-
A Queen from the North
RECOMMENDED: A Queen from the North by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese is 99c! This book was recently recommended to Redheadedgirl and she loved it, giving it a B+ grade:
I liked this a LOT. I liked the world building, and I liked Amelia. I liked how her initial reaction to Arthur’s proposal that they consider this level of political marriage was, “So… I’d be the first Yorkist to sit the throne since Richard III and I could actually create positive change for my people? I can’t say NO, can I? Of course I’ll think about it.”
It may be the 21st century, but in a not-so-united kingdom the wounds of the the Wars of the Roses have never healed. The rivalry between the Yorkish north and Lancastrian south has threatened to pull the nation apart for over 500 years.
While the modern world struggles with fractures born of ancient conflict, Lady Amelia Brockett faces far more mundane problems. Known to her family as Meels, this youngest daughter of a Northern earl is having the Worst. Christmas. Ever. Dumped by her boyfriend and rejected from graduate school, her parents deem her the failure of the family.
But when her older brother tries to cheer her with a trip to the races, a chance meeting with Arthur, the widowed, playboy Prince of Wales, offers Amelia the chance to change her life — and Britain’s fortunes — forever. Hunted by the press — and haunted by Arthur’s niece who fancies herself the kingdom’s court witch — Amelia finds herself adrift in a sea of paparazzi, politics, and prophecy.
With few allies beyond her allergic-to-horses sister-in-law, her best friend who has a giant crush on the prince, and the cute young receptionist at Buckingham Palace that calls himself her Royalty Customer Service Representative, Amelia must navigate a perilous and peculiar course to secure Arthur’s love and become A Queen from the North.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
A Seditious Affair
READER RECOMMENDED: A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles is $1.99! This is a gay historical romance and was the subject of one of our very first Squee from the Keeper Shelf was about this book:
Many congratulations to K.J. Charles proving that it can be done. Romance can incorporate meaty socio-economic and political context into the story-telling. And the resulting tale can be riveting and most definitely hot.
K. J. Charles turns up the heat in her new Society of Gentlemen novel, as two lovers face off in a sensual duel that challenges their deepest beliefs.
Silas Mason has no illusions about himself. He’s not lovable, or even likable. He’s an overbearing idealist, a Radical bookseller and pamphleteer who lives for revolution . . . and for Wednesday nights. Every week he meets anonymously with the same man, in whom Silas has discovered the ideal meld of intellectual companionship and absolute obedience to his sexual commands. But unbeknownst to Silas, his closest friend is also his greatest enemy, with the power to see him hanged—or spare his life.A loyal, well-born gentleman official, Dominic Frey is torn apart by his affair with Silas. By the light of day, he cannot fathom the intoxicating lust that drives him to meet with the Radical week after week. In the bedroom, everything else falls away. Their needs match, and they are united by sympathy for each other’s deepest vulnerabilities. But when Silas’s politics earn him a death sentence, desire clashes with duty, and Dominic finds himself doing everything he can to save the man who stole his heart.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
Remedial Rocket Science
READER RECOMMENDED: Remedial Rocket Science by Susannah Nix is $2.99! Want more STEM heroines in romance? Here ya go! We had a great guest review of this one, with the ultimate grade being a B+:
Remedial Rocket Science is a really satisfying read and I highly recommend it. On second pass I’m torn on the grade — the slowburn coupled with what could be considered a limited storytelling perspective might bring the grade somewhere around a B for some readers. But, honestly, for me it was an A, so I’m going to average it out to a B+ just to be safe.
Rocket science is no problem. Falling in love, on the other hand…
College student Melody Gage is craving a night of no-strings fun when she meets charming out-of-towner Jeremy, and that’s exactly what she gets. Until three years later, when Melody relocates to Los Angeles and finds herself thrust back into Jeremy’s orbit.
Not only does her hunky one-night stand work at the same aerospace company where she’s just started her dream job, he’s the CEO’s son. Jeremy’s got a girlfriend and a reputation as a bad boy, so Melody resolves to keep her distance. Despite her good intentions, a series of awkward circumstances—including an embarrassing crying jag, a latte vs. computer catastrophe, and an emergency fake date—throw her together with the heavenly-smelling paragon of hotness.
As the billionaire playboy and nerdy IT girl forge an unlikely friendship, Melody’s attraction to Jeremy grows deeper than she’s ready to admit. Will she risk it all for a shot at her happy ending?
The debut novel from author Susannah Nix, Remedial Rocket Science follows in the tradition of contemporary romantic comedy favorites like Penny Reid, Sally Thorne, and Jennifer Crusie. This lighthearted slow burn romance is the first in a series of standalone rom-coms featuring geeky heroines who work in STEM fields.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks! -
A Skinful of Shadows
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge is $2.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble! This is described as a dark YA fantasy historical, which may be up several readers’ alleys. Many readers absolutely loved the writing, though a few found the book had to fight to hold their attention. It has a 4.1-star rating on Goodreads.
This is the story of a bear-hearted girl . . .
Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding.Twelve-year-old Makepeace has learned to defend herself from the ghosts which try to possess her in the night, desperate for refuge, but one day a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard.
And now there’s a spirit inside her.
The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, and it may be her only defence when she is sent to live with her father’s rich and powerful ancestors. There is talk of civil war, and they need people like her to protect their dark and terrible family secret.
But as she plans her escape and heads out into a country torn apart by war, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Don't want to miss an ebook sale? Sign up for our newsletter, and you'll get the week's available deals each Friday.
I snapped A Seditious Affair last night, and I was so happy!! I bought the first one in this series about a month ago (when it was on sale as well) and it was a great read!! So far No. 2 living up to my high expectations. KJ Charles is becoming one of my favorite writers —lovely prose, meticulous research, real issues… it’s all there!!
I had age difference issues with Queen of the North
I too found the KJ Charles book to be excellent. I also enjoyed Remedial Rocket Science. My husband is allergic to horses, so it was interesting to see mention of a secondary character in A Queen from the North having the same issue.
A Seditious Affair is an absolute masterpiece. Highly recommend! And Frances Hardinge is always brilliant. I haven’t read this one (and it’s not on sale here unfortunately) but I urge you to check out the sample!
Queen of the North was on my wishlist, so thanks for the heads-up!
Bury the Hatchet by Catherine Gayle is currently free. Contemporary sports romance with forced proximity
I can recommend A Queen from the North – it took a while for me to get into it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Do understand that this is an alternate history – the king is Henry XII and from bits dropped here and there, it sounds like they’re descended from the Tudors. And Ireland is independent, ruled by its own High King.
I really liked the world building of QUEEN FROM THE NORTH and I adore A SEDITIOUS AFFAIR. One of my top 5 romances!
Queen from the North was a lot of fun, and that heroine is also STEM (she’s an earth sciences student).
I’ve read a A Queen in the North several times and I always enjoy it. The age gap is pretty significant (more than 17 years) so if that is a bother for you, skip this one.
Amazon Publishing is offering nine free Kindle books as part of their Read The World promotion. The books are, apparently, bestsellers in their native language and have been translated to English. Here is the link (no idea if I’m doing this right):
https://www.amazon.com/article/read-the-world
Susanna Nix’s novels are so wonderful! They make me so happy and I only wish she had more than three out.
Darlynne, thanks for that link!
I just grabbed A Queen from the North – it has been on my Amazon wishlist since last August (probably when I read the review on this site) waiting for it to go on sale. Glad that the sale price included Canada!
I read Susanna Nix’s Remedial Rocket Science, as well as the next STEM book in the series, and enjoyed them both. What struck me the most about these books, other than STEM heroines, was that the men were believable, flawed, and kind of ordinary. Not your usual romance formula, but refreshing.
@Darlynne: Thank you very much for that link. Unfortunately the deal doesn’t work for me, perhaps because I’m in the UK? But the books look lovely.
KJ Charles is one of the best writers I’ve ever run across. I don’t re-read many books, but I’ve re-read everything of her several times. Her attention to detail, her grasp of political issues in the Regency era, her world-building (some of her books, although not A Seditious Affair, are set in a world with magic), her characters, her humor, her ability to craft a sex scene that will leave you *fans self* wanting to read more…she’s an auto buy. She also has an FB group that has interesting and sometimes hilarious discussions, and her website is full of free stories!