It’s our first Whatcha Reading of the new year! We all hope you’re off to a great start on your reading. But, if you aren’t, that’s okay too! There is plenty of time to catch up, especially if you’ve set some personal reading goals. For the second year in a row, I’ve failed to meet by Goodreads Reading Challenge amount, which is to read 60 books in a year. So, I’m attempting it again. Third time’s a charm, right?
Amanda: I’m reading Space Battle Lunchtime: Volume 1! ( A | BN ) It’s a super cute comic about a woman picked for a galactic “Top Chef” competition.
And then I’m reading Zero Hour by Megan Erickson ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which has a South Korean hacker heroine. I like her, but the hero needs a timeout. I enjoy that the heroine calls him out on his “protective” bullshit.
Sarah: I just started Whiskey Sharp ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and despite getting 4.5 hours of sleep, getting up at 5, and having the attention span of a sparrow, I am pretty charmed by everything so far. Easy, friendly romance with some family issues simmering beneath.
Elyse: I just started Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella.
Sarah: Ok, finished Whiskey Sharp, because zoom zoom reading, and have started The Wedding Date ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which I am so excited to read now.
Update: The Wedding Date is extreme levels of charming and adorable.
Elyse: Yup
Sarah: While I like the heroine I’m not sold on the hero.
Carrie: I am reading Miss Miles by Mary Taylor ( A | BN ), a friend of Charlotte Bronte’s. Just read the line “What matters it going into the medical details?” which is the most Victorian line ever.
Redheadedgirl: I just finished On Pointe by Sydney Ellis, and I’m in the middle of A Study in Scarlet (which I’ve never actually read!) ( A | BN | K | G | AB )for a podcast I’m recording next week.
I’m also reading What She Ate, which is a book about six women in history and what we can learned about them based on the meals we know they had. It’s FASCINATING .
How has your reading been so far? Good? Bad? And let us what know your reading goals are this year!
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, we greatly appreciate it, and if you’d prefer not to, no worries. Thanks for being a part of SBTB and hopefully, you’ve found some great books to read!
I am working on an article about romance, so just finished PUBLISHING ROMANCE: THE HISTORY OF AN INDUSTRY, which was *fascinating.* I thought I knew a lot about romance, but…apparently not!
It’s long, so you may want to dip in and out of it around other reading.
A Queen from the North by Erin McRae was given to me by my daughter for Christmas. She did great picking something new for me. What if the War of the Roses never ended?? Interesting alternative history, royal wedding, contemporary.
The English Wife by Lauren Willig is next up in the TBR pile
:::pulls up a chair, humming “Everybody Wants to Rule the World, because 80s music:::
It’s been a really good month. I have 5-starred three books already in 2018, and frankly, that is highly unusual, but man, they were really good. Let’s see, I left off last month on Year One by Nora Roberts, which was excellent. I think, toward the end, it could have benefited from some gentle editorial work on the pacing, since nothing happened for a bit, then EVERYTHING happened, and then it was like it had to rush the finish, because hey, it’s time for the book to be over! It was a little weird, but the book still had really good writing, and was a strong departure from what she usually writes. I followed it up with a nonfiction selection, which, while I enjoy nonfiction, I typically do better with it in audio, but my library didn’t have this one in audio, so e-book it was. It was Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann. It read like a thriller, and it’s a story where you’re going, “Well, I’m pretty familiar with the many and varied ways that the US government has been shitty to Native Americans…” (reads for a bit) “Wait, what…holy forking shirtballs, here’s a new place and my history education has SO MANY holes.” After that, I read the new Magnus Chase book, The Ship of the Dead, by Rick Riordan. He’s doing some really interesting things with the Alex character, but I felt like the ending was just a tad pat. It was enjoyable, though. Then I read Renegades by Marissa Meyer, which I LOVED, and I need more of right now. I love superheroes, and I loved the unconventional power sets of the some of the characters. I mean, one of the characters tattoos new superpowers onto himself. That is AWESOME. I ended and started the year with The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman, which is leaning even harder into the Regency Buffyness feel, and I am here for it. I love her power, I love how she uses it, I love how the author is not even trying to make it easy on her, as it’s pretty clear that Lady Helen’s gender is the one and only reason people try not to take her seriously and don’t hand her the credit she’s due, and then she kicks their ass all over the place and it’s hilarious. I read Vol.7 of Saga, and the end of Vol.7 was just….ughhhh. It stomped all over my heart. Now we get into the unexpected surprises of several 5 stars in a row…the first of which was Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. It was an unflinching and compassionate portrait of a young woman that is desperately trying not to go mad, and she’s losing that battle an inch at a time, and she’s so angry with herself as she does. I remember when I listened to Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, and she described how having certain kinds of mental illness as your brain trying to kill you. This book got that. Once done with that, I mowed through The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, which I had sworn that I was going to hold onto for a special education, which hahahahaha, nope. That special occasion was clearly the nearly 7 hour ride down to a work conference. It was so freaking great (5 star #2). There were evil faeries, sexy faeries, evil and sexy faeries, spycraft, a Red Wedding analogue, and every time the lead character, whose head we’re in, thought she had a handle on things, the script got flipped, right up until the end, when she was the one flipping the script. After that, it was Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins, which it took me a bit to get into, which is unusual for me when it comes to Jenkins. Still, once it going, I enjoyed it. Once done, I started Far From the Tree, which I almost think that part of my problem with Destiny’s Captive may have been that I could see FFTT winking at me from my Kindle. It was lovely, and sweet, and heartbreaking, and it made me cry right at the end. Why, yes, it was indeed 5 star #3. Which brings us to right now, wherein I am reading Iron Gold by Pierce Brown. It’s gorgeous and violent and the characters are doing bad, bad things. It really has gone just about full Game of Thrones in space, and I love that Pierce Brown is showing us that just because the “good guys” won, it doesn’t mean the work is done. He described it as the fact that The Reaper and Mustang were in the position of “Well, you broke the galaxy, guys. You broke it, you bought it.” Also, Sevro, and hey now, that was DEFINITELY a Big Lebowski joke.
My reading goal for 2018 is to organize myself. I don’t care how many books I read, as long as I don’t leave books I pick up on sale languishing in eternal TBR while I power through auto-buys, series binges, and library loans.
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Noteworthy nonromance:
MEN EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME by Rebecca Solnit – I’m bemused by the number of blurbs and reviews that suggested I would find this collection of essays witty or funny or clever. I’m just so full of rage and horror at the incidents Solnit uses as touchstones in her arguments about the deadly fallout from silencing women.
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This month, I loved:
IT TAKES TWO TO TUMBLE by Cat Sebastian – My first m/m historical, and it blasted away any concerns I had about the subgenre being too angsty. It was carefully crafted to avoid landmines about family acceptance and the desire for offspring, though I’m still left with the ghost of social expectations hanging over the lovers (a widower in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, after all). I’m heading directly for Cat Sebastian’s backlist and eagerly awaiting the next volume of Seducing the Sedgewicks.
TWELVE NIGHTS AS HIS MISTRESS by Elisa Braden – This Kindle freebie totally surprised me. The cover image and salacious title led me to believe the book would be borderline erotica, so I was surprised to discover a classic (albeit steamy) love story. There is virtually no plot: the entire romance is a character-driven story about two people who are already fiercely in love and separated by a tired trope. But I didn’t care because I loved the protagonists that much: he’s a self-contained widower whose overbearing mother is a series touchstone; she’s a widow who exhibits some high-functioning OCD behaviors. It’s the sixth book in the author’s “Rescued from Ruin” series and might better be read in series order, but it’s my first Braden book and I thought it read well enough as a standalone. I’m stalking the rest of the series, hoping for a price drop. (Braden is also reviewed in comment #31 by Gigi…based on the summaries, I had actually planned to skip Desperately Seeking a Scoundrel.)
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I read a lot of Mary Balogh this month. I’ve seen a couple of references to her works in SBTB posts/comments as “healing” reads, and while the theme of recovery is definitely prominent in her romances, the books have the opposite effect on me, leaving me anxious and dissatisfied. I think the emotional complexity that characterizes much of Balogh’s work prevents her from becoming a favorite of mine. Case in point: A SUMMER TO REMEMBER is the lynchpin in a trio of romances dealing with a Side Female left with a resentful heart when the man she loves (and had every expectation of marrying) falls in love with another woman (who happens to be the heroine, lucky her). The women interact socially with a level of artifice that gives me a rash, though that artifice eventually gives way to genuine forgiveness when they each find True Love. (I’m guessing here, because I haven’t actually read Lady Freyja Bedwyn’s story, and she can probably cling to a grudge.)
In Balogh’s SOMEONE TO WED, a reclusive businesswoman attempts to purchase a husband to offset her loneliness. I would have loved this story unreservedly if it weren’t for the hero’s extended internal monologue after his wedding night on the subject of not being in love. I assume it was intended either to draw out the slow development of the romance or to serve Balogh’s message that a happy marriage is the product of effort not pink fairy dust, but — for me — that part of the narrative needed to be balanced by an equally strong and long musing on how damn happy Alexander is later when he recognizes he is in love with his wife. Also, I thought the recaps of the events/relationships from the two preceding books in the series were rather awkward, though meeting the Duke of Netherby here made me rush to add Someone to Love (the first book in the series) to my TBR.
Balogh’s Mistress trilogy felt more like an intellectual exercise on the author’s part. The over-the-top plotting in MORE THAN A MISTRESS made this story read like an unfunny farce. The plot of NO MAN’S MISTRESS was its mirror opposite and had a regrettably implausible resolution that made the happy ending an impossible sell. The two books were only worth reading for the connection to the third book, THE SECRET MISTRESS, a prequel published ten years later. The litany of very precise details Angeline (#3’s protagonist) provided in the first two books about her courtship is a testament to the quality of backstory Balogh crafts for her secondary characters.
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I also read a startling number of historicals on the theme of unfaithful husbands acting out against a marriage of convenience.
It began with the excellent A DUCHESS IN NAME by Amanda Weaver. I would have loved this story of an American heiress whose father wins her marriage to a duke’s heir in a card game if it weren’t for the hero’s mistress. I don’t automatically reject books for infidelity: what I didn’t like about the mistress plot was the lackluster treatment of the woman, as if the author was trying evoke the angst of infidelity while performing some “but he wasn’t really unfaithful once he fell in love, so it’s okay” sleight-of-hand. Frankly, the hero was unfaithful to both his mistress and his wife. My favorite thing about the story is the heroine throwing herself wholeheartedly into her job of restoring the ducal estates. I love to watch peeresses performing their very real responsibilities (see also: Loretta Chase’s Dukes Prefer Blondes and Miranda Neville’s Confessions from an Arranged Marriage).
I then read THE COURTESAN DUCHESS by Joanna Shupe. The heroine’s cunning plan to secure her financial well-being by disguising herself as a courtesan to seduce her husband into impregnating her makes no sense. The participation of the heroine’s male friend (who is also the hero’s friend) makes no sense. The hero’s excuses for abandoning the sixteen-year-old he was forced to marry have no justification beyond massive petulance. Also, he’s stupid in ways I can’t describe without spoiling the plot. But really, stupid. And to top it all off, he has a madonna/whore complex, which I would just love to ignore but I can’t because it’s dredged up as one of his final tormented reasons re: why he’s unfit to settle into a marriage with her.
THE WINTER DUCHESS by Jillian Eaton – A coldhearted duke who wants an emotionless marriage and an heir marries a meek wallflower with the intention of dumping her at his country estate and heading off to London for mistresses and whatnot. Spoiler alert: he falls in love with her. I love the trope so I wish this novella had worked for me, but there was just a vacuum where the relationship development should be. Also, there are a couple of places where the narrative claims she was unprepared for the lofty role of duchess because her father was “only” an earl. And I weep for the damage done by duke books.
— SPOILERS BELOW —
— last mini-review, so skip to the next comment to avoid spoilers for Scarlett Scott’s HER LOVESTRUCK LORD —
Lastly, I read the first two books in Scarlett Scott’s “Wicked Husbands” series, which suffered from immature heroes who refused to take responsibility for their choices. I mean, the heroes in A Duchess in Name and The Courtesan Duchess were essentially blackmailed into marriage, and The Winter Duchess‘s duke takes full ownership of his decision to marry. Scott’s ERRANT EARL, on the other hand, is compelled by his domineering father to court and marry an American heiress or, y’know, his allowance will be cut off. And HER LOVESTRUCK LORD chooses to marry an heiress because he’s broke, but then whines because he couldn’t marry his first love who was also broke…dude, you’re the one putting financial security before love. Treat your wife with some damned respect. (That being said, if you can withstand the premise and the *trigger warning + spoiler alert* suicide, HER LOVESTRUCK LORD is just wild enough to be worth a read. If I had romance-reading friends, I would foist this book on them for discussion purposes, in that “just so bad it’s good” way.)
— END SPOILERS —
I hit the jackpot this month with two box set/book bundles:
The first was Mary Jo Putney’s ‘Lost Lords’ – the first five books of the series. I unreservedly adored them. Extremely high levels of competence in all main characters (even in Sometimes a Rogue, where the hero at one point thinks of the heroine as a fluffy chick, she plays an essential role in helping them escape from trouble and helping the hero settle in to a new life). An interesting and relatively diverse cast, including half-Indian main characters and freed Jamaican slaves as secondary characters. Only one duke amongst them.
And, the ability to resist the sexy-times. I hate ‘stop me now or I won’t be able to stop’ but in MJP’s books the h/h realize it’s not a good time, or not a good choice, and stop after one or two passionate kisses. I appreciate their control! and it keeps the sexual tension cranked up.
It took a bit to get into the first book (amnesia, not my favorite trope) but once I did I was hooked.
T/W for the second book, Never Less Than a Lady – the heroine escaped an abusive marriage.
And thanks, public library, I was able to get the rest of the series, and the backlist title The Rake (about a female land steward and a recovering alcoholic) as well as Mary Jo’s newest release, Once a Rogue, which takes place in Washington DC and Maryland during the War of 1812.
CATNIP
The second book bundle was Catherine Gayle’s Portland Storm hockey series, which I recommended in the comments of the Rachel Gibson review.
*The first 4 books are currently free at Amazon as the box set ‘Portland Storm The First Period’.*
I love the heroes of these books – thoroughly good guys, a touch of alpha, but open enough to show emotions to their partners.
Again a fairly diverse cast throughout the series – while still being a realistic fake NHL team. The descriptions of training, pre- & post-game rituals and in-game action rang true to me.
More trigger warnings though, as the books deal with a lot of themes that may be triggering, including rape & sexual abuse, addiction, PTSD, illness and miscarriage.
I really appreciated the serious themes woven in amongst the romance and hockey action, and I found the series completely addictive – I think I devoured like 15 of the books in less than a week! Lots of late nights… Bad Decisions Book Club
I somehow ended up reading “Someone To Wed” and “The Duchess Deal” side by side, which was interesting because they’re both beauty and the beast plots. They were both good, but I must say I enjoyed “The Duchess Deal”. Everybody in the Balogh book is so tamped down!
Probably my favorite thing this month was “His Convenient Marchioness” by Elizabeth Rolls, which had an older couple, both adjusting to a second marriage. The hero was just such a mensch, I fell in love with him, graying hair and all.
I think I’m one of the few who don’t do reading challenges, I just want to read without pressure. I Did go through my Amazon account and deleted all the baggage (the don’t care, the DNF’s, theththe hated it, the What was I thinking back in 2013 books) and I feel really good now about scrolling through my kindle library. My goal this year is to read more of my purchased books, and more rereads, and continue to embrace new author’s from recommendations from those I trust.
A great start to the year so far, one DNF.Eclectic genre’s from contemporary romance, NA, fantasy, historical, queer historical and YA.
Sarah J Maas’s The Assassins Blade. I’ve final started the Throne Of Glass series after loving the Court of thorns and roses series. A great set of novellas, great to read each one in between books. I listened via audible, great narration.
Royally Screwed by Emma Chase. How could you not resist with all the real life hysteria of late? Loved it via audio, a great due of narrator’s, the male character has the most delicious British accent. I think a great retelling of Cinderella without the evil stepmother. Lots of steam.
Surrender to Sin by Nicola Davidson. Book 2 of this series was an A grade review from Elyse, so was keen to start from the beginning. Wow, book 1 stood up and can’t wait to continue the series. One of the most erotic historical I’ve read in a long time, and I loved the novella length for my mood at the time. A great build up, hot sex, delicious characters.
Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, a m/f spin-off from their m/m duet Him and US. Really only read this if you’ve read Him and US, as you follow on characters. As a fan, loved it. Great listen via audible.
An old selection from my unread books: All of you by Christina Lee. I’ve been hard to please with NA, but this one was gorgeous. One of my catnip, a male virgin, and a sex-positive female character. One of the sexiest slow burns ever! I’ve since one-click a few of her m/m books.
Flight of Magpies by KJ Charles, book 3 of a supernatural mystery series, m/m historical. I’m in love with all things from this author. Great world building, Stephen and Lucien are one of my favourite couple’s ever written, a great continuation of an existing couple, excellent romantic connection and steam. And the side characters are delightful.
Currently reading an Old Nora Roberts, Sweet Revenge, written 30 years ago. So far, engrossing! About two Jewel thieves, which has been fascinating exploring how they came to be. Also currently reading Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, a YA contemporary romance long time on my TBR. It’s hitting the spot with my current mood, Sweet! And listening to (another old forever wish read on my TBR) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, I like it, but disappointed I’ve lost the mystery from already watching the t.v. series. The core storyline of events is the same, with some character changes.
My favorite romance reads this month have been sporty–and I’m normally completely uninterested in sports.
Santino Hassell’s two books in the “Barons” series were both really good at showing why these two particular characters were right for each other. And I learned a lot of slang from the books, though not much about football.
Then I read “Rollergirl” by Vanessa North which was extremely heartwarming — not just for the romantic leads but for all the female friendships. And I learned about roller derby.
I guess the closest thing I have for a reading goal this year is to get through all the books in my TBR, which was greatly augmented by all the ones I got at RT…
Currently reading: Those Texas Nights by Delores Flossen. I am not a contemporary reader by nature and have never been a cowboy romance fan but I’m enjoying it on the whole. Flossen has a light, conversational style that adds humor more smoothly than most. I like the H/h more than I thought I would and they feel right for each other, but some of the angst feels manufactured. On the other hand the main mystery tends to be strongly overshadowed by the romance and you’d think both the H/h would be working to resolve it more intently considering how it impacts both their lives; in particular the heroine who basically loses the company that has been in her family for generations and just shrugs and moves on. It also looks like this is part of a series of books which take place in the same space of time and all overlap, because there are an awful lot of loose ends, with characters coming and going with no explanation of what’s going on with them. So I have a feeling this is something that is intended for a binge-read and not a stand-alone.
Just Finished: The Virgin and the Viscount by Charis Michaels which despite the hokey title I really enjoyed. Elisabeth and Bryson are both broken people, both so obsessed with their own brokenness that they misjudge the extent of the other’s. Bryson in particular tends to make unfeeling comments without thinking; he does apologize and grovel after each incident but it takes him a long time to grasp WHY he needs to apologize and what exactly he needs to apologize for. This was a very emotional read that had me crying in my cereal at the climax. However, given her background and trauma, I would have thought Elisabeth would have had more issues in the bedroom rather than jumping right in. So, solid A- and I’ll definitely look into her backlist.
@31 Kate B, I recommend From A Certain Point Of View, a 40th Anniversary anthology of stories about background characters in the original Star Wars film. it’s a bit uneven; some of the stories are better than others (and there were a couple that I wasn’t exactly sure what happened in them) but there are a lot of standouts and on the whole it’s definitely worth a read.
@Deborah- If you sign up for Elisa Braden’s newsletter, you get the first in the series free. Here’s the link:
http://elisabraden.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=247be4d0c4a63c76f7116042b&id=e78de571cb
I have somehow acquired all but book 2 and the newest book (8?) through sales since I’ve heard so many good things about them. I’ve read exactly zero so far.
OMG, OMG, just finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik and I loved it, love it, with a love that pure and undying. Thanks, Bitches, for turning me onto this. This is a fantasy, I would say YA except for one sex scene and some scary horror/war stuff. Even then, as I attempt to make everyone I know read this, i would include mature teens. Set in a possibly medieval, eastern European-like area, with a strong female lead. She makes mistakes and is sometimes headstrong and she learns and does better. She is a moral character.The strongest relationship in the book is the friendship between the two girls who talk about almost everything EXCEPT men. There is a romance and it is a nice romance and that is really not what the book is about. Seriously, step away from your computer and go buy this book!
Also read High Noon by Nora Roberts, police negotiator meets cute rich bar owner. Not one of her best which means it was still pretty darn good.
Reread (again) The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. Tough damaged hero (female) kicks ass in Africa, deals with loss and betrayal, rides away on her motorcycle.
The Ink Witch by Lindsey Fairleigh enticed me by having the heroine reading tarot cards she had drawn herself with magic ink. Did not live up to my hopes but was a solid urban fantasy with Egyptian mythos.
The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren, picked up via this site. Survivors of school shooting deal with issues and reconnect. Will be buying the next in the series.
738 Days by Stacey Kade, kidnapping victim escapes after a couple years, ends up spending time with troubled movie star whose poster kept her at least partially sane during the captivity. It gets a lot of the PTSD stuff right which was a plus. Engaging heroine.
The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean. She wants a divorce in Victorian England, he wants her back. I would probably be praising it more if I had not read all the other truly excellent books. It was good, kept my interest, backstory and family were well portrayed. Some things did feel anachronistic.
OK, not that I’ve written this, need to see what you all have been reading and expand my TBR. BTW, my grandson was complaining that I buy him books he asks for and now he has several books he hasn’t gotten to yet piled in his room. Maybe even five or six. Oh, child!
I met my goal of 140 things read on Goodreads last year, so I’m doing it again this year! I count full novels, novellas, graphic novels, and re-reads as long as it’s been a year since my last reading. I think I’m right on track this year, and have read a couple really good things:
Knit Tight by Annabeth Albert – I picked this one up when it was mentioned in a sale post here, I think, and then it sat on my Kindle. Started it on impulse one night and finished the next day! So sweet and well-written, and I absolutely adore the depiction of knitters and the little snippets from Evren’s blog. Be prepared for both laughter and sniffles when reading in public.
One True Pairing by Cathy Yardley – super-fun geeky romance, and I’m excited for the rest in the series, especially the next which has a female mechanic as the heroine!
The Fallen trilogy by Nicola Davidson – again, bought the second after a review by Elyse here, and it sat on my Kindle. Really enjoyed the whole series, but the second was a stand out for me.
Good, but not great reads:
Explosive Forces and Physical Forces by D.D. Ayers. – all caught up on a series, yay! I’m very interested in the various working dogs in this series, but sadly these two books don’t have much of a focus on the dogs. Continued props for getting the breed of dogs correct on the covers, however.
Wilde in Love by Eloisa James – fluffy and enjoyable, but I wasn’t expecting the cliffhanger/preview last chapter, which left things feeling a bit unfinished for me. Also very distracted by the excellent “I hate you, I hate you, I can’t stop thinking about your hair” vibe between the H/h’s best friends. I wanna read their book right now!
Meh:
The Governess Who Captured His Heart by Sophie Barnes – I never really believed in the connection between the hero and heroine, and I thought the novella ended before some pretty important questions were answered. It ended with a marriage, but felt more like a HFN to me. I have another full-length novel by Barnes, and I’m hoping I like it better!
Seven days of us: Francesca Hornak. Ok. Dragged a bit.
Love in the Afternoon: Lisa Kleypas. First book of hers that I have enjoyed.
Good morning, Midnight: Lily Brooks-Dalton. Just terrific. Postapocalyptic. If you enjoyed Station 11, you will like this.
The English Wife: Lauren Willig. Enjoyed it.
Afterlife:Markus Sandy. A romance with a twist. A thriller. Enjoyed it.
And that is Afterlife by Markus Sakey. Hate autocorrect!
Varian – I second the recommendation of Waiting for Flood. For romances with asexual MCs, Antisocial by Heidi Cullinan and How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune. HTBANP is one of Klune’s absurd-funny-farce books, not one of his tug-your-heartstrings-tension books.
Right now I am in the middle of reading Hockey Player’s Heart by Jeff Adams and Will Knauss. I’m enjoying it so far.
Last week I re-listened to Carry the Ocean, written by Heidi Cullinan and voiced by Iggy Toma. I read the book before I ever listened to it. Hearing Iggy voice the characters gave me a different appreciation for the book.
@Varian – I seem to remember the four m/m historical romances published by Running Press being pretty tame. I also love Mary Renault’s books, especially The Persian Boy, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
@Deborah – I hope you love all of Cat’s books as much as I do! While she doesn’t ignore the struggles of queer love in the Regency time period, it doesn’t pose an impossible, high-angst obstacle and her heroes always find a way to make a life toether work. I am so happy she is such a prolific author, because she is so good. I buy her books on Kindle (preorder them as soon as they’re available) and buy the paperbacks for my keeper shelf.
I haven’t read much this month, only 4 books.
“Don of the Dead” by Casey Daniels. A quick read, but I found the heroine’s disparaging attitude towards feminism irritating. The way she constantly talked about her C-cup boobs was annoying, as was every man she met ogling her boobs.
“Listen to the Moon” by Rose Lerner – Really enjoyed the working class couple and how they both had to figure out married life while also making a living. It was refreshing.
“Saints and Misfits” by S.K. Ali – Teen book about a Muslim girl navigating life after being sexually assaulted (and almost raped) by her friend’s cousin, who she still has to see on a regular basis. It was compelling, but I felt cheated by the ending, which did not give the villain his comeuppance on the page; it was implied, but I wanted to see him taken down.
“Wonder Woman vol 1: Blood” – gorier than I would expect for WW, but about what I expected from The New 52 reboot.
Currently reading:
“Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife” – continues P&P. I started it some years back but don’t think I finished it.
“The Chick and the Dead” by Casey Daniels – I am giving Pepper the chance to redeem herself.
I also picked up a half dozen m/m romances at the library book sale today; the Children of Bacchus trilogy by Andrew Grey and three of the m/m romances published by Running Press back in 2009. I will probably save them to glom on spring break in March.
I did a lot of reading over the winter holidays and caught up on some of my TBR list. I’m trying to do the Book Riot challenge this year but only reading books by authors of color. So far, I’m seriously struggling to find a female protagonist over the age of 60.
Faves: Ascension by Jaqueline Koyanagi—sci fi romance with a queer poly relationship. I found the polyamory advocacy a bit preachy but it was so lovely to have a WOC lead.
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian. Adorable and well written as usual.
Meh: Everything else I read this month either had a great plot but I struggled with the writing (Knit One Girl Two, Royally Yours, Seduced by the Outlaw) or annoyed me with the story or relationship (Admiral’s Penniless Bride, The Lady and Mr. Jones, In Want of a Wife).
@EC Spurlock – I have that on hold as an audiobook on Libby!
@CelineB (#49): Thank you for the link! Now I shall hope book 2 goes on sale soon. If it does, I hope it will inspire you to read the series and share your opinion.
@Hazel (#25): I read a couple of Elizabeth Hoyt’s Four Soldiers series- adequate, but unmemorable.
Ditto! I read the whole series last month, and thought the mystery of the traitor wasn’t well structured across the four books. The ultimate reveal was a bit of a fizzle, fine for a standalone with more important emotional issues going on, but not sufficient to justify four books of “who betrayed the four horsemen?” And only the last romance really sparked with me (though book 2, To Seduce a Sinner, came close). I’m just relieved these weren’t the first Elizabeth Hoyt novels I read. The Prince trilogy and most of Maiden Lane are far more satisfying.
@KateB, I understand the audiobook is even better due to the choice of narrators, as each story has a different actor voicing it. Neal Patrick Harris as Admiral Motti filing a formal complaint against Darth Vader for choking him is worth the whole price of admission IMO.
@Varian Thirding the rec for TJ Klune’s HOW TO BE A NORMAL PERSON. It’s sweet and funny and has excellent asexual AND demisexual rep!
Anti-reccing Heidi Cullinan’s ANTISOCIAL and Cass Lennox’s BLANK SPACES. Not only do they have terrible asexuality rep, they also aren’t well-written.
Additional recs for asexuality in M/M books:
* ALL THE WRONG PLACES by Ann Gallagher (Book 14 in the Bluewater series. Totally standalone)
* HIS QUIET AGENT by Adam Maria Soto
* TO TERMINATOR, WITH LOVE by Wes Kennedy (this one is a novella)
As for low-to-no-heat M/Ms, Tamara Allen’s M/M romances have fade-to-black scenes. Off the top of my head, I don’t recall anything graphic in Meg Perry’s CITED TO DEATH or Melissa Scott’s DEATH BY SILVER.
January’s been a slow start reading-wise for me.
So far, I’ve only finished Kevin Kwan’s CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Liked it a lot and, for a lengthy (to me) book, I zoomed through it.
I’m not stressing about whether it not I’ll meet my reading challenge. For one thing, I tend to set it at 25 books. Since I usually end up finishing double (or, for the most part, triple) that amount, I’m OK for now.
My reading time was snapped up by me catching up on movies before the Oscar noms (cuz I’m a lifelong movie nerd.) I’m guesstimating that February will be a high-reading month. 😉
His Quiet Agent is by Ada Maria Soto. #Gorramitautocorrect
This month, I read two books set during the Civil War worth a mention. Alyssa Cole’s A Hope Divided sparked a lot of discussion with my husband, which sent him on a non-fiction reading tangent. I love how the author looks at the little-known parts of Civil War history and weaves an absolutely engrossing story. There were times the story had my heart racing! On the other side, Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander is a Christian historical set at a plantation (now a historical site). The story revolves around preparations of Christmas gifts for the Confederate Army, reminding the reader secessionists had families, too. A sweet romance between a pregnant widow and an injured sharp-shooter ensues. A lot of prayers were sent up during the course of the novella, but surely there was much praying going on in those times.
I’m with Deborah, I wasn’t enchanted by The Winter Duchess. Much more could have been done with the forced proximity and relationship building. The Duke was a sketch of a Duke. I am currently reading The Lady’s Guard (the hero is not a Duke) and love the “we can’t” chemistry between Niall and Diana. I hadn’t read a Christi Caldwell book in a while and this story deals with some darker themes, but as she says, the heroine and hero are working for their happily ever after. Next up in my Duke book reading may be Mary Balogh’s Someone to Wed after all the comments here. I just put myself on my library’s hold list for It Takes Two to Tumble and What She Ate (sounds fascinating, RHG).
My reading goal for this year is to thoughtfully read descriptions and reviews on any contemporary books I think about reading and work towards keeping my frustration, and DNF, rate down
A word of thanks to those of you who took the trouble to describe your books/reading experience. (I shall try to do that in future.) Some of them sound quite appealing, and I now have more for the TBR list.
Highlighting the month were definitely Trusting Miss Trentham by Emily Larkin (got it on sale) and The Sins of Lord Lockwood (got an ARC). Everything else paled. Meredith Duran is my queen.
My reading goal this year is to try to read at least one book per week. I’ve started keeping a reading journal (thank you Roni Loren for your blog post on reading journals!) and am also enjoying the process of keeping track of my reading and writing about how I feel about the books I read. So far this month I’ve read the following:
Jordan Castillo Price – Camp Hell – this is book 5 in the Psycop series and I just want to say this series just gets better and better. I’m taking breaks between reading these just to be able to savor each book.
Rule Breaker – Lily Morton – very funny and put this author on my auto buy list immediately.
Eli Easton – A Second Harvest – loved the super slow burn romance between the two MCs, but it got a little angsty at the end. Still liked it enough that I already bought the second book in the series.
Lily Morton – Deal Maker – low angst and funny as hell. Think I loved this one even more than Rule Breaker.
JL Merrow – Pressure Head – romance mixed with a mystery which is totally my jam. Can’t wait for the next book which is scheduled for release on Feb. 5.
Eli Easton – Snowblind – I just started this last night, but so far I’m enjoying it. I’m a sucker for the forced proximity trope.
@#45Kristen: THE RAKE by MJP is my all time favorite romance!
I just finished A TREACHEROUS CURSE this morning and while I enjoyed it, I am livid about the fact that around three pages in there was a LINK!!! to the first book in the series and a little farther on a link to the second book! I know the publisher did this but it still makes mad enough to not buy any more Veronica Speedwell books.
@mel burns – in the paper edition of A Treacherous Curse, there are footnotes naming the first and second books. What an odd/crass idea to include a link (to the purchase page??) of the other books! I know publishers are trying ways to make ebooks work for them. This is not it.
Okay, if we’re going into annoying marketing tactics, I’d like to vent about the increasing number of ebooks that say “You’ve finished this book” at 60-70%. It’s like ordering a milkshake and finding the bottom third of the cup filled with “bonus” packing peanuts. That is is not what I ordered, and it’s counterproductive because I can reasonably expect that should I have need of packing peanuts in the future and buy them from this purveyor, a third of the package will be milkshake or live hornets or something else I don’t want.
*A* sample chapter is supposed to whet the appetite for more. *TWENTY* sample chapters kills the appetite without satisfying — or would if I didn’t rage quit out of the book when I “finish” at 60%.
@Ren I agree that’s so annoying. When I start a new book I always use the table of contents link to jump to whatever comes after the epilogue. If the page number is close to the end of the book that’s great. If there are 35 pages of previews to go, at least I know I won’t have any nasty surprises when the story is finished. Then I can go back and enjoy the real story.
@KateB: It was a highlighted blue link like this *- after a sentence in the first chapter where Veronica mentions the first case where she meets Stoker. I was stunned!
@Berry- If you want a romance for a female protagonist over 60, Late Fall by Noelle Adams has a 71-year-old heroine. There’s also a mystery series by Becky Masterman that has a protagonist in her 60s. I also think the heroine in Celine by Peter Heller is over 60.
I’m finally back to reading and it feels so good! Since New Year’s I have read:
1. Promise Me Tomorrow, No Other Love (The Lost Heirs Series), Mesmerized, Beyond Compare, and Winterset (Mad Morelands Series) by Candace Camp. These were the first historical romances I read, way back in high school and towards the end of last year, I just wanted to go back and re-read them, especially since the first new book in the Mad Morelands series is coming out tomorrow. I am so excited (and I just can’t hide it).
2. I re-read Off Base and Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert. I think I loved these even more the second time around.
3. DNF’ed On Point by Annabeth Albert. I liked the idea of it, but just couldn’t get into it at all.
4. Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole. I keep telling myself that I need to read more of her books, having enjoyed what I have read, but I keep putting it off to read other things. I loved the relationship between Bertha, although I had to force myself not to think of all the offensive Big Bertha jokes my aunt used to tell, and Amir. The parallels to today, 100 years later, are just staggering and completely disappointing. I keep reminding myself that Mueller will have to find something to get that jackass out of office. Resist. Resist. Resist.
I just started the ARC of Karen Rose’s new book in her Cincinnati series. I’ve been looking forward to Adam’s story since she started this series and I’m hoping that I’m not expecting too much of it. The one thing that annoys me is that she has included dates/days of the week that don’t match up with either 2017 or 2018 (it starts on Friday, December 18th, except 12/18 was a Monday last year and will be a Tuesday this year). I know it is such a small thing, but it really bothers me.
Looking Forward to Reading (at some point in the next few weeks):
1. The English Wife by Lauren Willig
2. His Sinful Touch by Candace Camp
3. An Extraordinary Union and A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole–I am so behind!
4. The Veronica Speedwell books (again–so so behind)
@Berry
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold has a heroine over 60 (75) and a hero just turning 50 (oh you kid!). It is the most recent entry in her Vorkosigan series, science fiction that cleverly combines space opera with family and genetic issues. The first time I read it I missed the space opera component, which is notably lacking,and rated it lower than Bujold’s other books; yet now, three readings later, it’s become one of my primary comfort reads.
I just started “Bringing Delaney Home,” by Lee Kilraine and I love it so far! An amputee heroine that gets dragged back to her hometown of Climax, NC by her sister and a hot, younger cop that has had a crush on her since high school. The book is in third person, which makes me very happy!
I read quite a few books in Jan-but it is with great sadness that I say that Kristan Higgins is no longer a one click for me. Her last book Now That You Mention It-is so below her normal standard-the only reason I finished it was because I paid $9.99 for the kindle version. I have loved her early books, so funny with great heroines-I can’t believe this book was by the same author.
Fat shaming-check! She mentions the size and weight of so many characters-and being overweight obviously means you can never be happy.
Acts of violence against innocent animals-check! I think she thought this was funny, but as an author that has had lovable animals in her other books-what happened in this one? Horrible.
I don’t mean to be a downer, but I read this after a commenter mentioned this new book, which I didn’t know was released. I couldn’t have been more disappointed.
Late to the party, but I was in a severe reading slump for most of January and still not entirely back on track.
I finally finished The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, which was an odd book. It read like YA but the main characters were in their late 20s and I never did figure out the magic system. The commentary on power and lack thereof was timely, however.
While feeling under the weather, I plowed through Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt and was disappointed. I’m reading the Maiden Lanes out of order and will likely pick up Winter’s book though since I like the setting.
Just finished and enjoyed Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James. Loved the intelligent, quirky kids and the heroine’s unusual occupation.
I’d like to read more historicals with average folks. Any recs? I have Listen to the Moon by Rose Lerner on my Kindle already.