Whatcha Reading is here again! It always seems to creep up on you. This is where we talk about the books we’ve been reading. Maybe we’re enjoying them. Or maybe not so much. We hope you’ve knocked out some books on your TBR pile too!
Elyse: I just started Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ). I hope it perks me up because I’m in a bit of a reading slump.
Sarah: I just started By the Currawong’s Call by Welton B. Marsland ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), a m/m historical set in Australia in 1891. Matthew is an Anglican priest sent to lead his first church in a very small town, where he becomes fast friends with the police sergeant, Jonah.
The first chapter establishes the town, the land, and Matthew’s faith and personal excitement with emotion and elegance in the writing, so I’m very excited to keep reading. The last book I tried was boring the hell out of me so starting Currawong was a very welcome experience.
I just finished From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty, which is nonfiction about funeral rites and ways different cultures around the world process death and interact with the dead – in some cases literally. It was absolutely fascinating. (And big thanks to Montgomery County Public Libraries for ordering a digital copy so I could borrow it.)
Amanda: I’m reading The Last Wolf by Maria Vale ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and it opens with a flashback of a female Alpha trying to save her Pack from encroaching humans in 17th Century, England. She’s not the heroine in this book, but Vale does a great job setting up worldbuilding. Shifters are enemies to Werewolves within the book’s mythology and it’s also really gritty so far. It has a bit of freshness to the usual paranormal romance genre.
Sarah: What’s fresh about it?
Amanda: Well I liked that it already introduces a female who runs a pack. Typically, it’s dudes. Her Beta questions her decision and she throws him overboard off a ship. I like how Shifters are seen as enemies and untrustworthy because they can “choose” how and when they shift, and they’re more likely to work and scheme with humans.
Redheadedgirl: I am almost done with the Jane the Virgin tie-in, Snow Falling. I am also cheerfully chewing through It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). It’s very funny and I can’t wait to see what shit Norman Mailer pulled.
I also just got Maya Rodale’s It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Amanda: Also..I will say that The Last Wolf is probably not a book for Sarah?
Sarah: Shit, I wanted to read it.
Amanda: There isn’t SUPER graphic detail, but there is mention of a pack being clubbed to death and decapitated. So…
Sarah: Jesus.
And bugger Currawong is declining in my estimation.
Carrie: I’m just about to start River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey, which imagines an 1890s America in which the bayous of Louisiana are largely populated by hippos.
Amanda: I’ve heard good things about these hippos!
Carrie: I’m only on page 22 but I have high hopes!
Amanda: My hold for Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant just came in, so I’m excited to pick that up too! ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Redheadedgirl: Nice!
Amanda: I went to pick up my hold and What Happened by Hilary Clinton ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) was waiting for me. When I put it on hold, I was number 342.
Sarah: WHOA!
What have you read this month? Anything you absolutely loved? Tell us all about it!
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I read A Lady Awakened by Cecelia Grant and loved it. The awkwardness of the sex and romantic development actually made it super believable for me, and I ended up really enjoying it. Not to mention the way it twists traditional romance tropes. A+!
I also have a tendency to go to comfort reads during this time of year, and for some reason, comfort reads for me include realistic YA romances. I recently enjoyed Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill, a travel tale set in London over spring break for some high school juniors. The book nerd is partnered up with the class clown, and romance ensues. My one complaint is that some plot threads didn’t getting “pulled” to their full potential. Also, I get tired of high school girls whose only conversations with their friends are about boys. I mean, yes, I know it’s a romance, but there ARE other things to talk about whilst falling in love. Still . . . it hit the spot for something quick and fun.
I had one really outstanding read this month, “Red, Red Rose” by Marjorie Farrell. It’s a Napoleonic Wars historical, most of it takes place in an army camp in Portugal. The hero is the illegitimate son of a nobleman, the heroine is “following the drum” with her military family. An absolute gem, with a beta hero, slow burn friends to lovers, a spy subplot, and some genuine tragedy. Have a box of tissues handy. It was right up there with the best of Carla Kelly’s wartime stories. Great sketches of army life, and an honest look at the sexual abuse that took(maybe still takes) place in British boarding schools. I continued to think about the characters for days after completing it.
I am rereading “Ms. Marvel” volumes 1-7. Picked up 3 older Wonder Woman graphic novels. Also have “Wonder Woman: Ambassador of Truth”, “Wonder Woman Unbound”, and “Faithfully Feminist” (about Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feminists). Once the semester is over, I plan to read “Alif the Unseen” by G. Willow Wilson and “The Charioteer” by Mary Renault.
Books read this month and in late October ~
— Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This was an enjoyable contemporary romance that featured characters I’ve encountered in the authors’ other books.
— Keepsake (True North Book 3) by Sarina Bowen. I enjoyed this contemporary romance; it’s a book I’ll be re-reading.
— I then went on to read the next book in the series which I also enjoyed. Bountiful (True North Book 4) by Sarina Bowen.
— Then I re-read another book by the author. My copy is titled In Front of God and Everyone by Nealy Wagner, but it’s since been reissued as Goodbye Paradise by Sarina Bowen.
— the alien romance Roark (Women Of Earth Book 1) by Jacqueline Rhoades. This was an okay read; in its defense, I read it to the end which is more than I can say about any number of others books I’ve recently left unfinished!
— the contemporary romance Montana Heat: Escape to You: A Montana Heat Novel by Jennifer Ryan. I had to push myself to finish it, so it’s not a book I’ll be likely to reread.
— Tell the Wolves I’m Home: A Novel by Carol Rifka Brunt, a book that I’ll describe as moving. It’s the author’s first novel and was published in 2012; I’d happily read more when there is more to be read.
— I read and enjoyed the short story by Jamie Sedgwick ~ Worlds Apart.
— the alien romance ThunderClaw (Alien Warrior Book 2) by Penelope Fletcher. This was an okay read, but I doubt I’ll be re-reading it.
— the alien romance The E.T. Guy (Office Aliens Book 1) by V.C. Lancaster. This was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to re-read.
— another alien romance STOLEN BY AN ALIEN: An Alien Mate Romance by Amanda Milo. Once again, this was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to re-read.
— And A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews which was a very enjoyable re-read; it’s a male/male romance.
— re-read Anne Cleeland’s Murder In Thrall (A New Scotland Yard Mystery Book 1) which the Great Pumpkin kindly brought me for Halloween.
— re-read the contemporary romance novella His Road Home by Anna Richland
— re-read Lyn Gala’s alien male/male romance novels: Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts, Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities, and Affiliations, Aliens & Other Profitable Pursuits as well as her shorter FREE prelude that you can obtain at the publisher’s site. The link is here: http://www.loose-id.com/prelude-to-claimings-tails-and-other-alien-artifacts.html
— read for the first time Lyn Gala’s shorter piece The Only Way Out Is In
— read Lisa Marie Rice’s Midnight Vengeance (Men of Midnight Book 1) which is a contemporary romance with an element of suspense; it was a pleasant read.
— Ruby Dixon has quite a following for her series of science fiction alien romances. I read her Barbarian’s Touch and Barbarian’s Prize. They were pleasant reads but not books I’ll be re-reading.
— I reread with pleasure Anne Cleeland’s Murder in Retribution and Murder in Hindsight.
— the science fiction romance Cassandra’s Challenge (The Imperial Series Book 1) by M. K. Eidem which I enjoyed. This particular book was both longer and more meaty than the other books I’ve read by this author. I’d happily read on in the series, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily be re-reading this book.
— I just finished Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O’Leary and Jessica Spring; I’ve been dipping into it over the course of the last month. It is an interesting combination of history and art, and it introduced me to some women I’d not known.
— read with pleasure the contemporary romance Over the Fence by Melanie Moreland. This was somewhat out of the ordinary in that all but one chapter were from the point of view of the hero.
— I started but did not finish Just One Touch by Maya Banks as it was not speaking to me.
— the contemporary romance Complicated by Kristen Ashley. It was a pleasant read but probably not a book I’ll be re-reading. This author has a very distinctive style, and this was quintessentially a Kristen Ashley book.
— Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for my book group. This was a meaty read. I would have been unlikely to finish this were I not reading it for my book group, but I’m glad I did. It was eye opening in a number of ways. (And .. spoiler alert … it had a happy ending which satisfied my romance reading soul.) I will admit that it left me with no desire to visit Nigeria.
— The Librarian: A First Contact Story by M.N. Arzu which I enjoyed.
— read and enjoyed The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott which is a male/male contemporary romance.
@JillQ, you are not the only one having that problem. For me, it isn’t just the Harvey Weinstein of it all, but Trump, Roy Moore, and all the powerful sexual predators of the world. I was recently going through the memories feature on Facebook and right before the election last uear, around the time the pussy grabbing thing came out, I was reading a scoundrel book in which the hero’s internal monologue starts going into how being rich lets him do whatever he wants to women. I noped out of there when he suddenly kissed a women he didn’t know. Sexual assault is not sexy.
I’m finally getting back into reading after getting lost in some personal issues in my family, so this was the first month since the summer in which I had any luck with books.
1. I read two books in Annabeth Albert’s Navy SEALS series, At Attention and Wheels Up. Both were good books, but I much preferred Wheels Up. These are both m/m novels and the thing that I liked about Wheels Up was that the big issue wasn’t just that these men were LGBT but because they were military and one was the commanding officer of the unit they belonged to and this is apparently a big no-no in the military world. I also really enjoyed the fact that one if the characters was bi, which is not something I have seen before.
With At Attention, there was no real reason the two characters could not be together. One was a widower who was uncomfortable with moving on from his late husband, and even though he got involed with the other hero he still balked at being an actual couple. All the obstacles for this coiple were internal and weren really necessary to keep the plot moving, imo.
2. Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis. I really liked this book, but I felt it was a bit slow to get going. I think it took me about a week to get into it before I got to the point where all I wanted to do was read. One of the things that surprised me with this book was that the heroine got high at one point. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where a character got high and I’m not sure how I feel about the way it was written. I don’t want to spoil it for people who haven’t read it, but something happens and the heroine ends up accidentally getting high. The other character in the scene knew what she had, but didn’t tell her, which annoyed me. I don’t have a problem with characters (or people) using a legal drug (the book takes place in California, where recreational marijuana is legal) to relax, but the character needs to be clear about what they’re taking. This felt very much like when the heroine was raped in old skool romances—it was a way for her to get high and still be innocent.
3. Good Girls Don’t by Victoria Dahl. I’ve read a few of her books in the past, but it has been a while since I tried any of them. I liked this book and it was definitely a light read that could be used for escapism purposes. My one issue was that the heroine had abandonment issues because of something that happened in the past and instead of dealing with them she chooses to lie and manipulate things to make sure that her brothers don’t leave her.
River of Teeth – this has been a pick up/put down/pick up/put down book for me. Still not sure if I’ll be finishing it. HOWEVER, I’m carrying Fort St. Jesus Bait and Tackle by Louis Tridico wherever I go, room to room, in and out of the car. It’s got the vibe of the first Tremors movie (with Kevin Bacon) on steroids with memorable characters topped with touches of romance. You’re welcome.
I felt like reading some m/m romance in the wake of Australia voting YES to marriage equality (lots of heartwarming scenes of joy and celebration on TV here this week) so I tried a couple of new to me authors, Christina Lee and Sloane Kennedy. Both were disappointing, featuring sappy and unconvincing dialogue combined with too much sex at the expense of character development. I know that a lot of gay romance is written by women for female readers, with no particular care about realism, yet this female reader finds these books unsatisfying and wishes that someone would write m/m books that are less ‘romance novel’ and more romantic.
Anyway, rant over….. this month I also read Anthony Horowitz’s The Word is Murder, in which the author is a character in the book and weaves some of his real life as a TV screenwriter for Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders, etc. into a fictional murder investigation. Very clever and engrossing.
On audible I’m listening to Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate, and loving it. Set in the aristocratic world of 1930s England, it’s hilarious in its way with words, but has flashes of realism in its social commentary, too. And Patrica Hodge’s narration is deliciously tart.
Oh, and the first Lady Georgiana mystery by Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness. Entertaining writing but the villain was obvious a mile away, so I probably won’t read any more of those. Unfortunately most historical mysteries I try are either anachronistic in their recreation of the era (eg Charles Todd) or pedestrian in the mystery plotting.
Maybe next month will be better.
I read Fatal Inquiry by Will Thomas, which is part of a mystery series set in England in the 1880s about a private “enquiry” agent and his trusty assistant. The books are first person and the narrator is the assistant. I know that some people don’t like first person narrators, but I have enjoyed this author and this series and look forward to the next one. I have also been listening to the audio version of Side Jobs, which is an books of short stories about Harry Dresden. The narrator is James Marsden and although this is a re-read (although first time listening), I have really been enjoying hearing the stories read.
I made some progress on my TBR folder, after I bought and read one of Bella Andre’s firefighter books that was on sale a few weeks ago. It was the 3rd in the series, but it interested me because it was set in the Adirondacks (a place where I have happy childhood memories). I enjoyed it and after I read it discovered that I had some of her Sullivan series in my TBR folder, so I started reading them. I have liked some, more than others, but I’m working my way through the ones that I own and have bought some to fill in the gaps, since I prefer to read series in order.
This week, I read the latest Lexi Blake book in her Masters and Mercenaries world. It is set in the restaurant run by the hero from the first book in the series and I think is the 3rd or 4th in that spin-off or related series of books. In this book, both the hero and heroine are veterans. Blake has started to feature veterans with service-related disabilities (amputees) in this series and addresses both the mental health and physical challenges faced by veterans trying to re-integrate into society. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
I just finished the latest Maiden Lane novella, which features Mary Whitsun, from the first book, as the heroine. We also get to see some of the characters from the first book. I know that Elizabeth Hoyt has finished this series, but I hope that she decides to revisit this world through some of the orphans in future novellas, so we can get a glimpse of some of my favorites from the series.
Finally, I wanted to add my two cents about Heyer recommendations. Sylvester and Frederica are good choices, if you don’t mind children as central to the plot, because there are children in both stories (also nursery rhyme references which make me chuckle every time I read them). I heartily second Ms. BookJunkie’s recommendation of the Talisman ring, which has a mystery and the two love stories. I also like the Masqueraders, which has Jacobites rebels, two love stories, an elopment, a kidnapping, highwaymen and a missing heir.
My recommendation for a Georgette Heyer read is The Grand Sophy. Sophy is a force to be reckoned with as she takes on the ton and her uncle’s family.
Earlier this week, I finished The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson, a contemporary set in Montana with two romances, one between a younger couple and one between a widowed pair. It wasn’t real Christmassy but I enjoyed the combined stories. I’m on a bit of an older hero/heroine kick as I am now reading Lilac Lane by Sherryl Woods which features the mother of an earlier heroine. Watching the “Chesapeake Shores” series on the Hallmark Channel has enhanced my enjoyment of the books. Next up is Apples Should Be Red by Penny Watson, with another pair of older protagonists for Thanksgiving. After that, Holiday books! I am looking forward to settling in with coffee in my favorite Christmas mug and the Dashing All the Way and At the Christmas Wedding anthologies.
I love author Caitlin Doughty so much! She also has a memoir called “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and a YouTube channel called Ask a Mortician. Her videos have actually helped me a lot in terms of facing the death of my loved ones and my own eventual death.
I finally finished The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff! A fictional murder mystery and a possibly-true murder mystery all wrapped up in the history of the LDS Church. A long read but absolutely fascinating. Even though this book had footnotes, I was not bored.
I just started three books at once! How will they stack up?
-Going Bovine by Libba Bray
-The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
-Princess Diaries: Princess In Training by Meg Cabot (Princess Mia is worried that because boyfriend Michael is now in a freshman in college, she will be expected to DO IT. Emphasis hers.)
@Amanda: if you like the idea of a paranormal world led by femal protagonists go for the Women of the Otherworld serie by Kelley Armstrong. A total charm from beginning to end (there’s 13 books+ a few short stories). Kelley really makes it hard to put down any of her books. If you haven’t read any of them yet be prepared to not sleep for the next week!
Currently in an unrequited love kinda thing, so I’m too sensitive to read romance novels (sadly).
– The Girls by Emma Cline: read it (audiobook at 2x speed) for a book club. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but that is not a bad thing? Discussing it with others was helpful in seeing why it is so beloved.
– Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – audiobook. I was travelling over the weekend, and audiobooks are good on flights/waiting at the airport. This book was brutal. I loved the main character and no one else. The end was a little…
– Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson: I could relate and loved her humor. Also an audiobook, which I highly recommend, as she reads it.
– I’m not even that into astrology by Linnea Brett – wonderful queer poetry book. I’m in the middle of it, because I like to take my time with these things. Some of the poems have left me breathless.
– Let the Right One In – brutal and wonderful and strange.
Oh, and I just downloaded:
– A father for Lilja by Ryszard I. Merey. I absolutely loved their debut book (a graphic novel about queerplatonic and genderqueer love), so I’m excited!
– Macbeth full cast production with James Marsters as Macbeth BECAUSE WHY NOT.
– It ended badly – it sounds great!
Well, I’m finally 95% finished with a three-week bout of the crud, in which I napped and read and read and napped in large quantities. So I went through almost all the MARY STEWARTS – the unreliable narrator in THE IVY TREE was superb, I liked or loved them all except for Touch Not the Cat. Also, I find WORLD WAR Z (the book) oddly comforting to reread when I am sick. I can read it in a nonlinear fashion, just whatever page it opens to, and I can just lose the book in the pillows and sleep without worrying about a bookmark because it’s so nonlinear. Nice.
I also read a new book that surprised me when I was sick – FALLING by SIMONA AHRENSTEDT. She’s a big Swedish romance writer who is finally being translated into English – it was great! If you remember Sidney Sheldon and Jackie Collins type romances, the glitz and glamour stuff, but those feel really dated now – well, Falling was like that, only more updated. It wasn’t a billionaire romance – too many subplots, secondary romances, too many points of view, the female characters had legit jobs, etc. I’ll admit I skipped around (it was a big – seriously, huge in my hands book and I was sick and sleepy) but I liked it quite a bit. I did skip quite a bit of the stuff that took at a Doctors Without Borders medical post, and a kidnapping. I just didn’t have the energy and so I stuck with the glitz parts, so I don’t know if those sections work as well as the rest.
I also reread Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, read Anciillary Sword, and just bought Ancillary Mercy which I have to keep for Thanksgiving trip.
I have several paper books stockpiled for a trip to a warm sunny place next week – I don’t like e-readers outside, I like paper when I’m by a pool. So in addition to Ancillary Mercy, I have THE IMMORTALS BY JORDANNA BRODSKY and a nonfiction called “TSA BAGGAGE” that is **supposed** to be funny.
I can also dip into my son’s Cory Doctorow books if I finish those. I was sucked into reading ORPHAN TRAIN GIRL (Young Readers Edition) by Christina Baker Kline while I was browsing the bookstore for books for my 11 yr old daughter – I wanted to check that the writing was compelling, and it was. Good enough that I might leave genre fiction and try the adult version … !
I’m looking at a stack of 8 books and thinking, ‘Can that hold us for 5 days at a resort, even if we all read each other’s books?’
@Lea Tess: I remember reading Bitten and feeling meh about it, so I didn’t continue the series.
–Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh–I loved Rock Hard and the cover alone on it makes me drool. I liked this one but not as much as Gabe’s book and I hate the cover. Sorry!
–Wish You Were Mine by Tara Sivec–Tara amazes me by how she can go from slapstick comedy to horror to suspense and to emotional romances and she can make me love all of them
–Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich–Why? Why do I continue to read this crap?? I know better. I like the books but she ends up pissing me off. Please just end the series.
–The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon–This was kinda out of what I normally read and I really liked it.
–Still Life with Strings by L.H.Cosway–Part of her backlist now that I’m all caught up with her newer stuff. I love her books
–Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid–Longer version of a story she had for email subscribers. I avoided it until it was release all at once. Proceeds went to hurricane relief and she currently stands at $20,000
Burn for You–J.T.Geissinger–Slow romance for those caught up with Mariana Zapata books. Liked this one but not as much as Zapata’s books
–Steadfast by Sarina Bowen–2nd book in the the True North series. Got to admit I wasn’t a fan of the first but I liked this one where I will continue on with the rest of the series.
–Bait by Jade West–Trigger warning for this book. Dark romance. I really like Jade West books. Thought they would be smutty and they kinda are but they actually have a plot
Afterburn & Aftershock by Sylvia Day–I read this because it was the newest release for Passionflix. Thank God it was short because I just wanted it to end
–Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis–It was ok
–Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz–It was ok
–Level Up by Cathy Yardley–Ended up reading because I got to the podcast about it (yes I’m way behind) and it was on my TBR pile. Really enjoyed this one.
–The Difference Between Us by Rachel Higginson–Liked this one
–Major Love by Kate Stewart–Really liking Kate Stewart books and I heard Drive is getting great reviews.
Currently reading Wrecking Ball by P. Dangelico. Not far enough in to decide if I like it but it was recommended by Penny Reid’s Reader group
This was a slow reading month for me.
Favorites:
The Wrong Way to Save your Life by Megan Stielstra – collection of essays about fear. I read this for a book group and it really got under my skin. It’s relatively recent and the author uses very personal stories to talk about larger cultural fears like gun violence, sexism, racism and depression. Like the me, the author is an artist who grew up in Mich and lives in Chicago and works in higher ed – it really reasonated with me. I’ve actually been incredibly, almost bizarrely energized since reading it.
Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant – queer romance alt American Western with magic. It’s short but well developed and creepy in a good way.
Disappointments:
Citywide (#6 in Five Boroughs series) by Santino Hassell – I was sooooo, sooooooo looking forward to this three story anthology and it really didn’t love be up to my expectations. Judging by the squeeing reviews on GR, I’m in the minority. But I wasn’t satisfied with the long anticipated Chris, Jace and Aiden triad.
Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert. I liked the rest of this series but thought this was pretty meh.
@cleo – that’s “didn’t live up to my expectations “ sheesh.
I’ve now read enough of A Lady Awakened to have strong, DNF opinions.
I get that awful sex seems revolutionary in romance (if you missed or have forgotten the rape-her-til-she-likes-it era), but who the hell wants to read about persistently awful sex? At 40% on the progress meter, they’re a week into their daily going at it sessions, and it’s just as awful as the first time, suggesting the “progress” meter is a damn dirty liar. But wait! The heroine at last finds herself enjoying a kiss! And promptly administers fifty mental lashes and vows she will not be some wanton hussy who enjoys icky kisses.
*claws face*
She’s lying to her clergyman about continued support of their good work so it continues as planned (her husband died recently, she’s out on her ass if she doesn’t produce an heir, the guy who inherits the estate in the absence of an heir will shut down the peasant school and rape all the servants while twirling his mustache, and worst of all, she’ll have to go live with her brother), AND she’s paying her neighbor for a month of daily out-of-wedlock sex in hopes of begetting a fake heir (about which she expresses an understanding of the moral and legal consequences), AND she’s entertaining the notion of stuffing her clothes and buying a baby in the event she doesn’t get knocked up, but her line in the impropriety sand is enjoying a kiss. As it turns out, the fastest way to destroy any sympathy I have for your plight is to refuse to enjoy something you enjoy because… ??? Literally everything she’s doing is immoral, illegal, or both, but by god, she’s going to go down in martyr flames on the pyre of hating sex.
I almost felt sorry for the hero for a second, but then I remembered he’s thoroughly aware of her revulsion and just keeps pumping merrily away. Her blatant disgust has had a deflating effect on him only once, and he made up for it on a subsequent day with a twofer that she stoically endured. He thinks a lot about what a great lover he is, but he can’t “accidentally” find her clit while he’s stuffing his indiscriminate boner into her, and he’s equally incapable of finding an angle or position that provides her with any stimulation. It’s established in round one that he knows more about bogus ways of facilitating pregnancy than she does, but he can’t come up with “My sperm will be more vigorous after an hour of foreplay” or “Your womb will be more receptive after you have an orgasm.” Even if he doesn’t believe it, he’d look like less of a barnyard animal if he’d lie in a teeny effort to make being humped more enjoyable for her, but THAT WOULD BE WRONG!
I don’t like these people. I don’t care what happens to them. I hope it’s not a kid because there’s no way this wretched pair wouldn’t raise a serial killer.
I’m late to the party but mostly what I’ve enjoyed this month is not news: Heyer, Balogh, and Brockmann rereads.
I agree that none of Heyer’s other romances are as downbeat as A Civil Contract, which is really anomalous. But fair warning, her incidental racism is always going to be a problem. (She’s dead, so I don’t feel badly about liking her books, which is admittedly lazy and crappy of me on multiple levels, but it works for me, so.) If you like marriages of convenience, you may want to try…The Convenient Marriage.
I’ve discovered beyond question that I like Samantha Kane’s contemporaries and not historicals, which is so unusual for me I had to make sure repeatedly.
Oh! And I was wildly disappointed by the Sophfronia Scott retelling of Les Liaisons Dangereuses that looked so amazing. It’s preachy as hell and egregiously didactic. There’s no fun, no humor, no sexiness, the characters are uninspiring and even off-putting, it’s just a self important morality tale. The style of the writing is sometimes quite beautiful, but I couldn’t believe how much I didn’t like what she had to say!
I got the Audible Romance add-on that I found through SBTB (thank you SO much!) and so have listened to a author(s) that I would not have otherwise purchased – MISTER MONEYBAGS by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland. I enjoyed it, as the authors play with several tropes in succession. I’m currently listening to another add-on through the subscription, STERLING, by Dannika Dark. I’ve heard her name bandied about, but haven’t made the plunge until now. It’s meh. The hero seems TSTL, which is on my NO! list. I’m continuing for now, though.
Because Amanda Bouchet’s HEART ON FIRE is coming out in January, I’ve re-read the other two books in the Kingmaker Series (love, love, love).
That led to more fantasy romance and I’m in the third book of C. L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul series, KING OF SWORD AND SKY. I might have to slow down, though, because I’d forgotten how dark this story can get. I need something light after this run. Maybe a Lauren Blakely?
As mentioned previously, I’m also currently re-reading THE CHANGEOVER by Margaret Mahy (a childhood favorite).
I discovered Joanna Bourne by reading THE FORBIDDEN ROSE, which is the second in her Spymaster series. I loved the language Bourne uses – it flows so well even though it’s written in a more formal way. I also loved that the book was set in France during the Revolution – and not in England 🙂 I then read the first book in the series, THE SPYMASTER’S LADY. I’m unsure whether I liked it or not. It seemed all over the place. I did very much enjoy the strength of the heroine. She wasn’t a wilting flower, but I disliked the later treatment of her disability. And while I enjoyed the mixing of tropes in MISTER MONEYBAGS earlier, this one just seemed to stretch on and on with too many plot changes. If any of the rest of the series is on the Audible Romance package, I might continue.
I glommed through Cherise Sinclair’s HOUR OF THE LION (book 1), WINTER OF THE WOLF (book 2), and EVENTIDE OF THE BEAR (book 3), and have the fourth that just came out – LEAP OF THE WILD LION. While these seem like fairly straightforward erotic paranormal novels, there was something about them that kept me up until late at night participating in the Bad Decisions Book Club. I think it was because I just loved the heroes and heroines. Excellent characters.
Gosh, I’m late to the party. Like @JillQ my tolerance for men behaving badly in books was at an all-time low this month. Which meant getting a bunch of books I’d had on hold only to discover I now had no interest in reading them.
Faves:
An Unsuitable Heir by KJ Charles
I was so happy to have a non-binary MC in a historical romance than I’m willing to forgive a tad too much focus on the limitations of their gender instead of seeing it as an opportunity for sexual and romantic creativity.
Out of Nowhere by Roan Parrish
Surprised by how much I loved this, given that I usually avoid closeted heroes and this one was the villain in a previous book. A working class romance w/ an activist organizer as a love interest.
DNF aka Everything that annoyed me:
Pretty Face by Lucy Parker – hero is her asshole boss and there isn’t enough groveling to make up for the sexism
The Spymaster’s Lady – No. no. No.
Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle – A mystery where the heroine argues that bisexuality doesn’t exist and makes fun of Ethiopian food. I only finished it b/c I was stuck on a plane.
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare – This felt like a throwback to the 1990s
I went through the whoooole Theodora Taylor catalogue, and now I’m sad because I don’t have anything new of hers to read. Sniff. I’ll have to start re-reading my favorites. Some stories read much alike but personally, I like the secret baby trope, I like time-travelling, and I like sneering-dangerous-billionaire-undone-by-one-woman’s-fearlessness, so yay for me. Also it’s all insta lust, but I kinda like sometimes and here, it works in her stories because there’s a lot of other relationship problems to work through. Her writing is lively, her stories are gripping, the sex is hot, her heros are all anti-hero (go badasses!), and her heroines never, ever stay down. And her story twists still manage to surprise me, even after 10+ books.
Damaged Like Us, an m/m romance by Krista & Becca Ritchie (the writers are identical twins! How cool!) My first book by them, and I’ll read the next one in the series. To think I almost DNF – I mean, the book starts with a “List of characters” that’s 3 pages long. It lists the members of 3 famous families (the mothers are 3 sisters ; think Paris Hilton & co. but with substance… the Hadid sisters maybe ?) and their security teams/bodyguards. Because these families are very rich and famous, have been very rich and famous for more than 20 years, they’re hounded by, well, everyone seems like. So each member must have a bodyguard 24/7. This book follows the oldest son, Maximoff, and his new 24/7 bodyguard, Farrow. The strange novelty of their lives and how they deal with it, the family love, and the brotherhood of the security teams kept me going despite the New Adult vibe, the comments adressed directly to the reader, and the 1st person POV (which I’m usually okay with, except here Maximoff often mentions his own broad shoulders…). Then I got hooked on the 2 heros sparking off each other, and on their forbidden relationship which has to be kept secret from EVERYONE. It ended up being a very fun and different read, with a slew of problems & characterizations I’ve rarely seen in my romance. Not quite sure how realistic it all is, and not sure either how the series will go on (the sequel follows the same couple, yay!), but I’m game. Bring it Ritchie sisters!
Shacking Up by Helena Hunting – DNF less than a third into the book. Couldn’t get into the heroine, she rambles, is uninteresting and her every third thought was how the hero’s looks and love for animals made her vagina tingle. Sorry, pass.
Wanted and Wired by Vivien Jackson. DNF a 10th into the book. Nothing precise. It was just… boring. Heroine manipulated by a governement (with promises of information about her father’s whereabouts) into killing a real person instead of a robot like she thought ; her handler didn’t want her to take the job. He’s a cyborg secretly lusting after her. She’s secretely lusting after him. They go into hiding. I couldn’t raise any interest.
I also read Theresa Romain for the first time. First, Secret of an Infamous Heiress. Good writing. The characters are well-fleshed and their interactions are subtle, but compelling. But gosh, the gloom was so heavy. The book reads like a pamphlet on what was depression before psychologists, lithium and therapy. I closed the book thinking the hero and heroine ended up better off than they began, but unsure of whether or not one day they’d be able to feel happiness.
After a breather, I realized I’d liked it after all, and that I wanted more. So I read Fortune Favors the Wicked and Passion Favors the Bold. Her characters keep turning around in my head after I’m done reading, even if the often bittersweet relations between them and the weary atmosphere always have me reach for lighter reading when I’m done.
Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden. The beginning of the book was FA.BU.LOUS. It was like seeing a hunky Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon being groomed into entering a relationship with a normal human female. Then the book took a sharp 90° angle and turned into erotic descriptions of BDSM sex (0.o) Since the heroine did not have enough presence to counteract the strong characterization of the hero, she could not save the book when he turned out to be a Dom-God (something I did not like, despite being very coherent with the hero’s mindset – other readers may love it). Hunky Sheldon stayed Sheldon-like between the BDSM, fortunately, and kept the book from a complete crash and burn…
My deception with Theory of Attraction bummed me so much, I turned to a book I kept aside for just such an occasion, a book I knew would be good because it was written by Wen Spencer: Black Wolves of Boston (urban fantasy). And it was good, made me want to re-read the Ukiah series all over again 🙂 And Wood Sprites. And Project Elfhome 😀 I very much like Wen Spencer.
And finally, this month, Kristen Ashley and I broke up. Last spring I read Knight and I dug it. Then I read Deacon and nope, did not work for me. This month, I tried Law Man, for which I was eager because I love the “oblivious girl” trope… Big fat NOPE. I liked Knight because he really puts it out there, like : “Being in control is my thing, you want to be with me you accept it”. His he-man tendencies are part of a contract he and the heroine agreed on ; so for me, in that context, him controlling every part of her life was thrilling. But Mitch in Law Man… ugh. He’s domineering, but I rarely felt the caring that’s supposed to come with. He just completely denies the heroine and her world view. I spent the whole book getting more and more pissed (whereas with Deacon I got irritated only during the last 3rd of the book). Once I finally got to the end, I definitely was over K. Ashley.