All right! It’s time for everyone’s post they love to hate because it often leaves very unhappy wallets! March is nearly over (wow!) and hopefully it’s starting to feel a little like spring wherever you are. I know I’m looking forward to bringing my book outside to laze around in the sun.
So let’s get this party started!
Amanda: I mentioned on a previous Whatcha Reading that I had picked up Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ), though I set it back down to read some other things. So I’m reading that again! I need some Dolly Parton-esque, Southern wisdom in my life right about now.
And then I’ll be starting Exposed by Jasinda Wilder ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ), which is the continuation of Madame X. I can’t tell you enough how much the first book just sucked me right in and I’ve put off reading Exposed long enough! I’m expecting another cliffhanger-ish ending since I know there’s another book to come. So if you see any angry caps on Twitter from me in the near future, that may be the culprit.
Sarah: Based on a recommendation via Real People I Know Who I Talk to on Facebook, I’m reading The Queen’s Wings by Jamie K. Schmidt
There are dragons! Dragons all over the place. And the women are being confined by a curse so there are five total female dragons in the world, who are worshipped like queens and get to have sex with whomever they want though they are expected to birth dragons to continue the species and all. It’s first person, so there’s sarcasm and goofiness, and it’s not dark and emotional and scary, which is exactly what I need.
Redheadedgirl: I just finished How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell, which is a delightful “You there, bastard daughter of my husband, you look like my daughter enough to be her twin and I need you to pretend to be her so she can land a duke.” Also there’s hot chocolate invovled.
Carrie: Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Sarah: You like?
Carrie: Oh yes, it’s very good! Review pending.
Elyse: I just started Barefoot with the Bodyguard by Roxanne St. Clair ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), but like literally just started so I haven’t formulated an opinion yet
Amanda: Also, I recently received a copy of The Assistants by Camille Perri and 1) I love the cover and 2) it was described to me as a modern day Robin Hood, but with a female executive assistant as Robin Hood and rich big wig CEOs as John.
Redheadedgirl: Ohhhhhh!
Sarah: HELLO.
What have you been reading this month? Tell us what you loved and hated!
First of all, I just have to say that a couple weeks ago I found out that Sherry Thomas is starting a historical mysteries series called the Lady Sherlock series. I am so excited about this! I have no idea how I’m going to wait until October 4th when the first book, A Study in Scarlet Women, comes out.
This last month was more of a movie watching month for me than reading. Here’s my the highlights of what I read this month:
Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow- I really liked this one. The hero was a single father of an autistic boy and the heroine was a busy doctor. I thought it could’ve been a little longer because the relationship seemed to move pretty fast. The other big problem I had with the book was the hero complaining about the time it took his son’s IEP to be done at school, but that’s just because I’m very familiar with how many educators contribute to the IEPs, how many other IEPs they have to do on top of there typical duties, and the fact that they have to, by law, be done by a certain time. You can probably tell it’s a pet peeve for me, but the way the dad reacted in the book is probably the way many parents feel.
Runaway Summer by Ruth Saberton- I checked this out as my free pick with Amazon Prime last month because it’s set in Cornwall and it sounded like Doc Martin in romance book form. The characters aren’t quite that quirky, but it still gave me that Doc Martin feel. I would say it’s more women’s lit than romance. It focuses on many characters, but the main romance is between a model/actress whose escaping her abusive footballer fiancee and returns to her small hometown. The hero runs a marina and was her high school sweetheart. The strong sense of place and character development take precedence over the romance, but I still really enjoyed it.
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer- A collection of short stories in the Lunar Chronicles series, I enjoyed each story and felt that the majority of them added insight into the full-length books of the series.
Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep- I liked this one more than the first in the series. I still prefer the Mythos Academy books to this YA series, but this one has potential.
Hot & Nerdy novellas by Shannyn Schroeder- I read novellas 1-3 and 6. I had previously read numbers 4 and 5 in the series. I think Her Perfect Game was my favorite. It took place at a con that also hosted a hacking competition. The hero is the heroine’s ex and is at the hacking competition to look for new talent for the company he works for.
Up next, I’m going to be obsessively checking my library to see if they’ve received the copies of Anne Bishop’s and C. S. Harris’s latest that I have on hold. I also need to read the library I already have checked out including Patricia Brigg’s Fire-Touched and All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.
It has been an OK reading month for me – the end of term is drawing closer leaving less time for fun reading…
I’m in the middle of “March” by Geraldine Brooks and loving it. She has taken the characters from Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” and told the story from the perspective of the father – that absentee character who is away at war in the first half of the book and then always in his study in the second half. This book imagines not only what Mr. March experienced as a chaplain in the US Civil War, but also a lot of the family’s back story.
Previous gym reading this month included “Back to the Good Fortune Diner” by Vicki Essex (A cute story, OK writing) and “Slow Burn” by K. Bromberg (frustrating – H/h both suffered from inability to communicate).
Bedtime reading this month has included a re-read of “Little Women” (which triggered the current reading of “March”), and now onto “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” which is fun, frothy, and I can’t believe how hard it is for me to put it down each night, no matter how tired I am.
I’m also working my way through “Prayers for a Privileged People” by Walter Brueggemann as one of my Lenten disciplines (though I’m not going to be done by Easter). He has an ability to put just a few words together so that they say so much more than the individual words do.
I’ve been rereading a lot lately—or re-listening to stuff I’ve read in the past. Or both, depending on circumstances.
Let’s see, I’m 5/6 done with Auel’s Earth’s Children (narrated by Sandra Burr). Then there was Kit Rocha’s Beyond series *fans self* because Beyond Ruin released and I wanted to remind myself of the politics. I’m almost done with Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series, just one novel and a short story to go. And I read/listened to Anne Bishop’s The Others series again so I’d be up to date when Marked in Flesh released (I loved it as expected).
What else? I re-listened to Patricia Brigg’s Mercy #8 and Alpha & Omega #4 to prepare for Fire Touched, and I’m almost done rereading Mercedes Lackey’s The Complete Arrows Trilogy (that’s the omnibus title on Kindle) because why not? And I reread the two latest paranormal Nalini Singhs. I think that’s it for the rereads…
New stuff has been a couple of Sarah Morgan medicals (I was in the mood for them and will probably be in the mood for more soon) and Lucy Parker’s Act Like It (loved it!) … and I can’t think of other standalone/not-series-related books I’ve read. Probably just my memory, though.
Next, I think I’ll delve into whatever dabwaha 2016 stories I own. Which is about a quarter of them. They should keep me busy for a while, eh? 😉
Currently, I’m listening to Armada, by Ernest Cline (not grabbing me the way Ready, Player One did) and reading Dirty Magic, by Jaye Wells.
This has not been a great month. I finally got round to reading Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood (bought it in 2004). Good, but really depressing. (CN:CSA)
I have some books waiting for me at the library. The Countess, by Lynsay Sands and the book after that. And I’m waiting for Marked in Flesh, by Anne Bishop to arrive. I’m hopeful about those.
In Japan there is a type of book called a light novel(named for the fact that it is written in simpler Japanese to read, think Middle English v. Modern English ), which is basically a story written with Japanese manga/anime tropes, but is still a book. I read one of these called Tokyo Demons which was a blend of a paranormal story and a story about gang warfare. I read about half of it before I put it down for awhile. The chracters were good and it was relatively fast paced so I will probably go back to it later.
A book I actually finished this month was a middle grade books called Apothacary about intrigue during the Cold War from the pov of a 14-year-old transplant who moved from LA to London because her parents (innocent television writers ) were accused of being communists. Once there she meets a boy named Benjamin whose the son of an Apothacary owner who wants to be a spy. Naturally the two of them get involved in just that sort of thing. There’s also alchemy and z really sweet romantic subplot between Benjamin and the protagonist, Janie. Fair warning though while it doesn’t necessarily end on a cliff hanger, it is open-ended as it is the first book in a series.
Lastly I’m currently reading a nonfiction book called Writng with Quiet Hands to help turn my own love of creative writing into a habit so I can publish my own novel one day. It also has a lot of good information on the publishing industry. Personally , I think it is the best writing help book I’ve read and I’ve read quite a few.
I think someone recommended Sara Manning last month. “Unsticky” which has everything I don’t usually like (controlling alpha male, fashion industry, seriously flawed heroine) but IT TOTALLY WORKED. The characters were so messed up yet totally human and pretty self aware of their issues they somehow worked. Sometimes it is refreshing to read a romance where there are some uncomfortable elements and unresolved issues, yet well earned character growth.
I then went on to read “You don’t have to say you love me” also by Manning. Again the characters are pretty flawed, especially the heroine. It is basically a reformed rake/bluestocking story in a contemporary setting. I didn’t like it quite as much as “Unsticky”.
Everything else I read this month was just kinda “meh”.
I’ve been reading some of the Jessica Jones: Alias comics. I’m interested to see how they compare to the Jessica Jones TV show.
Looking back over my reading notes, this hasn’t been a particularly notable month. Mostly a bunch of science fiction, none of which I can wholeheartedly recommend. Except the novella “Gypsy” by Carter Scholz: gorgeously written, great characters, compelling arguments, and bleak, bleak; another reader called it “a suicide note from hard science fiction”. I would call it an important book to read if you’re at all into that sort of thing.
I am currently reading Bone Gap by Laura Ruby; it seems promising. It’s about Roza, who is beautiful and constantly comes up on the wrong end of men’s inclination to see beauty as a possession and a commodity, and her as worth nothing if she’s not their possession. At the start of the story, she finally found a man who really loved her and then was abducted by a really terrifying supernatural being. Her escape plans are progressing slowly. The other main character is her boyfriend’s teenage brother Finn, who saw her abducted but wasn’t able to talk about it in any way that sounded believable. He sees the world in a slightly unusual way. He is in love with a girl named Petey, who gets the consequences, a mirror-image of Roza’s, of society’s scrutiny and evaluation of women, since people are always telling her she’s ugly. Petey is a beekeeper and there’s a lot about bees in the story.
I’m currently reading THE MUNCHKIN BOOK, edited by James Lowder, which is a series of essays about the wonderful MUNCHKIN game. After that it’s TO MY DEAR CIVILIANS, WITH LOVE, the autobiography of porn star Rebecca Lord.
I just finished 2 Ruth Ann Nordin books The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife and The Earl’s Secret Bargin. I gave them both 2 stars on Goodreads. They are strong 2s and have lots of potential but they just seemed to drag through spots and I found myself skimming dialogue. I may give one more book a shot but 3 strikes and you’re out.
I also started re-reading The Kadin to see if it holds up to my 12 year old memory.
I have been listening to Rick Yancey’s books The 5th Wave and The Infinite Sea. YA dystopia with a touch of romance is apparently my catnip.
I just finished Kristan Higgins’ All I Ever Wanted. I’m a sucker for a veterinarian/kind to animals guy and this one was adorably stern at first. I’m a Higgins fan and she rarely disappoints. Total comfort read (although be prepared to ugly cry in this one because reasons).
Re-reading a Betty, Tangled Autumn. Comfort reading for my stressful life. Also read The Greeks Of Beaubien Street, tangled and messy but kept reading because I had to know what was going to happen next.
Named of the Dragon by Kearsley. Felt a little light-weight but still read it twice in a row. As usual, I was also inspired to look up the history. This will also very likely become a comfort read.
Anne Bishop’s Marked in Flesh. This is the fourth in her Others series. Not a stand-alone but a progression, seeing what happens to the characters. Not a bad book at all but did not grab me and pull me in the way the earlier books did.
His Road Home by Anna Richland – Thanks, Bitches, for telling me about this one. A fake engagement that makes total sense in the context, a relationship that develops organically and that makes sense for the couple involved, yes, I did like this one a lot. Plus diversity, of course, and a heroine with a kick-ass job.
Oh and did anyone else notice that Fabio is now a US citizen?
A Duchess in Name. By Amanda Weaver. It’s almost Balogh-ish. It’s nearly turn of the century and the heroine’s father pretty much buys an aristocratic groom for his daughter. Groom gets very passive aggressive and leaves post wedding night, only to realize belatedly that this leaves him pretty permanently in an unhappy marital situation. He tries to set off on a better foot with his wife over a year later after she has taken his teen sisters under her wing. Hero was awful at the wedding phase but he does good grovel in the win her back phase.
Simply Love By Mary Balogh. Hero (is wonderful) was tortured and maimed by the French during the war and lives almost as a recluse. Heroine was abandoned by her family after she was raped by her student’s brother when she was a governess and she’s spent 10 years raising her son (by the rape) alone. Two very wounded souls fall slowly into love and finally bring joy back into each other’s lives.
Virtuous Scoundrel by…Maggie Fenton? A paragon of the ton (with a scandalous past). A rake (who is a secret virgin). A menagerie of pets (including a kidnapped pug), and much humor. Fun regency romp.
Reading “Sense and Sensibility” for my Jane Austen book club. Still need to finish “Sunshine” by Robin McKinley. I read “Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged” by Ayisha Malik on the recommendation of a friend and loved it! Basically, Sofia is Bridget Jones (if Bridget were Pakistani-Brit and a practicing Muslim). Funny, smart, sad, and there is supposed to be a sequel out soon. Yaaaaaaahhhhhhssssss! Sent me down the Muslim women’s fic rabbit hole and also read “No Sex In The City” by Randa Abdel-fattah (pretty good) and “Courting Samira” by Amal Awad (which I also really liked AND is 99 cents on Kindle).
I feel like weeks go by and reading is on the back-burner (kids, deadlines, the soap opera surrounding presidential campaigns–talk about no-one-could-write-this reality) and then there’s this March. I am literally inhaling new reads and burning through some old favs:
Nalini Singh recently put a call out for favorite quotes to help sum up the Psy/changeling series, aaaand I’m sucked down a 3-day rabbit hole of rereading favorite bits/chapters of that 11? 12? book series.
Next, because I just discovered it, I’ve been on Wattpad, where Kylie Scott posted a nugget “What Trouble Is.” Best known for her rocker series, Stage Dive, I first ate up her Flesh series, which is some awesome crazysauce reading. It’s post-apocalypse Australia and everyone’s (a) packing weapons and (b) horny. It’s so so much fun to read while stuffing my face with popcorn. “What Trouble Is” is a return to that.
Dabwaha is kicking my rear with new-to-me books. So far, I’ve loved
Luminous by A.E. Ash
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell
So Sweet by Alyssa Cole
AND The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James (this I picked up as an audiobook and LOVED the narrator Mary Jane Wells–she’s become a new favorite)
The Other Side of Midnight is a paranormal mystery set in 1920s London. The heroine is a psychic. Her former best friend, really she describes Gloria as a soulmate–also a psychic–has been murdered. Ellie, our heroine, has spent 2 years mourning the loss of her mother and hurting from events that precipitated her fall-out with Gloria and that introduced her to James, who investigates psychics in order to dedunk them. St. James weaves a terrific mystery/ghost story. The romance is backburner, but simmers satisfyingly.
@Lora- “All I Ever Wanted” is by far my favorite Higgins! I feel like it doesn’t get enough love, so I’m happy to hear someone else enjoyed 🙂
I’ve not been reading as much as I would like lately… Something about the winter doldrums makes me want to just veg out with the TV or a podcast. However, I did read 3 things worth mentioning.
“Act Like It” by Lucy Parker was truly one the best contemporaries I’ve read in ages. Parker takes the familiarity of the tropes and uses them as a solid framework to flesh out really interesting characters and a delightful sense of humor. Props to SB Sarah for pimping this so hard, because I would probably have missed it otherwise.
“When Women Were Birds” by Terry Tempest Williams was a gorgeous, almost poem-like, memoir about mothers and daughters, ecology, and (post?) Mormonism. Really beautifully written.
“Never Seduce a Scot” by Maya Banks is exactly how I like my highland historicals- very romantic, low angst, and a very likable h/h combo. Also, kilts. A slightly less trashy version of my highland go-to, Lynsay Sands.
@Kate L, I loved The Other Side of Midnight as well!! I’ve got most of St. James’ back catalog on my reserve list at the GBPL. Saving for this summer patio reading….
I had a Lauren Dane mini binge this week: Stripped a novella wherein the MC is a burlesque dancer in Vegas by day, college student by day. The hero approaches her after watching her dance with a line based on outdated assumptions about her based on the job and gets the set down of a life time. Then they become friends. I finished Coming Back, the last of the Ink & Chrome books, this morning. The first few chapters were a C+ at best, then it got better. So I’d give it a solid B. Even if some elements weren’t to my taste, there’s a lot of adult behavior going on along with her usual, these people have lives and families and jobs goodness. Romance bubbles are nice, but sometimes it’s nice to read characters with real lives. Who have real non-billionaire jobs and go to art fairs and race tracks and dinner with friends or family.
I took the post about gargoyles to heart, so next up is Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy.
Really, how could I not?
My best read lately was The Preacher’s Daughter by Cheryl St. John. It triggered me requesting from ILL The Preacher’s Wife and buying Want Ad Wedding as a birthday gift to myself at the Harlequin’s one day St. Patrick’s Day sale.
Oops, burlesque dancer by NIGHT. Always proof read before hitting enter!!!!
I third (fourth?) everyone who said they’ve been in a reading slump lately. Reading straight romance has been a non-starter for me since the beginning of the year, unfortunately. Every time I pick up a romance, I just can’t. Something annoys me. And then I drift off to watch movies or tv shows or listen to podcasts. I did (well, today) go on a book buying binge to help kickstart my year of reading, though (a little late for March, but whatev). Some books I picked up:
* The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: Apocalyptic, fantasy tale of a woman searching for her missing daughter in a war-ravaged world gone mad? TAKE MY MONEY now, please.
* The Proud Tower and Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman: a historical non-fiction look at the La Belle Epoque and the lead-up to World War I. This time fascinates me. Such opulence contrasted with such poverty. Such great ideals, leading to such a dumb and needless war.
* Assorted books by Maya Rodale: Is she any good? I feel like I should have asked this before I spent $30+ on her books, but.
* The Dinosaur Lords: UM, medieval knights riding into battle on dinosaurs. Yes, I’ll take 18 copies please, said my 11 year old inner child.
So, I just finished “Dukes Prefer Blondes” by Loretta Chase and that woman does not disappoint in her writing. The sudden title inheritance was not necessary since so much more was going on in the plot. Beautiful women wants people to notice she actually has a brain. Grumpy but brilliant lawyer notices both the beauty AND the brain. I also re-read White Lies by Linda Howard which is one of her old category romances recently added to digital. I remember loving it and It and I must report that I still do.
I also finished both The Middle of Somewhere and Out of Nowhere. Two m/m stories that were outstanding. I will assuredly buy the next in this series as well.
I also read Sometimes a Rogue by Mary Jo Putney and it just didn’t do it for me. It was pleasant but stuffed with tropes. It’s about a spurned younger son who inherits a debt laden title….that he finds out about when he’s conveniently washed ashore at his very estate while fleeing with the twin sister of a duchess who was kidnapped. Yeah. It read like a formula rather than a well plotted novel.
I recently discovered Ice Planet Barbarians and love how much fun they are turning out to be so will finish out that series next.
I seem to be on a memoir kick – I’m currently reading and enjoying Pastrix: the cranky, beautiful faith of a sinner & saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber and having just finished Christian Dior & I by Christian Dior, which was delightful. This may be the year of the memoir since I started the year off reading Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders and Dear Fatty by Dawn French. They were both great and paired really well the audiobook Funny Girl by Nick Hornby, which I loved. I seem to be listening to more fiction that reading it.
This has been a pretty good month for me. I am 2/3 of the way through the Rules of the Ton series by Elizabeth Michel – the first one was free on Amazon a few weeks ago, and I got the other two from my library. I liked the second more than the first. Overall pretty good.
I’m eagerly waiting for the new Anne Bishop and like @the eleventh hour, the new N.K. Jemisin. I have them on hold at the library, where I get 95% of my reading material. But I did recently buy Beautiful Player, after reading Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren. I’ve seen their books discussed here but BS was the first I read. I really, really enjoyed it. In fact I can’t remember the last book that sucked me in so completely and that I immediately wanted to read again.
On audio for commuting and dog walks, I started The Morganville Vampire series. Liking it so far.
I read It’s the Little Things by Erica James-I love some of her novels, this wasn’t a favorite but still had a hard time putting it down.
Bookbub had a good deal on the 3rd Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate-I don’t usually read books out of order, but I enjoyed the combo of an older heroine and the UK setting, and of course the gardening. I liked it so much I read the first book and now am on book 2.
Oh, and just finished Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella. It was an impulse buy at the airport when I was waiting for a flight. I’ve read all the books in the series, and I have to say this was one of the more enjoyable ones.
@Mara-Third me for the love of Higgins All I Ever Wanted. That is one of my favorites! I also adored Act Like It-one of the best books I have read lately. Did I read she was writing a second book with the same characters? I hope I didn’t dream that!
This has been a slumpy reading month for me, too. On the plus side, I’ve caught up on some DVR’d programs and done some re-organizing around the house while my Kindle whimpered for me.
Highlight of the month was a re-read of The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery with the author through her Katy’s Ladies Facebook page. The fairy tale story of Asher and Savannah touched my heart even on the fourth reading.
New to my keepers file are Falling into Bed with a Duke by Lorraine Heath and Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra. Both books were full of longing by the heroines and heroes for loves they shouldn’t want, set decades apart.
Next up is Tycoon by Joanna Shupe, first of her new series, or maybe A Duchess by Name after reading Lisa’s post … love those second chances!
New-to-me author Jo Goodman re-released My Steadfast Heart (originally published in 1997) as an ebook in 2012. I was glad that it is the first of the Throne brothers trilogy because I enjoyed it so much. Despite the many historical romance novels I’ve read in the past 8 years, I found the plot fresh and creative, the characters vivid. I followed up by reading My Reckless Heart and With All My Heart. One of the interesting things about this series is that the stories take place in London, Boston and San Francisco.
I read Edith Layton’s Peaches and the Queen, a charming bon-bon for a holiday.
Next I read Laura Kinsale’s Sieze the Fire. Whoo, boy, this is one novel that was not what I expected. It was very good; but I don’t know that I would call it a romance. Not when the baby penguin was my favorite part of the story. (And I found myself wondering if SB Sarah would consider that baby penguin a plot moppet.) I’ll read more Kinsale, but I’ll be braced first for anything to happen.
After that, I took a mystery side trip and read Sara Rosett’s Death in the English Countryside. It was perfect – excellent sense of place, interesting characters, plausible murder. The series character is a location scout for movies, a job I’ve never even thought about, which made aspects of her work and reason for being in England, interesting. You many Jane Austen fans may enjoy it because she was scouting sites for a Jane Austen film and there was discussion about which houses would be appropriate stand-ins for the locations in Pride and Prejudice without copying those used in previous movies.
I read Kristin Harmel’s The Life Intended, it was nicely done and there were so many ways to think about what was happening to the main character.
And then a klunker: Stephanie Laurens’ The Lady’s Command. I will go back and re-read SBTB reviews and comments because…when I started reading historical romance again, I recall enjoying this author’s work. But this book was so preachy about “what kind of marriage I want to have” that it ruined the story for me. As a set-up for the heroine’s actions, fine. But it became an annoying leitmotif.
Last night I read Theresa Romain’s The Sport of Baronets and it was just right for a short novel. I want to continue the series, but I am not willing to pay $7.49 for an ebook. It won’t belong to me and I can’t share it. A used physical copy – and I understand that is not a particularly good outcome for the author – costs approximately $3.60, including shipping. I include my complaint not to offend, but in case publishers are reading.
Now let me resume reading the comments to this post, with pen and credit card in hand.
I’ve finished Anne Bishop’s Marked In Flesh, which was excellent, just as I expected. And right now I’m enjoying the delightful WTFery of Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series.
I don’t feel well, so haven’t read much this year, but yesterday I read Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs. Man oh man I enjoyed that story! I stop reading the series quite awhile ago because Briggs was too abusive with Mercy IMHO and so I was pleasantly surprised nobody ended up dead or rape or mutilated.
Just read two more books, so I’m feeling a bit less slumpy.
Ms. Marvel volumes 2&3, Generation Why and Crushed. I liked two better than three, but both were a lot of fun.
I got a little tired of Dukes and got sucked into Evangeline Anderson’s Brides of the Kindred series a couple of weeks ago and have hardly come up for air. I had read the first book a couple of years ago and just thought it was meh, but somehow the second book caught my interest. Now I’m hooked and am determined to read all 17 books.
The same thing happened to me a few months ago with Michelle Pillow’s Dragon Lords series, so I made careful note of the Ice Barbarians mention upthread as it sounds like something I’d like for my next vacation from Regency.
I’m currently reading Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas. That is a series I am glad that I stuck with, because while Throne of Glass was iffy in parts (hello to waaaay too many exclamation points), the author has definitely improved with each book and Celaena is a great character. Plus I’m a sucker for fairy-tale retellings.
Of the books I read this month, I probably enjoyed Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire the most. It was a monster book with ballroom dance and no author should be able to do that kind of crazy that well, but it somehow worked. I also read Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray and enjoyed myself considerably. There’s a lot of good world-building to be had in the Firebird books. I had a good time with My American Duchess by Eloisa James too. Though I’m finding that I always want to slap her heroes.
I’m working on Duke of Sin, the upcoming Elizabeth Hoyt and oooh, I don’t know if I love it or hate it yet but I can’t stop reading.
I re-read The Winner’s Curse and The Winner’s Crime in preparation for The Winner’s Kiss coming out on the 29th. I’m doing nothing that day and planning on schlepping the kids to Grandma purely to read on my own. Marie Rutkoski took a story that could have been pretty shallow and made it really elegant and thought-provoking. Definitely a highlight of my YA fantasy reading.
I read March: Book Two by Rep John Lewis and that graphic novel series is just amazing and I can’t wait for Book Three. It’s all about his time in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
Finally, I read The Library At Mount Char and that book is like 300 pages of nonstop WTF. It’s like Neil Gaiman cranked to batshit. I couldn’t stop recommending it to people.
I read The Wall of Winnepeg and Me. A sssslllloooowww burn but oh so sweet. I think I actually fell in love with Aiden. Zapata always has the best love stories.
I also read Junk Yard Dog by Bijou Hunter. It was so snarky I laughed my butt off. I had to go in the living room and read in the recliner so I didn’t wake hubs.
LML, I’m another Jo Goodman fan. I’ll recommend her linked books set in England — my favorite of those is The Price of Desire.
I read a slew of books in March. All were enjoyable unless I say otherwise below.
— the contemporary romance novella Skin Deep (The I-Team Series Book 6) by Pamela Clare
— the graphic novel Displacement by Lucy Knisley
— a re-read of Oracle’s Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison.
— Deadly Remains: Book One of A Clairvoyant’s Complicated Life by Katherine Bayless – it’s a combination of urban fantasy, mystery, and romance; it had some unusual elements.
— Sarina Bowen’s The Fifteenth Minute (The Ivy Years Book 5); the first in the series is still my favorite but I liked this one, too.
— Heidi Cullinan’s Lonely Hearts which is the third book in her Love Lessons series. One must start with at least book two in this series (and preferably book one) because much of the story is developed before this book begins.
— I no longer recall what caused me to request this book; I likely came across the title in a list of epistolary books. It’s not quite what I was expecting, but it was interesting nonetheless. I read about half of it, skimmed the rest, and listened to the accompanying CD ~ For the Sender: Love Letters from Vietnam by Alex Woodard
— a western historical romance about which I’d heard good things ~ Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell
— the contemporary romance Controlled Burn (Boston Fire) by Shannon Stacey
— re-read (parts I found icky) Ilona Andrews’ Bayou Moon and Fate’s Edge which are books two and three of The Edge series.
— Daniel James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics for my book group
— Rachel Grant’s romantic suspense book Cold Evidence. I didn’t care over much for the characters at the beginning of the story; however, they grew on me. The storyline also strained credulity. This is probably not a book I’ll re-read; however, it was enjoyable in its way. Though it’s book six in the series, it can stand alone well.
— Press Start to Play which is an anthology of short stories pertaining to gaming (about which I know nothing!). Some of the stories did not speak to me, some I liked, one made me laugh, some were eerie. One I thought was excellent, and I recommend it: ‘Select Character’ by Hugh Howey.
Just finished Magnate by Joanna Shupe. I really, really love the late-Victorian/early Edwardian setting, and the tie-in with the Great Blizzard of 1888, about which I’ve been mildly obsessed since childhood! I confess I did spend a large amount of the novel wanting to smack the H and h upside the head, but they had some sizzling chemistry.
I’m rereading Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red trilogy, for comfort read. I’ve got A Gentleman’s Position (KJ Charles) lined up next for new stuff, and also picked up a bunch of books out of Friday’s Books On Sale email… argh!
Oh, and I just finished Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, which was fascinating and tragic.
-@Kate L, @DonnaMarie – I have loved every book by Simone St. James so far. I can’t wait for “Lost Among the Living”!
Faves this month
– ” Act Like It” by Lucy Parker – YUP, this is awesome. I laughed and happy sighed my way through it
– “Throne of Jade” / “Black Powder War” by Naomi Novik (audio) – these make me smile, keep me on the edge of my seat and the Simon Vance narration is just excellent
– “Jam on the Vine” by LaShonda Katrice Barnett – the story of two women who start the first female-run African American newspaper, based, in part, on the life of Ida B. Wells. So good!
– “The Secret Place” by Tana French – I’m out of Tana French books! What am I going to do??
– “Almost Famous Women: Stories” by Megan Mayhew Bergman – So, this collection was basically written for me. I mean, I have a Natalie Clifford Barney tattoo! Subjects include: Romaine Brooks, Butterfly McQueen, Joe Carstairs
– “Beloved” by Toni Morrison – Poetic and unsettling
Good
– “Memory and Dream” by Charles de Lint (audio) – I should have read this instead. It was a good book but more than enough scenes of domestic abuse I really didn’t need to listen to
– “What Remains of Me” by Alison Gaylin – It was fun but if you’ve watched S1 of Veronica Mars, you can see the twists coming
Currently Reading
– “The Janus Stone” by Elly Griffiths (audio) – love the narration, story is gripping
For those who may be interested: Most, if not all, of the Ice Planet Barbarians is free to read for KU subscribers. As are books 1 & 2 of Maggie Fenton’s trilogy which includes The Virtuous Scoundrel. I’ve not yet read these but they’re now on my TBR list after I’ve read what I’ve currently checked out.
This month my reading has been all over the place. What I’ve reread: Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles, Tessa Bailey’s Line of Duty stories, a number of Harlequin Presents by Sarah Morgan & Maisey Yates. Also some of GA Aiken’s dragon kin novellas. Love her work and have never been let down.
What I’ve read:
Grace Burrowes, et al: Dancing in the Duke’s Arms an anthology of varying quality, all of the stories were ok, but Burrowes’ was my favorite.
Maisey Yates: Brokedown Cowboy & Shoulda Been A Cowboy. Not bad, not great. I’ve read other stories from her I’ve liked more though to be fair, it may simply have been me. It’s not been a great month.
Kristen Callihan: The Game Plan. This got a lot of love here and I’m not sure why. That he didn’t do something so ridiculously basic blew my mind- and not in a good way. Much preferred the first two books.
Lyn Gala: Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts. This was different and may interest those who like tentacles (of a sort). I like weird stuff too and this appealed to me. Not sure I want to buy the 2nd but probably will, seeing as how I can’t leave things incomplete.
Black Butler vols 1-21. Loved the anime, so got the books and was not disappointed. May I just take a moment to reiterate how much my library system rocks? They this entire series as well as the videos.
Mary Balogh: A Matter of Class. Story about the ruined daughter of an earl and the marriage she’s forced into in order to salvage her reputation. If you like Balogh but haven’t read this, do. Nice twist at the end.
Sawyer Bennett: Zack and Ryker. Liked both, nice continuation of the series.
Christine d’Abo: Long Shots: books 1-3. Meh, wouldn’t recommend though as always ymmv.
Jessica Lemmon: Bringing Home the Bad Boy. Nice story but weirdly, I think I would’ve liked it more if the female characters had been reversed.
Up next:
CS Harris’ newest St Cyr novel When Falcons Fall
Charles Todd’s No Shred of Evidence
Mary Balogh’s Simply series
After The Funeral an Agatha Christie I’ve somehow never read. And The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah, a continuation of Poirot- something else of which I was completely unaware.
Elizabeth Boyle’s Rhymes With Love series, I’ve read some but not all of these so have requested them from my library.
Amy Poehler’s Yes, Please. Will be listening to this as I didn’t get into it when I tried to read it before.
Lorraine Heath’s Falling Into Bed With A Duke along with her Texas trilogy
Cora Carmack’s Losing It
Shelly Laurenston’s The Undoing (Call of Crows, releases on 3/29)
And, based on the rave reviews from everyone here, both Anna Richland’s His Road Home and Lucy Parker’s Act Like It.
I’ve been sick for about 2 weeks, so my reading has definitely suffered, but I did read the new Anne Bishop book. It was good, but not as compelling as the previous books in The Others series and seemed to have a repetitive/filler quality. After reading the book, tho, I’m now listening to it–something I’ve done with all the others. I think I may prefer this book in audio as the narrator does such a great job.
I also read the latest Patricia Briggs book, and was quite happy with it. In fact, it prodded me into yet another reread of the Mercy Thompson series from the start and am now on book #4.
After my Mercy detour, I tentatively plan to read the next CS Harris book. But first, I want to go back and reread the previous one. For some reason, it didn’t grab me at the time when I picked it up last year and ended up just skimming it. I think it deserves another shot before I move on.
I also never got around to Nalini Singh’s Shards of Hope, so that’s also on the list. Plus, there were several Betty Neels books released in digital this month. They’re comfort reads for me so this is a good time for them. And, at the end of the month, is a new book in Amanda Stevens’s Graveyard Queen series. It’s been such a long wait and I’m very excited for it. (This is another series that’s great in audio, btw.)
There are so many books–both old and new–that I’m looking forward to. I hope this is a good sign and that it indicates an end to my inexplicable book doldrums of the past several months.
Happy reading, everyone!