to start soon. Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ) – I’m really loving dark romances lately and it comes highly recommend. Sarah thinks I’ll really like it and it was recently free! So why not.
The other is Sweet Seduction by Daire St. Denis. I’ve never read a category romance before and the plot of this one is calling to me like a siren! The heroine is a baker and mistakes the hero for a famous food critic. However, the food critic in question is actually the hero’s twin brother.
Carrie: Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset! ( A | BN )
Sarah: I have Artistic License by Elle Pierson on my reader because Mandy from Smexybooks said Elle Pierson is a nom de plume for Lucy Parker. She wrote this book I hardly have ever talked about at all called Act Like It.
Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) was on sale recently and I grabbed that like it was on fire, which now that I think of it would be a really interesting way to program an ebook.
And I have a weird pair of books on my TBR. Years before my grandmother died in in 2006, she told me how much she loved Anthony Trollope, and that she had most of his books in print. She loaned me one, which I can’t put my hands on now (boxes still unpacked two months after we moved? OF COURSE) but I’m pretty sure is Barchester Towers ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ).
I also have ebooks of Miss Mackenzie ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ) and The Way We Live Now ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ), but if anyone wants to recommend a Trollope for the romance fan (That might be my favorite phrase ever) I welcome the suggestion!
Elyse: I am currently reading The Widow by Fiona Barton ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ). I just started it and haven’t really formed an opinion yet
Sarah: People are hyperventilating over that book.
Elyse: I’m also reading Carter and Lovecraft ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au )and I cannot tell you how much it delights me that Lovecraft’s descendant is a black woman. This book is a horror/fantasy/noir set around a RI bookstore. Catnip alert!
Redheadedgirl: Joanne Shupe’s Magnate, the first full-length book in her new Knickerboxer series.
Elyse: I’m so on board for that series.
Amanda: I was actually curious about that one, RHG. Let me know how it is!
Redheadedgirl: The Vicar’s Frozen Heart by Karyn Gerrard( A | BN | K | G | AB ). And The English Housewife, by Gervase Markham ( A | BN ). Wanna know how to cure the flux?
Elyse: Yes.
Redheadedgirl: One of the remdies starts with mercury, so….
Elyse: Nope
Redheadedgirl: Oh, Amanda, The English Housewife is a 1615 cookbook/household management guide.
Amanda: I want to know about the “household management” portion.
Redheadedgirl: Medical remedies, how to preserve food, how to dye fabrics, “containing the inward and outward virtues which ought to be in a complete woman…”
Making various kinds of booze. Stuff like that.
Carrie: Every virtuous woman can make booze.
What have you been reading? What were the hits and misses in your TBR pile this month?
By request, since we can’t link to every book you mention in the comments, here are bookstore links that help support the site with your purchases. If you use them, that’s wonderfully awesome of you, and if you’d prefer not to, no worries at all. Thank you so much for hanging out with us, and hopefully you found something good to read!
I’ve had some good luck this month with Farrah Rochan’s All You Can Handle. Her voice is really easy and absorbing. The characters were mature and compelling and the conflict was realistic. My only complaint is that I didn’t realize it was a novella when I bought it. I would have liked to spend more time in the story. Instead, I’m going to go back and read the first four in the series.
I finally dove into Kit Rocha’s Beyond Series. Surprisingly, the world-building and characters are what hooked me, but the sex scenes are definitely hot.
Another good read was Kate Meader’s Even the Score. I really liked the author’s voice and the fake-relationship trope is one of my favourites.
Up next is Jamie Wesley’s Slamdunked by Love. The blurb had mentioned a revenge storyline and a fake-relationship, which was enough for me to one-click.
In the last week, I’ve read Lady Susan by Austen, which i thought was a little strange and undeveloped as a narrative, but still interesting for the characterizations. I thought maybe Susan herself was an early version of a more trashy and malicious Lady Catherine from P&P…not sure of the timeline here. Someone correct me? It made me want to read Persuasion again, because frankly everything makes me want to read Persuasion or watch the movie. Capt. Wentworth…sigh!
I’m an AInsley Brooks fan (epic fantasy romance) and I found out she was writing contemporaries as Molly Jameson so I read book one, Tangled Up in Princes, this week. It was exactly my catnip–British rom com, steamy not slow! It was one of those where you don’t have to put up with will-they-or-won’t-they because, trust me, if you met Prince Edward you so would. I mean, I know I would. It’s a sweet Kentucky yarn shop owner who meets a prince at her sister’s fancy castle wedding. Now I’m reading the second book which is about Edward’s sister Lizzy, the wild child of the royal family. It’s fun and kind of crazy and the guy is hot as hell! http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Royal-Romances-Book-ebook/dp/B01BOBWY8Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1456003869&sr=8-3&keywords=Princess+Royal
I’ve been reading up on how the Superbowl 50 halftime show was one gigantic televised Satanic ritual sponsored by Pepsi and the Illuminati. It’s quite fascinating.
I finally finished Kristine Smith’s first Jani Killian “Code of Conduct”. It’s one of those I’ve had forever, but the release of the new ebook editions with new covers has prompted me to finally read. Military science fiction with intrigue and alien culture thrown in.
I’m trudging through Massie’s massive biography of Catherine the Great. The chapters are short, so I do feel like I’m making progress, but it’s definitely tiring going Catherine’s early years at Russian court.
Romance wise, I started the first Farrah Rochon Maplesville book, which is enjoyable so far.
I am curious about that Joanna Shupe Gilded Age series as well.
I recently finished Spotless and Beating Ruby by Camilla Monk. I recommend them, so funny and she takes on romance tropes while telling a fun and sweet story.Very well written too. The author was just dropped from her publisher and I’m hoping she gets some good word of mouth and continues with the series.
I’ve read Eloisa James’s My American Duchess and Sarah Maclean’s latest but they were both just ok for me. They actually seemed kind of similar. Maybe I just read them too close together. Also just read JD Robb’s latest — it kind of brought me back to her books. I hadnt really loved the last few and thought she should have ended the series but this one was good. Hard to put down and some disturbing content but good.
@Angela James – I have some m/m SF/F pnr / SFR recommendations!
SF:
Lucky Strike by Jane Davitt – m/m/m space opera
Amy Rae Durreson – In Heaven and Earth – it’s free, part of the mm goodreads annual story event and its hard to describe but excellent.
Bone Rider by J Fally – another hard to describe but excellent story – with mobsters, the military and an alien who just wants to find a nice human host. It’s not for everyone so read the reviews but I loved it – it reminded me of a summer blockbuster.
Dark Space by Lisa Henry – space opera (read the reviews)
Incursion by Aleksandr Voinov – space opera
Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara – space opera (read the reviews)
Fantasy:
KJ Charles – Charm of Magpies series – Victorian era magic
Irregulars – edited by Nicole Kimberling – uf anthology set in a shared world where all the protags are involved in a secret agency that regulates the fey, etc. Think m/m Men in Black for fantasy not sf creatures.
Strain by Amelia Gormley – post-zombie apocalypse fuck or die dystopian m/m. NOT for everyone but it worked for me – the world building of the whole series is really good.
E E Ottoman writes Georgian era steampunk.
Jordan Castillo Price – Psy Cop series
The Stolen Luck by Shawna Reppert (I think this is Carina, so you’re probably familiar with it, but I’m recommending it just in case).
Point of Swords by Melissa Scott – high fantasy – this is more fantasy and mystery, with a very, very understated m/m romance but the whole series is very good.
Consorting with Dragons by Sera Trevor – another free story from the mm goodreads series. High fantasy – young man from the provinces goes to the capital to make his fortune and catches the eye of the king (and the king’s dragon but not in a sexy way). Excellent retelling of familiar troupes.
I also read Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie and the latest Claimings book by Lyn Gala and I loved them both.
I read a few sale books – I really enjoyed Status Update by Annabeth Albert. And I didn’t care for Such a Dance by Kate McMurray – mm historical that I thought was uneven with weird world building.
I’ve been on a Lisa Henry binge – highlights include Dark Space (very dark mm SFR) and Brandon Mills vs the V-Card, written with JA Rock (very sweet mm NA). The second has one of the best treatments of recovering from CSA that I’ve read in romance (the timeline is ridiculously fast, but the emotions range true to me).
And forgot to squee over Sated by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Thanks to CarrieS for bringing it to my attention.
Could someone maybe help me out? I was on amazon a few weeks ago and clicked on a book that sounded interesting but I wasn’t ready to start it and didn’t write it down. From what I can remember thinking sounding interesting — the main character was a black female FBI agent/profiler/psychologist who was worried about her standing in her unit due to being female and black. There was something about a serial killer or stalker (the reason I decided to pass then – sounded a little creepy for reading at night 🙂 ) and her love interest – possible- was another fbi agent. I think it was published in 2013 originally and it became a series. I’ve googled and found nothing. Any help?
@Miranda_B, was the Mistborn trilogy worth reading? I loved Sanderson’s wrap up of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time (meanwhile, that series, while epic and impressive, was Holy Misogyny, Batman!) and wanted similar snark and heroism in Mistborn and I’ve been stuck on the first book for literal years. Should I continue?
Shuffles off to look up Lucy Parker now.
Quite a bit of reading here in February which I’ve broken down by week ~
— a re-read of The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years Book 4) by Sarina Bowen
— a re-read of Armed & Dangerous (Cut & Run Series Book 5) by Abigail Roux; I’d re-read the first four books recently
— also re-read Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run Series Book 6) and Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run Series Book 7)
— the contemporary romance Level Up: A Geek Romance Rom Com by Cathy Yardley
— the fantasy The Seat of Magic which is the second book in the Golden City series by J. Kathleen Cheney; I enjoyed it.
— an enjoyable non-fiction book ~ Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letter Writing by Nina Sankovitch. I think those who enjoy writing and receiving letters would enjoy this book.
— Off Campus (Bend or Break Book 1) by Amy Jo Cousins which is a male/male new adult romance; I enjoyed it. I also read a couple of her free novellas ~ The Rain in Spain and Callie, Unwrapped: A Play It Again Novella.
— The Master Magician which is the third and final book in the Paper Magician Series by Charlie N. Holmberg; I’ve enjoyed the entire series.
— a re-read which I enjoyed once more ~ Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
— the long novella His Road Home by Anna Richland. It was quite good; I’ll definitely be re-reading this at some point.
— also read these contemporary male/male romances by Amy Jo Cousins; I enjoyed them all. Off Campus (Bend or Break Book 1), Nothing Like Paris (Bend or Break), Level Hands (Bend or Break), and Full Exposure: A Don’t Read in the Closet Novella (this novella is currently free to Kindle readers).
— The Beauty of Zentangle: Inspirational Examples from 137 Tangle Artists Worldwide which was a lovely book. It’s a showcase of Zentangle works from artists around the world; it’s an impressive collection.
— the inspirational romance Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden. It was a pleasant read. I’ve read several other books by the author; this had by far the most religious content. The author’s companion novella is currently free to Kindle readers ~ Toward the Sunrise: An Until the Dawn Novella by Elizabeth Camden
— the graphic fiction work Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine; it was an interesting read, but it did not speak to me.
— a very enjoyable illustrated memoir. I think it will hold particular appeal to those who love food and cooking. (I love the former if not the latter!) Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
— I’ve been enjoying browsing Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words which is by the xkcd artist, Randall Monroe
— M. L. Buchman’s newest military romance By Break of Day (The Night Stalkers); I enjoyed it.
— the historical romance Dukes Prefer Blondes (The Dressmakers Series) by Loretta Chase. It was an enjoyable read but not my favorite by this author.
— for my book group, I read Nicole Krauss’ The History of Love which was quite good.
— an enjoyable contemporary romance ~ Marilyn Pappano’s A Chance of a Lifetime (A Tallgrass Novel).
— The Last Waltz by Mary Balogh; this was pleasant but not a book I’d likely re-read
— the young adult novel This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp which made me cry; it’s about a school shooting
— and I’ve just started a re-read of C.S. Pacat’s Captive Prince: Book One of the Captive Prince Trilogy since I now have books two and three as well.
Not in the romance realm ~
— The Art of Zentangle: 50 inspiring drawings, designs & ideas for the meditative artist by Margaret Bremner and Norma J. Burnell
— Yoga for Your Brain a Zentangle Workout by Sandy Steen Bartholomew
— Zentangle Untangled: Inspiration and Prompts for Meditative Drawing by Kass Hall
— Also Zentangle 3: With Rubber Stamps; Zentangle 4: 40 More Tangles; Zentangle 7: Inspiring Circles, Zendalas & Shapes; and Zentangle 8: Monograms and Alphabets
Longtime Lurker, first time poster- I want to shout from the rooftops about Basic Training, a British military m/m romance by Marquesate, that is so good. A real gem. I cannot say enough good things about this book. One of those where everything that comes after is compared unfavorably and where I get sad when thinking about it because I know I can never experience it for the first time again. Sniff.
So because of the catnip in the Dear Author review of The SEAL’s Secret Lover by Anne Calhoun (it’s a novella – first full-length in the series comes out this week), I one-clicked at midnight and read it this morning.
The kid was late to cello lesson. “Mom? Am I supposed to get up? Mom? Mom?” = good book. Although like Kaetrin at Dear Author, I would have liked about 15 more pages.
The story takes place in Turkey, where a former SEAL ends up being a tour guide for his buddy’s sister, grandmother and two other older ladies as they visit tourist destinations like Ephesus, hot air ballooning over Capadoccia etc. AND – the SEAL is rereading his favorite book, The Iliad, before they go to Troy – AND he gives his copy to the heroine and they communicate feelings by discussing the Trojan War! Oh-oh-oh was I vibrating with joy over that. (I’m not an Austen fan, please don’t pitchfork me but I’ve never managed to finish more than ten pages of any of them, but I love my epics.)
So. That was my last free pleasure reading because I have three and a half more RITA books to judge.
So, I opened my Goodreads account to check what I’ve read and man, I read 15 books in the last month. That’s…a lot.
Faves
– “Under the Udala Trees” by Chinelo Okaparanta – a heartbreaking, hopeful, grounded story of a young lesbian woman’s coming of age in modern Nigeria
– “The Faithful Place” / “Broken Harbor” by Tana French – I love the gothic illusions in this series
– “Magic Shifts” by Ilona Andrews – of course this was awesome
– “Topaz” by Beverly Jenkins – So many things! All the history! The wagon train of women! Loved it
– “The Conqueror’s Wife” by Stephanie Thornton – loved how morally grey everyone was
– “Treasure” by Rebekah Weatherspoon – I read this after listening to the podcast ep with Rebekah and loved it
– “My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past” by Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair – Really personal to the point that it’s difficult to read, but worth it
Good
– “Across the Nightingale Floor” / “Grass for His Pillow” by Lian Hearn (audio) – So, this is categorized as YA because of the age of the protagonists. Yeah, it is SO NOT. It’s more Game of Thrones than YA
– “When Beauty Tamed the Beast” by Eloisa James (audio) – Really fun, especially if you liked House
– “Passenger” by Alexandra Bracken – I thought the idea was great but the characters were thin
– “Medusa’s Web” by Tim Powers – this probably shouldn’t have been the first book of his I tried, but I enjoyed it
– “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend” by Katarina Bivald – super sweet, like cotton candy
Meh
– “Halfway to the Grave” by Jeaniene Frost (audio) – the heroine was pretty insufferable, even if the hero was basically Spike from Buffy
Currently Reading
– “The Hero of Ages” by Brandon Sanderson – we’re all on a Sanderson kick, it seems! He’s coming to town next week and I want to have the trilogy finished before then
– “Dreams Underfoot” by Charles de Lint (audio) – I love his brand of urban fantasy. I think anybody who loved “The Night Circus” would like this, too
Ash, is it Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter?
It was reviewed here and I one clicked but yet to read it.
@ Karen – “The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boy’s Club” was recommended by a Tech Women blog I follow. I have it on my Amazon Wish List and may splurge for my birthday. In my engineering life, I am often the only woman on the conference call.
Like Gloriamarie, I pounced on Simply Sexual at the sale price. Yep, there was some crazy sauce, anyway you want to take it, and I may have to skip the second book from what I read above. I’ve read several other Kate Pearce books and hadn’t had to give up quite so much willing suspension of disbelief.
As an antidote, I read A Chance of a Lifetime by Marilyn Pappano this week, the latest in her Tallgrass series. One of the couples in the story is of color and the other couple has been simmering along awhile. Family, friendship, and simple faith run through these books and the conflicts are real with a sometimes tough road to HEA.
This month, I read, and loved, A Gentleman’s Game by Theresa Romain. Also enjoyed Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare and One-Eyed Dukes aare Wild by Megan Frampton. After being number 52 in line at the library, I finally received Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas. I had forgotten I was in the queue, but I really enjoyed the story, especially the growth of the Ravenel brothers.
My suspense novel pick this month was Lost in Her by Sandra Owens from her K2 series. I think I liked this one the best. The hero and heroine really grew during the course of the story and the little bit of suspense was just enough.
I’m reading “First Touch” by Laurelin Paige, but I’m not sure I’m going to finish it. The prose is really excellent, and I am starved for good prose in romance novels, but… The premise (woman with a dysfunctional past enters into a relationship with a rich dude because she suspects he has something to do with the disappearance of her estranged BFF) made me think that it was going to be a sexy thriller. Which it sort of is, but it’s also REALLY dark in a way I find uncomfortable. (Which probably means it’s just the ticket for people who enjoy this sort of thing!) Like their relationship contains all of these elements that feel to me really unsettling – bordering on or into creepy psychological abuse, so that I feel really worried for the heroine’s safety and survival, physical and mental. I like a little frisson of that sort of thing in certain types of books (hello, drawling Georgian rakes! hello, evil but sexy spies!) but this is just too much, I can’t really enjoy the sexiness if I’m worried. So it’s kind of less relaxing as a reading experience.
But… great prose. So I’m going to pick it back up and see if I can keep going. It’s been kind of funny to me to notice, though, that while I often reject books for being too fluffy and silly, and normally don’t find that many romance books are too edgy for me, there is now definitely a sub-genre of work that is too dark for me. I wouldn’t have thought it possible in mainstream romance!
I’ve read and listened to several really good books this month, but want to particularly mention 2 books by Mariana Zapata – Kulti and Under Locke. Loved them both, highly recommended, especially Kulti. It’s a long book and the relationship builds slowly, but it was never boring. Not often that a romance features a professional female soccer player! Moving on next to her 2 other books. Also really enjoyed Devoted in Death and Cathy Yardley’s Level Up.
Still plowing through ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’. There’s aspects of the novel that I do like, but the plot is too slow for me. Not confident that I’ll read the sequel.
I finally picked ‘Voyager’ back up after a several-month break and am ordering the second half of S1 of ‘Outlander’ on DVD today. I want to get back into the fandom for a bit.
@Lora: There is definitely no snark in Mistborn. The books are well-written but not really my style. They are Very. Serious. Fantasy. I got through them because the second trilogy (Alloy of Law/Shadows of Self/Bands of Mourning) looks interesting. If you’re looking for humor, this is not the place.
Again, try the Steelheart series or even the first two of the Way of Kings (Start with Words of Radiance). Steelheart is my favorite Sanderson, but Kings isn’t quite so grim and has better characters.
Currently, I’m still on Uniquely Human, because I save reading it until we’re close to meeting with the group I’m studying it with, because otherwise, I get to forget what’s going on. I’m also reading Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates for my FB book club, because Black History Month. For fiction, I’m currently reading Morning Star by Pierce Brown…it’s the latest and last in the Red Rising trilogy, although I’m understanding that he’ll continue telling Darrow’s story in a new series. But this story is winding up. During the last month, I also read Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins (LOVED IT), Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys (emotional wrecking ball, and between that and reading The Nightingale back in December, I’ve asked my husband to keep me away from WWII fiction for awhile), Brotherhood In Death by J.D. Robb (it was good, she seems to be on a roll, which is good because some of the more recent In Deaths have been sketchy), and Staked by Kevin Hearne (I enjoy the Iron Druid series, but this one had some problems with plotting and pacing, he either needs to make Granuaile’s story more compelling or stop telling it, because quite frankly, she is not as interesting as Atticus and Owen, and that’s a problem).
Also planning to reread “Mother of the Believers” by Kamran Pasha – it’s historical fiction that tells about the early days of Islam through Aisha, Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) favorite and youngest wife. I’ve read it a couple of times before and it really brings the early Muslim community and the world they lived in to life.
I read “Two Cuts Darker” by Joely Sue Burkhart. It was very good, but didn’t capture me like “One Cut Deeper” did, and really “One Cut Deeper” should be read first.
I also enjoyed Eloisa James’ “My American Duchess” and Anna Richland’s “His Road Home”.
I had some problems with “This Heart of Mine”; I usually love Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ books, but this one had some issues. Among other things, it’s not okay to toss someone’s CD out of the car just because you don’t like it! That was the most minor issue, too.
I loaded up all of the Pheonix Pack books by Suzanne Wright on my ereader (thank you kindle unlimited). I knew they’d be good because I love Jarred from the Deep in Your Veins series and her writing style is great. What a bunch of fantastically trashy books. I have a weakness for werewolves to begin with so this series was pure catnip.
The Striker, #10 in Monica McCarty’s Highland Guard series. Next up is Sweet Filthy Boy, #1 in Christina Lauren’s Wild Seasons Series.
I started the month with King’s Rising. I loved it.
I finally read Louder than Love. It was good, one that I may like thinking back on it more than when I was reading it.
The Last Hour of Gann was totally immersive.
P.S. I Still Love You was a very sweet YA. The ending was a bit frustrating as I did feel the hero had some more explaining to do.
Level Up was cute but I wish the relationship had taken longer to build. I love a slow build/burn.
Ninja at First sight had a heroine I really liked.
Just finished Artistic License. It had a true introvert as a heroine which was nice to read. It seems I will run across heroines who are labeled such and/or shy but their actions do not match.
This was a pretty good month I thought. I read two new books – Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas, which I really enjoyed, and Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase, which was fine but not my favorite of the series. I am currently reading the Duchess of Love series by Sally MacKenzie, on my phone. Well, I am reading the first and have the next two queued up at the library. It’s a fun mindless read.
I’m also about halfway through The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, on another device. It’s fantasy and it’s been quite engaging so far.
On audio this month I’ve listened to two books by Lois McMaster Bujold – Barrayar and The Warrior’s Apprentice. I also listened to An Ember in the Ashes and although there were moments when I felt the author was forcing cliffhangers too often and in an irritating manner, the story was interesting and entertaining and I like the narrators. I checked out this book BECAUSE of the narrators, who did a great job with The Scorpio Races.
I finished the manga series Emma: A Victorian Romance which was recommended here at SBTB a few months ago. It was very cute! I read Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat (engrossing conclusion to the Captive Prince trilogy), The Sword Dancer by Jeanie Lin (fun cat and mouse romance), and Stars Above (side stories and epilogue for the fabulous Lunar Chronicles series). I am continuing my attempt to get caught up on the Kate Daniels series. I read book 7 (Magic Rises) and am currently reading Magic Breaks (book 8). I am also reading Sarah MacLean’s The Rogue Not Taken which is cute, but I’m having trouble focusing on it right now.
I did a lot of comfort re-reads this month. But found a new, awesome book – A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly. The cover is as awesome as the book. 1920s alternate history where magic is outlawed? Yes, please!
I read Leveled Up and His Road Home based on SBTB recs (and the sale on His Road Home). I liked both very much and probably would not have found either book without the podcast in the case of Leveled Up and the sale post about His Road Home. I’m currently listening to Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay on scribd, which I am also enjoying. I am re-reading books from Lexi Blake’s Masters and Mercenaries series, because I’m getting up to speed on the characters before the next book comes out.
A bit of a mixed bag in terms of sub-genre this month:
Rescue Me by Jill Shalvis – not my favorite at all. I didn’t feel like Adam and Holly made any real progress in their interactions and I feel like the addition of the ex at the end was tossed in for no reason. My favorite bit was actually with Grif and Kate, the H and h for the next book, so at least I’ve got that to look forward to!
Cupcakes, Trinkets and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge – read for the Vaginal Fantasy book club and was pleasantly surprised! I would never have picked it out for myself, but liked the different take on magic, weres and vampires. The descriptions of how the heroine sees and experiences magic were very interesting. It’s been a while since I read a first-person POV and it was a nice change. Bonus: free on Kindle!
Where There’s Smoke by Cindy Spencer Pape – novella set in small-town 1920’s Michigan (go Mitten!). I was really excited about the premise and felt it delivered, for the most part. The heroine works at a news/book shop and takes care of her abusive father because she feels a debt to her dead mother. The hero is a lawyer from a well-to-do family who also volunteers with the local fire department. The contrast between Nettie, the heroine who is more old-fashioned, and Diana, the hero’s sister who is modern and fashionable, was interesting to read and think about.
Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase – My favorite of the Dressmakers series!!! I loved loved loved the banter between Clara and Oliver, and how Oliver recognizes that Clara is being suffocated by her place in society. Sure, there’s a rather convenient plot turn near the end, but I forgive that in light of how good the rest of the book is. This series has been my first experience with Chase and I definitely want more.
Boarlander Boss Bear and Boarlander Bash Bear by T.S. Joyce – read after a pair of crappy days at work. Perfect little bite-size fluffy novellas with sexy shifters. I was a little confused at first, since this appears to be a spinoff of her other series (lumberjack shifter crews who live in trailer parks? OK!), but just ignore it and go with the flow. The author has a bunch of other books on Kindle Unlimited, which might be my push to sign up for a trial period.
@Amanda – I think you’d really like the Beyond series! I’m reading the ARC of #7 (Beyond Ruin) right now and can’t believe how far the plot has come. Yeah, there’s a lot of sexy sexytimes, but I’m in it for the post-apocalyptic plot and political maneuverings. Kit Rocha does a good job of varying the degrees and types of sexiness as well – my favorites are the ones that focus more closely on a couple, but book #4 (Beyond Jealousy) features a triad (m, m, f) and #7 has a quad (m, m, f, f).
@Cordy: I have a copy of that and I feel the same way, though it’s not too dark for me, I don’t think. I’m kind of enjoying the trend of darker romances that make me question what a romance is and how it’s told and all that jazz.
So actually the new Fire Emblem game owns my soul right now. While mostly I’m getting my ass kicked playing Conquest on hard classic, there is kind of a ~dating sim~ element to this game. You build up relationships between characters during battle via supports and later they have adorable conversations and eventually can get married and—for the first time—some can get same sex married too. If you want to know, I’m def marrying my player character to Xander.
Like the previous game, certain characters also can have children and my friends have been calling it a eugenics simulator because by the end you’re just trying to optimize the stats of child units (last game I had a detailed spreadsheet) but for my first run I’m just carelessly marrying people off based on which relationships are the most charming to me.
@ClaireC: Yes to the post-apocalyptic plot! I would love to see more of those in romance and I certainly don’t mind boatloads of sexytimes. Since I’m only one book in, I’ve been trying to minimize my exposure to the other books in the series so I don’t get ahead of myself, but I love triad romances. Highly recommend Lauren Dane if that’s something you’re into and haven’t read her yet!
@Kareni, thanks for the tip on the free Elizabeth Camden novella. She’s the only inspie author I really like.
I read Cold Hearted Rake and enjoyed it, although not her best. But the one that I can tell is really going to be my crack is the next book in the Kleypas’s Ravenel series, “Marrying Mr. Winterbourne”. I’m already itching to read it.
Beverly Jenkins book, “Forbidden” was quite good, and I had to take periodic breaks to stare at the absolutely gorgeous cover. I’m not a person who cares that much about covers, but this one was a beauty.
Another very good one, “Lord Harry’s Angel” by Patricia Oliver, an old Signet Regency with the cit heroine marries impoverished noble plot.
And I’m in the middle of two books now, that are both hard to put down. One is an older book, “The American Heiress” by Dorothy Eden, with a pretty crazy sauce plot. A spoiled rich American heiress, her mother and her maid are travelling to Europe on the Lusitania, so she can marry a British lord(again, impoverished nobility needs a cash infusion). The ship sinks in the Atlantic, and only the lady’s maid is rescued from the water, but she is mistakenly identified as the heiress. So she decides to roll with it, and usurps the dead woman’s life: the fiance, the dowry, the mother’s inheritance, the whole works. I’ve gotten to the point where she’s married to the lord, and he’s not exactly hero material. So I’m wondering if he can undergo a transformation, or if she’ll end up with someone else.
The other book I’m reading is a Regency spy story, “The Cryptographer” by Alice Wallis-Eton and I highly recommend it, if historic spies are your thing. The heroine is very quiet and subtle, and the story sneaks up on you in the same understated way. She’s the cryptographer of the title, although nobody suspects a woman could have the talent or intelligence to do that kind of work. It’s going to be a series, the hero and his buddies are all in the same Scottish military unit, and have definitely piqued my interest in reading the subsequent books. As far as I can tell, this is the author’s first book, which is pretty amazing.
I’ve been reading the Masters Unleashed series by Sparrow Beckett (erotic romance, in the BDSM world). They’re mostly well written, and I generally like all the characters so they’re worth a read if you like that sort of thing.
One warning – they need a good hard editing. Tense errors, spelling mistakes and homonyms abound (site for sight, bulk for baulk etc.). Oh, and at once point the author refers to a pack of ducks. Yes. A pack. Of ducks.
Nooooo! I lied! I *didn’t* like the Masters Unleashed by Sparrow Beckett – I thought the women were bloody irritating and the men were slut-shaming twats.
The ones I *do* like that I’m reading now are the Wicked Play series by Lynda Aicher (I’m on a BDSM erotic kick just now, don’t judge me ;)). My comment about the whole needing an edit thing stands.
On a plain ol’ romance front, I’ve been reading a few contemporaries that I’ve really enjoyed (I don’t like historicals, I’m too much of a history nerd to suspend my disbelief when people behave in completely period inappropriate fashion. Oh, and it drives me batty when authors have Regency people saying ‘do you not think’ instead of ‘do not you think’ – where d’you think we got the contraction ‘don’t’ from, y’all? Anyway. Breathe!).
Specifically, ‘Static’ by L.A. Witt, ‘Almost Like Being in Love’ by Steve Klueger (it was the sweetest funniest m/m romance), ‘Level Up’ by Kathy Yardley (as per the recent podcast) and ‘On the Surface’ by Kate Willoughby.
I also read ‘Breaking up with Barrett’ by Katy Regnery, which made me want to poke my eyes out with sharp objects. I hated everybody.
‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ by Sara Manning was fun (if you enjoy fake relationship stories). I especially liked the fact that she met the male protagonists pretty WAG friends and they weren’t horrible catty stereotypes.
‘The Hooker and the Hermit’ was OK, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that he’s supposed to be some big rugby star (the David Beckham of rugby, even) and yet he plays League. Nope. OK, lots of people play League, but no-one who isn’t specifically a League fan has heard of any of the international competitions. The Six Nations? The World Cup? The All Blacks? The Springboks? All Union.
@Lora
“In the last week, I’ve read Lady Susan by Austen, which i thought was a little strange and undeveloped as a narrative, but still interesting for the characterizations. I thought maybe Susan herself was an early version of a more trashy and malicious Lady Catherine from P&P…not sure of the timeline here. Someone correct me?”
Lady Susan wasn’t published during Austen’s lifetime. It is classed as belonging to her juvenilia and was written before any of her published novels (the earliest written was Elinor and Marianne (later S&S) and then First Impressions (later P&P). Then Northanger Abbey, although that was published after Mansfield Park and Emma. Persuasion was her last completed novel. She also started a novel called The Watsons, which she never completed (which is irritatingly – it starts so well!) and was writing Sanditon when she died.
You can see characters developed from the juvenilia and popping up throughout the novels – Mrs Bennett appears in various forms (I always think Mary Elliot/Musgrove from Persuasion is a younger Mrs Bennett, as is Charlotte Palmer in S&S). I personally think Lady Susan is a predecessor of Mary Crawford (Mansfield Park) though. Lady Catherine cares about rank and propriety, and Lady Susan and Mary Crawford couldn’t care less.