It’s everyone’s favorite monthly post! Now, we have no statistical data to prove that it’s everyone’s favorite, but it’s something I’m willing to put money on. If you’re new to SBTB, this is where we talk about what we’re reading or what books we’ve finished recently. Oh, and be prepared to add a ton of new books to your TBR pile!
Amanda: I stayed up until 3am to finish Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) after seeing a squeeing Twitter thread about the hero, Derek Craven. Next up is Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which is kind of a hillbilly thriller. I’m enjoying it so far because I love complicated heroines.
I’m also in the mood for a fun contemporary and I think I might give Hot Asset by Lauren Layne a try ( A ).
Elyse: I am reading Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone and it’s so, so good.
Sarah: I hope you’ll review Dreaming of You. I know you’re not really much of a historical romance fan! I love that you loved Derek Craven.
And OMG Jane Doe. Alisha Rai and I were telling people about it at the live podcast taping.
It’s SO GOOD.
Amanda: Dreaming of You is one of those books where I can recognize its shortcomings, but the reading experience was just so much fun.
Carrie: I’m about to start Lion by Saroo Brierley ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) because the book club I read (Arden Dimick Library, Sacramento, 10:30AM, 4th Sat of every month! Join us!) selected it. Yesterday I finished Meddling Kids, review pending!
Redheadedgirl: I’m reading Miss Bingley Requests by Judy McCrosky ( A | BN ). It’s Pride and Prejudice from the POV of Caroline Bingley. I really like it so far!
And even though Carrie got me Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) for Christmas, I’m finally reading that now, as well. It’s a very well researched biography of Wilder and puts her and a her family’s life and events, and her books, into historical context that lets everyone be the extremely complex, messy humans they are in a complex, messy life.
And I finished Sophie Jordan’s The Duke Buys a Bride ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Sarah: I’m reading Delicious Temptation by Sabrina Sol. The heroine is a very talented baker who has been asked to help save her family’s failing bakery (and of course they are resistant to her ideas for new flavors and what all). The hero has a bad neighborhood rep and was her older brother’s best friend and while I love the heroine, Amara, I’m struggling with the hero, specifically his tendency to talk about his cock. The degree of verbal and physical intimacy for me doesn’t match the emotional distance between the characters.
But I really like Amara, so even though I feel like they’re each in very different books, I’m going to stick with it.
Also: FOOD PORN DEAR GRACIOUS DO NOT READ WHILE HUNGRY.
Amanda: The first meeting of the hero and heroine in Hot Asset is amazing. He’s trying to flirt with her in the break room and she isn’t having it. He asks her for drinks and she turns him down because, “I’m with the SEC and I’m here to investigate you.” I cackled.
What books have you finished this month? What have you loved or hated? Let us know in the comments!
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 still working my way through this year’s crop of “beach reads.” I just finished Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple which had a bit of murder mystery surrounded by the usual Nantucket details I love provided by this author. Her Winter Solstice was one of my Christmas in July reads. I felt the Winter Street stories came to a satisfactory close, although I hope to find out what’s in Mitzi’s future.
My other Christmas in July book was Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan which I really enjoyed, especially Maddie the spaniel. It paired well with a few Hallmark movies and coffee in my favorite Christmas mug. I also loved The Kiss Quotient and am looking forward to the next book by Helen Hoang. Not many “Duke” books were read around here, as another favorite this month was Prince Charming by CD Reiss. I couldn’t figure out how or when Cassie and Keaton would find their HEA. Whew. What a great ending!
Next up in summer reading is The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan seems to be getting a lot of buzz. I am looking forward to when The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham hits my Kindle on Tuesday to get me back in my Duke groove.
I finished Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine on audiobook this month. I really enjoyed it! It was a fast-paced suspenseful novel, and the narrator was excellent. While the main storyline for this book wraps up, it does end in a way that leads into the next book in the series. Can’t wait to read the next one!
July reading has been pretty good and this a favorite of mine in the blog to see what people are reading.
Good for me:
ROCKAWAY BRIDE by Pippa Grant – – I don’t read rockstar heroes, but this made me a believer.
THE KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang – – really loved this story, kept me engaged
THE LAWRENCE BROWNE AFFAIR by Cat Sebastian – – her characters are so likable
THE GOOD LUCK SISTER by Jill Shalvis – – a great friends to lovers story
WICKED AND THE WALLFLOWER by Sarah Maclean – – excellent prologue
COME FOR ME, DARLING by Alexis Anne – – a sweet read and loved the brother banter
LOST IN INDIGO by V L Locey – – an older/younger love story with a gender fluid character
BEAUTIFUL MISTAKE by Vi Keeland – – good story arc
Just so-so:
THE SOLDIER’S SCOUNDREL by Cat Sebastian
TOO WILDE TO WED by Eloisa James
WEDNESDAY by Kendall Ryan
Not for me:
MR. FIXER UPPER by Lucy Score
THE START OF SOMETHING GOOD by Jennifer Probst
BRO CODE by Kendall Ryan
I’ll be interested to see what Amanda has to say about Dreaming of You, if she does a post. I bought & read it this week after seeing something on Twitter, probably the same thread. I didn’t dnf after the violence towards women bc all the squeeing made me think the hero MUST have an incredible redemption arc. When he didn’t it left me really disturbed. I get ymmv when it comes to rakish heroes. I just hadn’t been expecting this one to be SO dark. In any case it helped me clarify some preferences for myself (& confirmed a previous one, that Kleypas just isn’t for me).
@LaurelL: Did you read WHITE KNIGHT yet? Cassie & Keaton only appear as supporting characters, but it gives their story an even happier HEA!
Let’s see. I’ve been reading various PG Wodehouse books before I go to bed as they’re light and relaxing to balance out other reads.
At the moment, I’m reading Season to Surrender by Theresa Romain and really enjoying it. I love how her characters feel real and how good she is at writing about inner and outside perception.
I’m also reading Sovereign by April Daniels, the sequel to Dreadnought, this amazing superhero book where the superhero mantle allows the hero, who’s trans to become their preferred gender. I love how these books go into the nuts and bolts of being a superhero; money, politics and family. Both books don’t shy away from how horrible people can be to those who identify as trans so I keep taking breaks.
Barsk by Lawrence Schoen is an amazing and complex SFF book set in a world where all the species are humanoid mammals and elephants are exiled. Its a powerful book about history, bigotry and gorgeous world building.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson, which was fascinating about the history of the wireless and the Crippen murders. Larson always does a great job with nonfiction.
I also read Flowers of Vashnoi, a Vorkosigan novella that I liked, it was an interesting addition to the world but didn’t stay with me like I expected.
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine Sainte-Exupery which is his memoir of his time as a pilot. I loved how he wrote about flying and geography but the way he writes about the people who live in Africa and South America can be very racist and so pulled me out at some points.
I’ve just last week finished my reread of the Harry Potter series. Since it gets darker as the series goes on, and the resulting shift in tone could make it harder to want to finish, it accidentally became a spring and summer long read. Lol. I did however, finish just in time for me to go to camp and not read for a week. This is because I know that reading will not happen while at camp. Lol.
@ DiscoDollyDeb – The White Knight is waiting on my Kindle. Now I am looking forward to reading it even more!
Recently finished A Sky Full of Stars by Samantha Chase, and it was So Freakin Adorable. Loved the adorkable hero and his big, messy, supportive family; the heroine not as much at first but I warmed up to her as the book went on. Also loved that they are both insecure in their own way and doubt their own worth as compared to each other, despite that he is a super-genius and she was a beauty queen and top of the food chain in her youth. I need to look up more of this series as this seems to be the next-to-last in the series, and if they are all this squeeful I’ll want to catch up.
(However, take note, when I went to squee over this book on Amazon I was roundly informed that I am no longer allowed to review books on their site because I haven’t spent enough money with them. So, caveat emptors and reviewers.)
Currently indulging in the old time crazysauce of Jane Aiken Hodge’s Savannah Purchase. Identical twins swap places so the aristocratic and spoiled Josephine can run off to spring Napoleon from prison while impoverished Juliet takes her place in her marriage of convenience and inimical Society. Not as overly doused in crazysauce as the previously mentioned Shadow of a Lady, though; so far, other than the identity switch, the only other spectacle has been as very formal duel in which the dead man gets off one last shot. So, very understated for Hodge.
:::stomps in to Youngblood by5 Seconds of Summer, because my son likes that song and frankly the drumbeat is catchy as hell:::
It has been a really, really busy reading month. There was a week of vacation in there that involved nearly 4 straight days of driving, sooooo….yeah, reading. Let’s see, I left off on my brain refusing to accept Save The Date (which it would later accept, more on that in a bit) and I started Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier. Hoo. Boy. That book is A LOT. It’s propulsive, and I could not put it down. I did figure out the twist shortly before the end, and whoa hey, ALL THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. ALL OF THEM. There were at least three graphic on-page rapes that I can think of, and a lot of bad things happen to both women and children. It’s a really well-written book and an effective mystery, but once you’re done with it, you really need some sunshine. At this point, my brain did accept Save The Date (by Morgan Matson), because again, it needed some sunshine. I enjoyed the romantic comedy aspects of it, and it read as something that would make a really good property for Netflix to get ahold of (get on that, Netflix, I enjoyed Set It Up, make me happy). Again, I saw some of the family drama stuff coming, which was probably because, since I’m older than the main character, I could read the stuff going on between the parents and siblings that she was oblivious to. At this point, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. That’s a cool new voice in urban fantasy right there, and I loved the inclusion of Navajo culture. Also, she had some, ah, interesting statements on border walls (between this and Dread Nation earlier in the year, let me tell you, some of these fantasy writers are having a good time with addressing the relative effectiveness of border walls in their writing). Right around this time, my library got The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and I slapped a hold on it post-hasty. Guys. You guys. IT IS SO GOOD. IT IS CAPS LOCK GOOD. The characters, the portrayal of ASD, the interactions the characters had with their families…just…YOU GUYS. READ IT, IF YOU HAVEN’T. I’ve already preordered the next in the series, because Hoang can have my money now. I followed that up with Scourged by Kevin Hearne. I enjoyed it, but I can see the main problem that some had with it, which is that a certain couple do not end up together. This didn’t bother me overmuch, for two reasons: the characters are pretty much immortal and the door is still open, and also, Atticus needs to spend some time alone thinking about how to be a better person, because boy done screwed up, A LOT. I enjoyed the pacing and the story, and as an ending to a series, it made sense to me. Also, Jesus was awesome (yes, THAT Jesus). Now, we get to my vacation, which was all romance all the time. I started that off with The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren, and holy hell. I. Loved. It. I’ve had it on my Kindle for months, but have been holding onto it, for the right moment. I loved the characters, I loved their strength, I loved the story, and everything just really worked for me. Fortunately, I already had the sequel waiting when I finished it, so then I read The One You Can’t Forget, which, again, loved everything about it (hello, funny, handsome, tattooed chef, come to Butthead). Because I felt like keeping the happy stuff going, I read The First Time At Firelight Falls by Julie Anne Long, and her books read happy and cozy, and I especially enjoyed the come-to-Jesus meeting the hero has at the end of the book with someone that richly needed it. At this point, my brain had gorged on the romance, so I switched gears slightly and read Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova. It took me a bit to get into, but man. That’s a woman that can build a world, and I enjoyed the unexpected sweetness of the romance that was in among the very strong fantasy. Which brings us to today, in which I’m reading Erin Bowman’s Contagion. Bowman wrote what is probably my favorite Western anything that I’ve read (Retribution Rails) and Contagion sounded amazing, so I did what I do and threw my money at it. It took a minute to get going, but they’re on the scary haunted house planet and it’s pretty clear that things are about to go dark and sideways and bodies are going to start dropping and you know I love me a haunted house story in space. I…think that’s enough, don’t you?
Oh, and for clarification? This is definitely my favorite post of the month.
Continued my rock music reading with Lita Ford’s autobiography, Living Like a Runaway Solid entry in the genre. I am familiar with Ms Ford and have enjoyed her music over the years. The book sounds very much the way I imagine she would sound if we spoke in person. An engaging voice for me though some might find her off putting as she is pretty straight forward in what she says. It was also interesting to see her struggling in what was very much a male dominated industry.
Don’t remember if I mentioned The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly last time. It was excellent. Also a SBTB recommendation.This book had many things that appealed to me. Set around Missoula where I have lived, child of a cult which I kind of relate to, partly set in a juvenile hall and I have worked in juvie. All my catnip and it turned out to be a good book with a strong female main character.
The ideas of faith, obedience, survival, violence, are all addressed in a thoughtful way. i also liked the way the girls were portrayed. The reality of the cult life, while less well explained due to being experienced by a child, seemed realistic.
My Sister’s Grave by Tracy Cross was a competent mystery, set in two timelines. The sister who did not disappear becomes a cop and also dedicates her life to finding what truly happened with her sister. When the sister’s body is finally discovered many years later, things start to heat up. Is the man in prison really the murderer? Was there a conspiracy to hide some facts.
The Woodcutter by Kate Daniel was probably the highlight of the month.I loved this book.It is a picaresque novel, following the Woodcutter of the title through a number of fairytale adventures as he cares for and protects The Wood. The Wood is a magical forest that abuts on 12 kingdoms that have chosen to be, at least in part, non magical. The borders can vary depending on how much magic is being used, among other things. During our story, something is attempting to take over the wood, to destroy some of the magical beings within. We follow the Woodcutter from the first hints of trouble until the end.
I very much enjoyed seeing all the fairytales rewoven into new patterns. I enjoyed watching the care the Woodcutter gave The Wood and its creature. I liked how the wife, even though she is off stage for most of the story, informs the story and the Woodcutter’s actions.
Most Eligible Billionaire by Annika Martin was a little out of my usual.This was a cute, fun read. The characters were engaging and the story was internally coherent so that everything made sense in the context of the story. There was certainly some suspension of disbelief but not because of the logic of the story. The dog was also great.
The story itself was pretty standard. Poor girl with secrets meets very rich man. They are on opposite sides of a conflict and still cannot help noticing how hot the other one is. One thing leads to another as it does. Then, ooops, here come the secrets. But it was nicely done. There was one spot that made me laugh so hard. I would recommend this book.
Cowgirl, Unexpectedly bit Vicki Tharp was also engaging. Marine Corp vet with some PTSD runs out of money in Wyoming and takes a job on a ranch that comes under siege. Friendships and more begin to develop as the ranch heads towards a showdown with whoever is setting fires and rustling their cattle. It was nice to have a heroine who was very competent and still injured. I thought the portrayal was well done. I did like her saying that she got a medal for the worst thing in her life. The hero is maybe a little on the perfect side and is still very believable. The firefight near the end seemed realistic enough.
.
BLACK ICE and COLD AS ICE by Anne Stuart – There just isn’t enough romance in romantic suspense for me. The first two books in Stuart’s Ice series follow a very similar pattern: hardened secret operative male meets innocent bystander female in the course of a Very Important Secret Mission, is willing to let her die/kill her for mission success, treats her cruelly but ends up rescuing her/letting her escape because she melts the ice around his heart (not MY metaphor), reunites with her because she is still in danger, then abrupt happy ending. All I wanted was for the heroine, during the reunion phase, to say “thanks for the orgasms and cleaning up your mess. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” (Part of the problem is that Stuart creates these OTT sexy-cruel heroes and pairs them with relatively normal heroines who would probably be safer adopting a f*ck and release approach.)
THE LUCKIEST LADY IN LONDON and PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS by Sherry Thomas – I haven’t had much luck with Thomas in the past (her writing is stellar, but her then-and-now narratives often leave me unsatisfied). Luckiest Lady, which lured me in with its premise of a practical gold digger’s marriage objectives being threatened by the attentions of a wealthy nonpareil, was shaping up to be a delightful exception until I realized it seeded the other books in the trilogy, one of which is the story of an estranged marriage. That’s my kryptonite (I can’t leave a fictional broken marriage unresolved, though I have never been made happy by the resolution), so I went ahead and read Private Arrangements and was torn between loathing the hero for his petty viciousness and being peeved by the unnecessary years the protagonists spent apart. Somebody makes a particularly weak decision at the 5 year mark in their separation that results in 5 more pointless years apart. I’m also a little miffed by how deliberately balanced the injuries and infidelities were in the narrative, as though equivalence were justness. Luckiest Lady specifically references the unfortunate Year Five Incident, and that may be enough to torpedo an otherwise excellent book for me.
listening
PERFECT PARTNERS by Jayne Ann Krentz (read by Amy McFadden) – Well, this experience was a revelation. I’m actually very fond of this JAK title, which upends the familiar revenge/rescue trope; however, when I reread the text, I must skim all the obnoxious condescension the Pacific Northwest crew (including the hero) heap on the displaced Midwestern librarian heroine. The audio forced me to endure every moment of it. Shut UP, you pretentious jerks. Also, I’m unreasonably peeved about the “cover” image for the audio file, where the heroine looks sly and the hero is wearing a suit. She is not the former and I’m not sure he owns the latter.
MURDER IN RETRIBUTION by Anne Cleeland (read by Marcella Riordan) – I read the first four Doyle and Acton novels last month and listened to the audiobooks for 1-3 this month. Murder in Retribution stands out as being even better on a reread. Mundane details became ominous, knowing what they presage. I’m still salivating for books 5-7 in this series, and I’m also disappointed that whatever publishing shuffle happened at book 4 also involved getting a new narrator for the audiobooks. Riordan does an excellent job with the first three books, but I’m not impressed by the new narrator in the sample I heard for book 4.
First here is my official vote for Whatcha Reading being my favorite post of the month!
And now on to my reading for the month:
Excellent:
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty: this is children’s fantasy/horror and I thought the setting (Biltmore), the two MCs (Serafina and the nephew of the Vanderbilts), and the magic involved in the story were all grea and I’m looking forward to reading the second.
The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell: a gothic children’s book. The main character is the daughter of one of two servants living in a rundown house where five children had been kidnapped years before. Those children’s parents were magicians and I thought the story really brought together both magic and the mystery of what happened to the children – plus the importantance of having a BFF.
Very Good:
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam: my dad and I read this for our father/daughter book club and even though it was written almost twenty years ago, it still has really important things to say about the importance of social, community, and civic involvement.
Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker: I read this contemporary mystery set in a small town in France for my mystery book club. The beginning was really strong, but the story took a twist that seemed like an odd authorial choice to me. I still enjoyed it enough to want to read the second.
Good:
Evil for Evil by James Benn: This is the fourth in the Billy Boyle mystery series which follows a Boston policeman turned soldier in WWII who becomes Eisenhower’s special investigator. This took place in Northern Ireland and while I loved the inclusion of a lot of Irish history, the plot was convoluted and the ending felt overly dramatic. I like the series, though, and plan to continue.
Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas: while I liked this historical second chance romance between a woman doctor and an english aristocrat, there were a couple of moments that didn’t sit quite right with me. SEMI-SPOILER: Also be warned that the plot revolves around cheating, which I know is a big nope for many in romance.
Meh:
Work Less, Live More A New Way to Retire Early by Bob Clyatt: not too much new or fresh in this personal finance book, but there were a couple mentions of other books and websites that were helpful.
The Bad:
A Very Simple Crime by Grant Jenkins: a very dark murder “mystery” – CW for violence and sexual assault. I feel like the author was trying to write something like Gone Girl (although I didn’t look to see which was written first) and just failed.
July began with 3 highly anticipated books coming out in 2 days (as others have mentioned):
KJ Charles: Unfit to Print
Cat Sebastian: A Gentleman Never Keeps Score
Annabeth Albert: Tight Quarters
– I enjoyed all 3 – the KJ Charles was my fave
Also read:
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy – lovely queer YA about a young lesbian who gets dumped by her girlfriend and realizes she’s falling for a boy (and that she can like a boy and still be queer).
When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri – new mainstream lesbian rom com by a lesbian author. As the title implies, it’s like a lesbian Nora Ephron rom com – well off, workaholic late 20-something / early 30-something white women falling in love in Manhattan while wearing beautiful clothes and expensive haircuts. I’m not sure that I – a 40-something midwestern bi woman – am the target audience, but I’m glad it exists.
I really loved the portrayal of Cassidy as a butch woman (although the word butch is never used, iirc). It’s so rare to see respectful portrayals of butch or masculine of center women, especially in mainstream culture. I particularly liked that there weren’t a lot of butch 101 explanations. I was less thrilled with the portrayal of Katie figuring out that she’s attracted to Cassidy, was was probably attracted to women in the past, even though she thought she was straight. A lot of it range true but I wish someone had mentioned that she could be bi / pan / fluid rather than just gay or straight.
Continued to read Matthew Metzgers backlist – he’s my favorite new author discovery this year. British queer romance with lots of snark and swearing. Read The Suicidal Peanut – cute YA about an awkward artist.
Also read his Erik the Pink and loved it! This is the first adult mm by Metzgers that I’ve read and I was pretty blown away by it. It starts where a lot of romances end – with the birth of a baby. It’s the story of gay couple Erik (who’s cis) and Andreas (who’s trans) and their first year as parents. It’s a pretty low conflict story but I found it compelling. As a cis woman, I don’t feel I have much to say much about the trans rep, except to say that after reading this, I feel like I have a much more visceral understanding of dysmorphia.
Contraband Hearts by Alex Beecroft – Age of Sail Thomas Crown Affair mm IR romance, with smugglers.
Point of Sighs (Aistriant #5) by Melissa Scott – Fantasy police procedural set in a world similar to early Renaissance Europe, with a matriarchal, bisexual society where astrology is real and can be deadly. Love this series. There’s a very low key, understated romance between the two MCs – 2 men who solve mysteries together while working for (sometimes) competing law enforcement agencies.
Y’ALL. I have been waiting for this post to go up so I could share this month’s reading experience, because it was a doozy. First of all, I read Uprooted, by Naomi Novik. Prepare yourselves, there be squee ahead. OMG THIS BOOK I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! Ahem. Yes. This book is amazing, it gave me all the Lord of the Rings-adjacent high fantasy feels that I didn’t know I was missing, but with a great female heroine and a compelling story that at its heart was a romance. Essentially it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling but that description really does not do it justice. The story is so original. And it was a great surprise, because I started reading it and thought it was going to be one way, and then I got to about chapter 6 and I was like oh s&@t! This is way more interesting than I thought at first!! I read it and then immediately started it over again. So that was most of my reading month, plus a few mostly forgettable Harlequin Presents. But then. I heard Sarah Maclean on a podcast, and she was so funny and generally awesome. One of her books was available at my library and I thought well, I’ll give it a shot. I think of myself as strictly a contemporary/paranormal reader so I was prepared not to really be feeling it. Here’s the thing though: I freaking LOVED it. And now I am like oh OK, I actually like historicals, please give me all of them! So that’s kind of a game changer. I am currently working my way through the Rules of Scoundrels series and am very excited to move on from there. I would love any recommendations for a good next step after that series (Lisa Kleypas? Courtney Milan?) and also anything that might give me similar feels to Uprooted, because basically high fantasy with sexytimes is clearly the catnip I didn’t even know I had!!
I have been binging. First I re-read Dana Marie Bell’s Maggie’s Grove series (so good!), then I re-read some RJ Blain books. Then I re-read Kelly Bowen and bought her latest. And read some books in the TBR pile.
Been making a point to read stuff by WOC authors lately:
RISKING IT ALL by Joyce D’Mot – romance/mystery. A woman hides and old friend who’s now a fugitive and sparks fly.
WHISKEY AND RIBBONS by Leesa Cross-Smith – romance. Haven’t gotten too far into this one, but what I’ve read so far looks promising. Husband dies, his best friend falls for the heroine. Great writing, very literary in a lot of ways.
THE LAST MRS. PARRISH by Liv Constantin – thriller in the vein of THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. Writing is nothing to write home about, but it’s un-put-down-able.
@KB – Uprooted is soooo good!
Hmm – other high fantasy with sexy-times or romance to recommend.
You might enjoy Barbara Hambly’s high fantasies – I’m thinking of the Raven Sisters series and the Sunhawk books. Dragonsbane is my all time favorite (but read it as a stand-alone- the rest of the series is really grim).
Very Good
The Perils of Pleasure Julie Anne Long, I really loved both leads
Truly Devious Maureen Johnson. An interesting young adult mystery
The Third Nero and Pandora’s Boy by Lindsey Davis. Books five and six in the Flavia Alba mystery series. Fascinating details about daily life in Rome circa 89 AD. M
Crooked Hearts by Patricia Gaffney
Good
Deep Waters By Jayne Ann Krentz. although the casual cultural appropriation is annoying overall I liked it and the unusual beta hero
Shattered Souls by Delilah Devlin. Devlin appears to be mainly a writer of erotical. This is paranormal mystery. I liked the characters and though it has potential felt the magic wasnt well explained. I will read book 2.
The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason, Buffyish paranormal set in victorian era
The Wagered Widow By Patricia Veryan
Of Modern Dragons and other essays on Genre Fiction John Lennard
Meh
The Ballerina’s Secret by Teri Wilson, This was recommended to me and it had an interesting premise.A ballerina who had lost her hearing through an accident is trying out for a role and the troupe’s accompanist is a former Big name Jazz Musician who was burned and has given up the trumpet but the why was never explained and he comes off as a quitter.
Dnf
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield. interesting premise about a woman, formerly abused by her deceased husband help other women in similar circumstances via intimidation and vigilante justice. Her casually referred to violence which amounted to torture was too much for me.
audiobooks:
Susan Elizabeth Phillips:
What I did for love
Fancy Pants
Lady Be Good
Breathing Room
Call Me Irresistible
Catch Me If You Can
Heroes Are My Weakness
This is a continuation of my personal investigation into why this author so popular. There was an element of hate listen to these although it turned out I didn’t end up hating any of them the way I loathed Ain’t She Sweet. Many of her characters are very appealing but there are unpleasant similarities in the books. In particular an incommensurate level of humiliation the female lead must endure to pay for her perceived wrong doings while the male lead’s former bad actions are hand waved away with what I inferred to be a…he felt kind of bad about his actions for a while hasn’t he paid enough attitude that comes from the tone of the book rather than the male lead’s thoughts or statements.
Also there is frequently a tall, gorgeous uninhibited friend, sister or ex of the male lead who apparently scares the heck out of all the men so she must be paired with a serious nerdy beta male who has hidden alpha qualities who will keep her in check.
Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper
Circle Of influence Annette Dashofy
Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller, book 2 in a young adult series about a female pirate. I started this series trying to find something for my nieces but I am enjoying it.
Death Below Stairs and Death Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley, I liked but didn’t love these. For a cook in a Victorian household she has rather a lot of time to biff off investigating things, but the cooking details are great.
comfort listen
The Blue Castle by Lucy Montgomery
@Iris – wow, that’s dedication on the SEP books.
As a former SEP fan (I broke up permanently with her after What I Did for Love) I can say that when I discovered SEP in the 90s she seemed like a breathe of fresh air. Her books were funny, her heroines were smart and accomplished and her heroes were not assholes (or not too assholey by 90s romance standards). There was no rape. (Except in Molly and Kevin’s book and I completely missed it at the time).
Everything you mention is true – especially the tendency to completely humiliate the heroine. (I think Jane at DA wrote an opinion piece about that called the Embittered Heroine.) But it took me awhile to see it.
Just recently finished EVERYTHING BUT THE EARL by Willa Ramsey and really enjoyed it! Also HUNT THE MOON by Kari Cole. I’m not usually into werewolves but this one kept my attention and now I’m looking for more!
I’m not really sure which readers take the time to actually read all of these comments, and I know I’m late to the game by at least 24 hours. Nevertheless! I have to speak up for a book I just gobbled down: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen. It was written in 2008 but new-to-me in 2018! It’s about a billionaire and his family living underground after a nuclear explosion. There was no romance (how could there be?) but so many questions and just enough answers to keep me turning pages at 3am. Honestly, this book was bananas in the BEST way. And there’s a sequel!
Oh, I read all the comments, which is why I’m now rereading Acheron, because someone waaaay upthread mentioned it. I forgot how much I loved that book! I love these posts. Everyone has such diverse tastes, and I get so many recs! Thank you all for your detailed posts.
@Kristen,
I loved the Harlequin KISS line! I was so disappointed when they cancelled it. Contemporaries aren’t normally my thing, but I enjoyed all of those so much, and the covers were so beautiful.
@cleo–thank you!! I will check out Barbara Hambly! I didn’t mention this in my post so just to be clear to anyone thinking about reading it, Uprooted is classified as YA. Although, I didn’t see anything YA about it other than the fact that the heroine is 17 at the start of the book. There is one not particularly graphic, but definitely on the page, sex scene.
I totally read all the comments and look forward to this post every month! It’s how I get lots of new recommendations and I just love hearing about the interesting stuff that other people are reading.
@cleo, well, I have a lot of audiobook hours to fill and I have a real need to figure out why I don’t like something.
@ Lisa W. I love these posts and always read all the comments and continue to for a number of days. For months I decided against adding my book impressions because I don’t usually see the post until the next day. Finally I thought what the heck! Others are probably reading but hesitating to comment for the same reason.
Sadly though, when I do finally find the time to add my reads I realize I was in such a hurry that it is a jumble of thoughts and typos.
@Lisa W., I’m another who returns to read all of the comments. This post always adds to my TBR.
I too read all the What Are You Reading comments and return a few times during the subsequent week to read any additional comments posted after the first flurry. It’s just a thought, but I wonder if it would be possibly for What Are You Reading to stay at the top of the blog for a few days after it initially goes up. I know there might be technical or other reasons for not allowing this, but I think it would give readers a little more time to comment. Since the post goes up on Saturday and is generally several posts down by Monday, I suspect a number of readers—especially if they’ve had busy weekends—may miss the post altogether. And, of course, we all need more book recommendations!
I subscribe to the comments so I don’t have to go back and check for new ones.
@DiscoDollyDeb:
I’m so pleased you find the Whatcha Reading posts so useful! That’s very cool to hear. Thank you for sharing.
The problem with making the post “sticky,” or making it stay at the top of the website, is that it throws off a number of automatic features, including the daily email digest, because it appears at the top and stays there. However! I could add it to the sidebar as a widget, perhaps, or find a more permanent or prominent home for the latest edition of each Whatcha Reading post. Let me figure something out. Thank you for the suggestion and the feedback!
(And if y’all have ideas or questions or suggestions, please know you are ALWAYS welcome to email me at sarah AT smartbitchestrashybooks DOTTY com. I may not be able to implement every idea, but I want this space to be as useful and welcoming and safe for you as possible.)
@DiscoDollyDeb-I wanted to thank you for recommending a new to me author, Eve Dangerfield-I read Locked Box and Open Hearts over the weekend. I enjoyed Locked Box, but LOVED Open Hearts!!! Dean is one of my favorite heroes ever-and this book had me laughing out loud numerous times.
I spent most of July reading the Rough Rider series by Lorelei James. It has 16 books plus a couple novellas. I liked the Wyoming ranching setting, with some rodeo thrown in-and I thought the books actually got better as the series went on. I was interested enough to do a bit of a character mapping chart, because there are a lot of characters with very similar names, and I kept forgetting how people were related. I think my favorite book was Cowboy Take Me Away, Carson and Carolyn’s story-told in flashbacks. Very sweet and at times funny.
Another new to me author was Katee Robert. Like @Maile-I bought the O’Malley series based on a SBTB recommendation. I’m on book 3-I like them. They are different from what I usually read, a bit darker-but they are page turners.
Also read Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis. I love her writing, and I thought the plot of the book was very intriguing. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but she didn’t disappoint! Reading this book definitely made me crave Italian food.
–The Problem With Him by Rachel Higginson. This is the 3rd book in her Chef’s series. It’s a friends to rivals book and moving up in the workplace. I really enjoy Rachel Higginson’s books and if you’ve never read 5 Stages of Falling in Love, I highly recommend.
–Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon. 3rd book in her Alien series about human women crash landing on an ice planet after being kidnapped by Bad Aliens and rescued by good aliens.
–Endurance by Amy Daws. 2nd book in her Soccer series featuring 4 brothers. This is the twin brother of the hero in book 1 and the heroines friend. They are ok books.
–Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. I LOVED this book. This is an age gap book. The h is 19 and the girlfriend of the H’s son and they have just moved in with him who is 38. The son/boyfriend is a slacker and is unwilling to help out with anything and basically just wants to hang out with friends, while the girlfriend wants to help out as much as possible. There is no cheating with this book because their relationship is basically over when they move in with the father. But the books was really well done and angsty.
–I continued my Penny Reid re-read with Truth or Beard, Ninja at First Sight, Grin and Beard It, Beard Science and Beard in Mind. I was originally going in order by publishing date but then I decided to stick with the Winston Brothers because the newest book came out Monday and I’m currently reading but life seems to be getting in the way at the moment.
–Wander Lust by Lauren Blakely. Businesswoman moves to Paris for a job and falls for her interpreter who has no plans of sticking around because he needs to complete his dead brother’s bucket list of traveling around the world.
–About That Kiss by Jill Shalvis. I felt like I missed the kiss this book was about. If it was in the last book I don’t remember it.
–Down For the Count by Christine Bell. Bride finds her groom cheating on her not long after the ceremony is over with her friend/bridesmaid. She decides she is still going on the honeymoon and ends up going with her other BFF’s MMA/boxer brother.
–The Hookup by Kristen Ashley. It’s a Kristen Ashley book so if you’ve read her you know what you’re going to get but it was really good.
–Mister Moneybags by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward. I got lucky by the other book by these 2 authors and really liked their books but this was one was just ok. A reporter gets stuck in the elevator with her subject but doesn’t realize it’s him. He lies to her about who he is and ends up spending the day with her. He falls for her and needs to figure out how to tell her.
–Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James. One of her earlier books and you can tell. It was good but not as good as her newer stuff (by the way when are we getting a new one). This one is about a lawyer that is advising a movie star about a lawyer role. I only have one more to go before I am all caught up on her books.
–Flow and Grip by Kennedy Ryan. Flow was the prequel novella that shows how the relationship between Rapper Grip and Bristol, the sister of his best friend. Bristol comes out to California to repair the relationship with her brother but because he is busy and thinks she is meddling for the parents he relies on Grip to keep her company. After a week together they are quickly falling in love but Bristol goes home after a misunderstanding. The book Grip leaves off 8 years after Bristol goes home after that week, graduates and moves back to become and agent. Grip and Bristol try to keep away from each other but can’t. This book was great and faced a lot of issues. I really look forward to reading more Kennedy Ryan books.
I look forward to these threads every month but am often late because weekends are hard for me to be on the Interwebs so a sidebar widget would be great!
@KateB, The Calculating Stars was wonderful. It’s not perfect but such a fun and interesting read, and I love that Elma and her husband have a supportive, sex-positive relationship. Ordered the sequel the minute I finished it.
Also eagerly awaiting Witchmark but it’s still being catalogued at the library.
@Stefanie Magura, I started a HP reread via the excellent audiobooks but stalled after Goblet of Fire and had to go read something lighter for a while. I bought the next two but will likely stop before the final book as it was my least favorite.
@EC Spurlock, I guess we shouldn’t be shocked at Amazon’s policy but seems to me that positive reviews help sell a product more than all the “One star because the cover was bent when it arrived” bs that’s on there, but what do I know?
@KB, Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series makes a great follow up to The Rules of Scoundrels.
In other reading, I just finished the fourth Flavia de Luce mystery from Alan Bradley, I am Half-Sick of Shadows, and it felt phoned-in. I enjoyed the first few but probably need to take a break.
@Amy S. thank you for posting because you introduced me to two new authors. I have never read Penelope Douglas but was intrigued by the sound of Birthday Girl so I one-clicked it. I’ve never read Kennedy Ryan either but the premise for those books sounds so unique. I’ve read about plenty of rock stars but never a rapper. Flow (prequel novella to Grip) is free on Amazon right now!
@Kate, thank you as well–I liked Courtney Milan’s contemporary Trade Me so that seems like the logical next step in my historical education, and my library has the complete Brothers Sinister series. My TBR is growing at an alarming rate but I don’t mind!
@Lisa W I too read all the comments – I love all things books reading them discussing them buying them and so I always read what everyone else is reading. As @Ellie says, the diversity of what people read is super interesting to me!
@KB – if you liked Sarah Maclean I would recommend Tessa Dare, Julie Anne Long, and Lisa Kleypas.