It’s Whatcha Reading time! This is the post where we talk about all the good, bad, and ugly things we’ve been reading. There is squeeing! There is griping! And we might suggest somehow putting your credit card in a block of ice or trying to somehow block the “1-Click” option on Amazon.
Sarah: I am reading The Phantom Tree which has all these words I like: time slip, dual narratives, lots of women in history, a mystery and a possible romance. It’s incredibly atmospheric, too. I had a hard time putting it down when it was time to sleep.
Elyse: My copy is coming today!
Sarah: Of The Phantom Tree?
Elyse: Yes!
Sarah: Elyse, The Phantom Tree is so good. Jumps back and forth between Tudor England and present day. Wow.
Elyse: I’m so excited!!
Sarah: Long-running orthodontist appointment? Waiting on a hard bench? PARKING TICKET IN THE RAIN AFTER WE GET OUT?
Don’t care. Got to read book more. All is well. (Seriously I’m enjoying the hell out of it)
Amanda: I just finished unpacking all of my books…I need more shelves. But I’m going to re-read The Kiss Quotient.
Also, some personal things are happening that are making me SO DANG ANGRY. I asked for some recommendations on Twitter for scifi/fantasy with pissed off heroines and I got a ton of recs. So I’ll probably pick one of those!
Redheadedgirl: I just finished A Notorious Vow by Joanna Shupe, which I LOVED. ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Carrie: I am the happiest reader because I’m reading A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). SO GOOD, y’all.
Amanda: I’ve picked up a lot of scifi lately. That’s just what I’m gravitating toward and I started Shattered Roads ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) last night.
Elyse: I’m working my way through Tana French’s mystery series and I just started The Likeness ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). A coworker and I are also reading Something in the Water together and discussing it. Nothing like talking about murder in the office
Amanda: I have a longer walk to the subway now if I don’t feel like waiting for a bus, so I downloaded Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) on audio to keep me company. It’s free through Audible’s Romance Package.
Tell us all about what you’ve read this month! What were your reading highlights?
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!
Just finishing up UPROOTED by Naomi Novik, which is full of squee and flailing and Good Book Noise. I love the layers and layers and layers and LAYERS of magic they have to go through to get to the source, and Agneiszka’s insouciance and organic magic vs Sarkan’s frustration at being unable to get her to do orderly, mathematical, CORRECT magic, and the slow burn of watching Sarkan try his mightiest not to fall in love.
It’s going to be REAL HARD to decide what to read after this. I have such a Book Hangover already…
No time to talk about everything I read right now, but just doing a quick drive-by to say I also read “All Systems Red”, the first book in the Murderbot Diaries. Yes, it’s great. I have a question for the others who read it. Even though Murderbot has no sexual identity, and is never referred to by a gendered pronoun, I found myself thinking of it as female, right from the beginning. Did that happen to you too?
And I borrowed a non-fiction book from the library that I am eager to start reading:”A Girl Stands at the Door” by Rachel Devlin. It’s about school desegregation, and how humbling to notice this piece of history hidden in plain sight. When you think of those iconic images of black children walking through a gauntlet of hateful taunts just to attend school-like 6 year old Ruby Bridges-why did the penny never drop that they were almost always girls? Both before and after Brown v. Board of Education, girls and young women far outnumbered boys in volunteering to desegregate all white school systems. The book is about how and why it happened that way.
I have been walking A LOT (still) and listening to a lot of podcasts, so my reading has fallen off the blistering pace I was setting earlier this year, but still pretty respectable.
Excellent:
None
Very Good:
You May Kiss the Bride by Lisa Berne – the characters in this historical were so well drawn and the story was very gentle. Two people were trapped by circumstances (somewhat by chance and somewhat through their own making) into a MOC and had to get to know one another and work through creating a partnership. I thought the conflict was realistic, but I wanted a little more emotional heft to really push it over the top. I did add the second in the series to my TBR.
Good:
The Rogue by Katharine Ashe – this was billed as the first in a new series and the fourth of an old series. While I loved the class differences between hero and heroine (he of a lower class), I very much stepped into the middle of many story threads on this one – secondary characters and plots were not easily followed or understood. So I must disagree that that it was the first in a new series. I did like the author’s writing though, so I would be interested in trying another series of hers. (C/W for rape and violence against women).
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth by Margaret Atwood – this is a short-ish book musing on the philosophical, cultural, literary, and religious history of debt. It had moments of enlightening history and literary interpretation, but I don’t know that it added a ton to my understanding of the role of debt in the world today.
A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym – a new book club spun off from the mystery book club I am in, focusing exclusively on the novels of Pym. This is the first work I ever read of her’s and she has the tremendous ability to create a variety of interesting characters and story lines. This story takes place in a small community near London and involves various local love stories, gossip and town happenings. It is NOT a romance. I think the leader of the book club described them as “slice of life” books and I would very much agree. This was very much a slow and gentle read and while I liked it, I didn’t love it.
Meh:
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters – this is the first in a medieval mystery series and the MC is a monk. Because I really liked the first two books (all I have read so far) in the Dame Frevisse series which is also set in medieval times in a religious community, I was hoping to enjoy this book. Alas, while the setting (Wales) was good and the religious politics of the times well written, the story did not draw me in and the conclusion to the mystery while very tidy almost seemed too tidy.
The Bad:
None
@Karin, I too thought of Murderbot as female.
Read in August, week by week ~
— I’d been looking forward to reading Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver: A Novel but gave up after some 80 pages as it wasn’t speaking to me. Drats.
— enjoyed His Quiet Agent (The Agency Book 1) by Ada Maria Soto though it did leave me with some questions. I think this is a book I’ll be re-reading.
— enjoyed Rhys Ford’s Once Upon a Wolf (The Wayward Wolves Series Book 1) .
— Scrum by P.D. Singer was an okay read, but I don’t think I’ll be re-reading it.
— re-read Anne Bishop’s Lake Silence once again.
— enjoyed JL Merrow’s time travel novella Trick of Time which has a romance featuring two men
— enjoyed Becky Chamber’s Record of a Spaceborn Few which is the third in her Wayfarers series. Of the three, I enjoyed the middle book the most but all have been good reads.
— All Our Wrong Todays: A Novel by Elan Mastai. If you like time travel novels or those dealing with alternate timelines, you might like this. I did.
— the prequel story Grand Master’s Cat: Prequel to the Grand Master’s Trilogy by Aurora Springer. This was pleasant read but I’m not inspired to read on.
— Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking by Jill K. Berry was an enjoyable read. I have a long time affection for maps so this hit the spot.
— Machine Metal Magic (Mind + Machine Book 1) by Hanna Dare was an enjoyable science fiction male/male romance that I will likely re-read. I look forward to reading more in the series.
— Saving Askara: A Sci-fi Romance by J.M. Link was an enjoyable science fiction alien romance that (unfortunately) ended with a cliffhanger.
— The Spinster and Mr. Glover (Blind Cupid Series Book 1) by Karyn Gerrard was a short historical novella. I don’t expect to re-read this.
— Salt Magic Skin Magic by Lee Welch which I quite enjoyed; it is a historical paranormal fantasy romance which had some twists that I did not foresee. I suspect this is a book I’ll be re-reading.
— Becoming Alpha (Alpha Girl Book 1) by Aileen Erin which I’d describe as a young adult paranormal story. I enjoyed it, but it’s the first of eight (so far) books and I’m not sure whether I’ll continue.
— Max Hudson’s contemporary romance Forget Me Not which dealt with the aftereffects of a brain injury/amnesia that caused a relationship to fail.
— re-read, with pleasure, Lyn Gala’s alien romance Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts along with the author’s Prelude to the same.
— News of the World by Paulette Jiles for my book group. I found this a quick and enjoyable read.
— re-read with pleasure Lyn Gala’s Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities and Affiliations, Aliens, and Other Profitable Pursuits,
— two dog themed romances: M.L. Buchman’s Off the Leash (White House Protection Force, book 1) plus Most Eligible Billionaire by Annika Martin (I enjoyed parts of this book and laughed aloud at one scene, but I also had issues with some of the hero’s behavior).
— Courtney Milan’s historical romance After the Wedding. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I did feel as though it could have been a bit shorter.
— re-read Martha Wells’ novella All Systems Red (which won the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novella) and then read, for the first time, Artificial Condition. I enjoyed them both and look forward to reading more in The Murderbot Diaries.
— read Chaos Station by Kelly Jensen and Jenn Burke. I enjoyed this science fiction romance featuring two men, but (since I’d heard such good reviews) I’d hoped for a bit more.
— read the short work (57 pages) Bonds of Fire by Sophie Duncan . It was okay, but it’s not something I expect to re-read.
— read A Fantastic Holiday Season: The Gift of Stories edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Keith J. Olexa since the anthology contained a Patricia Briggs’ story that I had not previously read. I quite enjoyed ‘Unappreciated Gifts’ which featured her character Asil; the rest of the stories in the anthology were a mixed bag .
— Helen Russell’s The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country: which I found to be a quick and enjoyable read.
— browsed through If You Can Doodle, You Can Paint: Transforming Simple Drawings into Works of Art by Diane Culhane was an enjoyable book to browse through. I will say that the author’s doodles look more artistic than mine, but I did get a few ideas.
— re-read, with pleasure, P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon which is a male/male romance with ghosts.
— Penny Reid’s contemporary romance Beard Science (Winston Brothers Book 3) was an enjoyable read. While it’s third in a series, it’s the first I’ve read and stood alone well.
— re-read Amy Crook’s Unboxed. It’s a m/m/m romance in a very interesting world. I will say that the characters eat and drink more than in any other book I’ve read — tea, biscuits, pastries, curries, lager, and more and more. If you read this, you’re almost certain to get hungry.
@DiscoDollyDeb, your insightful remarks are always a highlight of WAYR? I hope you blog.
What you said about Skye Warren’s series, such as “she makes it clear, sometimes the damage is so deep that only an equally-damaged person can understand and help the healing process and, as a result, sexual expression between a couple may reflect that damage” made me think back to a book I read years ago, The Good Boy, where if you just described the characters’ sex life it might seem messed up, but the author is so well into their heads that you can tell why it works for them. (Incidentally, such books are the best rebuttal to anyone who claims that sex in romance novels is just there to distillate the reader — how could sex that is so personal to two characters that is hardly makes sense to others be a performance for the reader’s benefit?)
I picked up Queen Anne’s Lace by Susan Wittig Albert at the library (new book) and enjoyed it so much I have been rereading the entire series about her heroine, China Bayles. I had some of them already and after reading all the library had, the others will be here next week from Amazon.
Books that I’ve quite loved: Mary Robinette Kowal’s THE CALCULATING STARS which is science fiction rewriting the 50s space race with a meteor strike and gender as well as racial diversity; Alyssa Cole’s A DUKE BY DEFAULT which is a charming contemporary romance showcasing working life in modern Edinburgh; Eloisa James’ Born to be Wilde, which was very light in some respects of any conflict between the characters but beautifully complicated in the characters’ circumstances.
I enjoyed some parts more than others of AYESHA AT LAST by Uzma Jalaluddin – a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in Toronto’s Muslim community. I warmed up more to Deborah Wilde’s THE UNLIKEABLE DEMON HUNTER series with book three in the series. Now I’m reading Tracey Livesay’s LOVE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN and except for wincing at the prospect of how the deception in the relationship between hero and heroine is going to come to light.
:::prances in to “Remember Me” from Coco, because my kids are watching Coco like it’s their job:::
It’s not been a heavy reading month. I think my brain is trying to downshift into school mode, and work always goes nutso at the beginning of a school year, so everything I’ve read has been taking forever, even when I love it.
I left off on Contagion by Erin Brown. Great sci-fi/horror combo, but man, did I spend the whole book wanting to slap someone. Still enjoyed it, since that person eventually did experience some consequences. Then I read A Duke By Default by Alyssa Cole, which I loved. I loved Portia, and especially enjoyed her determination to be better than she had been, I loved Tavish (grouchy Hufflepuffs represent), and I laughed my ass off at some #swordbae shenanigans. Then I quickly read Irresistibly Yours by Lauren Layne, which was the first book I’d read by that author, and it was light and sweet, and I especially enjoyed the hero’s relationship with his brother. Then I 180’d into some dark territory with The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. It was a fairly effective mystery, and I thought one of the twists at the end was especially interesting, but TW/CW for suicide, statutory rape, character has an abortion resulting from the statutory rape in question, and there is some very deep exploration of survivor’s guilt and grief, so if any of that would be upsetting for you, proceed with a lot of caution. Stay safe, is what I’m saying here. As I said, dark (but very well-written, to give it its due). After that I needed something delightful, and fortunately The Cheerleaders came out the same day as Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw, which was the sequel to Strange Practice. These books are about Dr. Greta Helsing (the family dropped the “van” a couple centuries back), who is, for lack of a better term, a monster doctor. She treats vampires, ghouls, boogeymen, werewolves, mummies, all your average bump in the night types. The humor is grade-A dry British, the tacky vampires sparkle (much to the disdain of their less-tacky brethren), and the hairmonsters are ADORABLE. I like this series so much. Which brings us to today. In the car, I’m listening to Columbine by Dave Cullen, which is a highly researched and meticulously compiled account of the Columbine massacre. It’s horribly fascinating. Not in the car, I’m reading Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and not having read her writing in a few years, I got to be gobsmacked with the reminder of what a beautiful writer she is. Seriously, no one does phrasing and imagery like this. Also, hey librarian hero hey. It’s insane how good she is, and so far, I love it. Until next month, my black cat Gabby continues to look judgmentally at us all.
@Karin: I absolutely thought of Murderbot as female.
In SEA OF RUST by Robert Cargill (which was also a highlight of my reading year), I tagged the protagonist bot as male until described as otherwise quite a way in.
This has led to some interesting discussions about gender bias and whether/how much it matters in a situation where respecting an individual’s pronouns isn’t an issue on the story table, among other things.
Started the month with Naima Simone’s WAGs series. I read the middle book first, Scoring off the Field, which had shades of The Wall of Winnipeg: the football-playing hero’s personal assistant (who in this case is also his best friend from childhood) tries to quit, only for the football player to realize how much he loves her. I then went back to the first book, Scoring with the Wrong Twin, which took a trope I usually dislike, the twin substitution, and totally made it work. The initial reason for the deception and the heroine’s reasons for not coming clean sooner really worked within the context of the story. And it was hot, both the sexual tension in the earlier part of the book and the sex scenes later. And finally, there was Scoring the Player’s Baby, a not-so-secret-baby book with a Jason Momoa lookalike hero and a straitlaced corporate heroine who meet at a wedding expo. I enjoyed all three of these very much – the racially diverse cast, the depth to the characters, how their actions and reactions were consistent with their backstory and the way they were portrayed. The Wrong Twin was my favorite of the three.
Body of Evidence by Rachel Grant was another very strong romantic suspense – forensic archaeologist heroine plus US Attorney hero. This was wickedly plotted and had such good conflict, both internal and external, keeping them apart. So satisfying.
His Lordship’s True Lady – Grace Burrowes. Her books are comfort reads for me, like mac & cheese. This one followed the typical pattern – two very honorable people meet and fall in love, and it’s almost entirely external conflict keeping them apart. The themes of hiding one’s true self and the importance of family and found family run through this whole series.
Withholding Evidence – another Rachel Grant. I was trying to space them out so I wouldn’t OD. This one was shorter and had more insta-lust than the previous books, but as usual the plotting didn’t let me down.
Midwife to Destiny – Nana Prah – I picked this one up because it’s an African romance, set in Ghana. I really enjoyed the setting and the details of Ghanaian culture and lifestyle that were sprinkled throughout the book, as well as the references to the characters’ faith – I wouldn’t call this an inspirational, just that many of the characters express their faith. It is a ‘sweet’ romance with nothing more than kissing. But there were typos and mistakes that pulled me out of the story (part of the story takes place in Cape Town, and the botanical gardens there were referred to as Kristenburg instead of Kirstenbosch more than once) and the conflict was weak. I wasn’t entirely sure what was keeping these two people apart, and I got impatient with the heroine for pushing the hero away rather than empathizing with her. There wasn’t very much subtlety or nuance to her actions – they often seemed over the top. She did however go to see a therapist for counseling so I was stoked to see that. Good though not perfect – and gee, how often do you see a romance set in Ghana? Worth it for that alone.
Then the next three books in Rachel Grant’s Evidence series went on sale for 99 cents. That’s a bargain in anyone’s language. I loved all three of them – Incriminating Evidence, Covert Evidence and Cold Evidence. Great twisty plots, scientist heroines with good backstories, and I felt like I learned a lot from them.
Keeping on the romantic suspense, my request for the early Suzanne Brockmann SEAL novels from the library finally came through. Some of them, anyhow – Prince Joe, Forever Blue and Frisco’s Kid. I adored Joe Cat in Prince Joe (especially how he managed to surprise and fluster everyone, especially the heroine), Forever Blue was just fine (my favorite part was the epilogue) and thought Frisco’s Kid was the best of the three. I love how Brockmann so often makes her heroes totally vulnerable and forces them to expose that vulnerability to the heroine, and Frisco’s Kid is a masterclass in that.
More Rachel Grant – Tinderbox, Flashpoint and Catalyst – all in a row, these were way too addictive to spread them out. Fascinating settings (Djibouti, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo), diverse characters, Grant’s usual twisty and satisfying plots, and again lots of interesting facts sprinkled throughout. Tinderbox (Book 1) had a hefty dose of insta-lust, and the heroine’s issues with her family seemed to be wrapped up easily. Catalyst was my favorite – I actually felt like I was taking a boat trip down the Congo River with the h&h. CW for sexual assault in Catalyst, and the constant possibility of sexual assault for the NGO employee heroine in book 2.
Penalty Play by Lynda Aicher – I picked this up for 99 cents because I like hockey books, and this was so much more complex and well-written than the blurb made it sound. I loved both the MCs and they were so right for each other. Again making oneself vulnerable in order to allow love in was one of the main themes.
After the SBTB review and the podcast with Victoria Helen Stone, I read Jane Doe. Jane was such an interesting character, and I couldn’t put the book down, but I found her interactions with Steven really difficult and painful to read. I get that she was aware of how he was trying to manipulate her, and that she was actually the one doing the manipulating, but knowing what those sort of exchanges did to Jane’s friend Meg, and knowing that there are plenty of men in real life who speak and behave that way, without a vengeful Jane to punish them… those parts of the book were very tough going.
Never Deceive a Duke by Liz Carlyle – okay, so I read this and remember that I liked it, but I can’t remember much about it, except that the heroine is overwhelmed by grief and guilt at the beginning of the book, due to the death of her young daughter. I liked the hero and thought he was very honorable.
From Duke to Dawn – Giving Eva Leigh another chance after the Quills of London series (I read and very much disliked the one with the sheltered tonne virgin writing erotic fiction – I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy but I just could not suspend disbelief with that premise). This was overwritten in places (a hundred thousand scenarios raced through her head…), and the constant rhetorical questions the MCs asked themselves in their heads were just annoying. Perhaps her writing style just isn’t for me.
‘Do or Die’ – continuing my Suzanne Brockmann backlist binge. I liked this more than I thought I would, considering it was only tangentially related to the Troubleshooters series. Like those books it was layered with lots of plot threads and many characters. I didn’t get to know Phoebe, the heroine, as well as I would’ve liked, but I really enjoyed the development of Phoebe and Ian’s relationship as well as the familial relationships. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the secondary Troubleshooters characters a bit better (Deb, Yashi & Martell). And Suzanne, if you’re reading this, Martell and Francine both deserve HEAs – whether separately or together. Can you get your muse working on that for me please? Thanks.
The Duchess Deal – Tessa Dare – a refreshing palate cleanser after all the romantic suspense!
Someone above mentioned the Puffin Island series book deal – I scored the same deal and read all four of them in one go. The first book had some turns of phrase that sounded distinctly British to me, which kept pulling me out of the story – particularly how everyone kept referring to the sea. This makes sense in Britain, which is actually surrounded by seas, the Irish and the North. But in Maine, wouldn’t it be called the ocean? I’m sure this sounds like petty nit-picking, but every time I read it I got pulled right out of the story. There were also a couple of times (perhaps in book 3) where I wondered how close this magical Maine island was supposed to be to Boston. There was mention of a 20-minute flight from Logan, or taking a cab from Logan to the ferry port. Um no. It’s a 2 hour drive just to Portland. Anyhow. The second book, Playing by the Greek’s Rules, was my favorite – a Greek billionaire who was NOT out for revenge, and a sunny, optimistic orphan. Who was British, so it didn’t matter how she spoke. The other three books were solid without being amazing.
My Brother Michael – Mary Stewart – I liked this, with its subtle romance and vivid descriptions of the settings (Greece, around Delphi) but it totally reminded me of another of her books – the one set in Crete maybe? The plot was so similar.
Looking for Trouble – Victoria Dahl – a great entry in her Jackson, WY series. Fantastic conflict, moments of tension that actually made me catch my breath, and it totally flipped the small town convention on its head.
The Wild Child – Mary Jo Putney – so solid, as MJP always is. This is one of her older books. The heroine is a ‘fey creature’ who doesn’t speak due to childhood trauma and has an affinity for nature. Her character is well-developed and never ever falls into ‘manic pixie dream girl’ territory. This is another twin-switching book that worked for me – the hero does turn out to be highly honorable despite the whole switching-with-his-twin thing and I loved how he helps draw the heroine back into the world (although she also draws him into her world; it’s not all one-way).
And finally, rounding off the month, more Suzanne Brockmann – Hawken’s Heart, The Admiral’s Bride, Identity: Unknown and Get Lucky. I adored The Admiral’s Bride, a May/December romance. The heroine is pretty kickass; she works for ‘the Agency’ and is helping the admiral & his SEALs take out a misogynist, polygamist terrorist organization within the US. After reading Hawken’s Heart (which was solid) I totally thought Jake deserved his romance. I really liked Identity: Unknown when I was reading it (Mitch is a wonderful hero and I liked how Becca went after what she wanted); but afterwards, reflecting on it, there were a bunch of plot holes and things that just didn’t make sense. Like why did it take place mostly in a random nowhere town and on a random nowhere ranch in New Mexico? I’m in the midst of Get Lucky now and like Lucky more in his book than I did in previous ones.
My daughter, who’s 8, wanted me to mention some of the books she’s been reading. She’s really into the series EJ: Girl Hero by Susannah MacFarlane. EJ is Emma Jacks, who is an 11-year-old spy for an agency called Shine. Susannah MacFarlane makes a point of ensuring all of the characters, barring Emma’s father and brother, are female. So whenever we see a pilot, doctor, musician or bad guy, they’re all female. Also, Emma often gets sent overseas, so Miss 8 has picked up lots of interesting geography facts and phrases from other languages. (She now wants to go to Italy so we can visit Murano and see millefiore being made…) There’s also a plot thread in each book that takes place in Emma’s ‘normal’ life at school and home. I don’t know if they’re available outside Australia, but Miss 8 highly recommends them.
Yay for vacation reading! Finished several books in one week (I’m kinda of a slow reader so uninterrupted reading time with few distractions is wonderful.). Read books 2 and 3 of Matha Wells’ Murderbot diaries, Artificial Condition and Rogue Protocol, both were great.
Read an older book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and it was excellent (what took me so long to pick this up?). Hopeful, and touching and funny and heartbreaking all in one. The story of the British citizens who were occupied by Germany during WWII off the coast of France, told in flashbacks in letter format. Loved it, and there is a romance that is a small part too.
Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose. This is the second in a series of mysteries set in Regency era London with an Earl and a lady artist who draws satirical caricatures for a living. Am really enjoying this series, the author knows her history, great characters (both main and secondary) and it takes place mostly outside the usual high society events. And yes there is a slow building romance. Shoutout to SBSarah, I think you might enjoy this series and the author would be a great guest for the podcast!
I just finished A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell — I think it might have been a Bitchery recommendation? AND IT IS SO GOOD, Y’ALL. I’m here for Sherlock Holmes adaptations, even some of the bad ones, but this story stands alone on its own merit, and made me excited that there might be a sequel? I hope? But I loved the main character, thought the wartime PTSD was handled well, and the politics were both timely and realistic yet encouraging? I NEEDED that book like it was medicine, and I’m still shocked by how intensely it touched my soul. Also, the two main characters are WOC and the racial makeup of the areas they lived in and travelled through was portrayed accurately (sorry, pet peeve about urban stories without adequate POC — I’ll get off my soapbox). All in all, I want to live in that world and I want a series of 10 books all set there, if the author could deliver that to me.
Also read Laurell K Hamilton’s latest Anita Blake, Serpentine. Maybe I’m getting cranky in my old age, but Blake’s “I’m not like other girls” shtick is getting old. Also, the books now spend too much time dealing with all the conflicts between different characters and I’m over here like MOAR MYSTERIES please. Was not planning to read this but it was an accidental auto buy and I think I’m done with this series, unless something dramatic changes.
@Karin. Yes! I also thought of Murderbot as female in the first book. By the third book I was leaning to Male for some reason. No idea what the author intends but I’m loving the books.
@Deborah: Can you elaborate on this part?
“I’m waffling between two extremes on what might have made it better for me: either seeing the heroine exhibit more stereotypically alpha behavior or having her wholeheartedly accept his need for submission but not herself feeling inclined to deliver the pain he craves (so he continues to visit the domme at the whipping den with his wife’s approval).”
I haven’t read this yet (though I’ve bought it!), and am curious what you mean.
Based on recommendations from here, I read Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone. I think the fact that I read it right after another book recommended by someone here – The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova – really made it even better. Confidence covers human nature and how it makes us all easy prey for con artists. Jane gets into how human nature looks to someone whose sociopathic personality prevents her from feeling empathy.
1) Every month I am so overwhelmed by, but mostly envious of you SBs who are able to read 15+ books in a month. I’m struggling to finish 4 or 5 (& 1 is only 32 pages… but more on that later). How do you do it (partially rhetorical, partially not)???
2) One of the 4 books was an ARC I was incredibly lucky to receive of Tessa Dare’s “The Governess Game”. As it’s not officially on sale til Tuesday, I’ll hold off on reviewing it til SBTB puts up theirs (uh, midnight, Tuesday, please ). Just – plot moppets and plot dolls rule! But seriously – I have been wondering for quite a while how Colin Jost ended up as the cover model for Chase…
3) Renee Ann Miller’s second book in her “Infamous Lords” series, “Never Deceive a Viscount” was good. Some nit-picky things:
the big deception(s) were slow to unravel, generally due to the H/h’s lack of using words. With each other. But the build-up of the next H’s past, along with the teaser at the end of the book, makes me look forward to Miller’s third installment.
And I’d definitely read a book about this one’s plot moppets’ future romance, 10-15 years down the road…
4) “Minority Leader” by and about Stacey Abrams just has me wishing for half (even a quarter would be fine) of her levelheadedness and strength, and praying every night for the voters of Georgia to do the right thing for themselves and the country come November.
5) And finally, my favorite book of the summer, which I hope will be the kids I read to(‘s) favorite book of the new school year, is Ryan T. Higgins’s
picture book, “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!”
Penelope Rex is so darn appealing in all of her wonderful pre-kindergarten anxiety and woe, that you must forgive her for eating all of her classmates… because they are children. And, you know, children are delicious. This is such a joy to read; do yourselves a favor and spring for the physical book. There’s an Easter Egg on the boards beneath the dust jacket that needs to be seen, and small (and maybe big) children will want to touch the pages in a way much more conducive to do with paper. Higgins’ era-spanning inclusivity is wry and loving.
SB SARAH: aren’t we long overdue for you to read us a story? And for NEXT month, it could be the upcoming “Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise”!
My reading list is both lesser and fuller than I’d like. I’m chipping away at “How to Get to Yes” for a negotiations class, which is due this Wednesday. Then in two more weeks, I’ll need to have read “How to Make Friends and Influence People” This is on top of my case books, but those don’t count.
For myself, since I have such limited brain bandwidth for reading, I’m listening to the audio book of “Ganymede”, which is part of the Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest. My appetite for steampunk has grown over the years, as has my willingness to read horror/supernatural books. Which is Ms. Priest’s bread and butter. I’ve also been re-reading/thumbing through her “Four and Twenty Blackbirds” book.
In other audio book news, the library just sent me rentals of “Alexander Hamilton” because I am going to find some way to finish that book dammit! Tonight the library finally also sent me a digital rental of the audio book for “A Simple Favor”. Hopefully the book will prove to be worth the wait list. So yeah, wish I didn’t have to read the two for school, but c’est la vie I guess. Speaking of which, should probably go now and get my 60 pages for the night.
Better late than never!
First, the best:
The Last Wolf and A Wolf Apart by Maria Vale – OMGOMGOMGOMG! These were the PNRs I didn’t know I needed in my life. They’re werewolf books, but with such a unique and different voice. I want everyone in the world to read them and gush with me.
Jane Doe by Victoria Dahl – So Good. A suspense that filled me with the same kind of glee and giddiness a sweet romance does. A+++ book.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – Incredible. It’s a fantasy with a tiny romantic plot line, but mostly about 3 badass women dealing with their not-fantastic lives. Beautiful writing and so many depictions of the different ways women show strength in everyday and extraordinary situations. I took screenshots of different quotes bc they affected me so much, and I’ve never done that.
Books that were good but I had issues with:
A lot of stuff by Molly Harper. I didn’t read the entirety of any series bc my library had an eclectic mix of stuff. I liked the books, but after reading several I realized there was a huge lack of non-white characters in any of the books. IDK, maybe I missed some stuff, but it felt like every single person in all of her books was white. If you ignore the diversity stuff, which feels wrong, the books are fine but not, imo, extraordinary. Quirky characters, some humor mixed with suspense (sometimes very unevenly), not terrible but there’s better stuff out there.
Dr. Strangebeard by Penny Reid – Normally I love Reid’s books, but this one just didn’t work for me. I got annoyed that the hero kept whining about how awful having an eidetic memory is and how often the heroine declared that she’d never fall in love and that she just wasn’t going to feel things and ugh. I’m still going to read her next one, but this was a disappointment.
Book I hated:
Dragon Fall by Katie MacAlister – This is taking “quirky” and dialing it up past 11 and I hated it. The plot could have been decent, but there was a talking demon dog that was obsessed with his testicles. The heroine and the demon dog say things like “walkies!” and “noogies” (for testicles) and there are outlandish substitutes for curse words like “Sweet suffering salamanders” practically every page. On top of that the plotting is inconsistent, the characters are flat and immature and stubborn, and the romance is basically, “I want to bone you but I have some other feelings that I refuse to talk about.” Not my cup of tea at all.
Was anyone else affected by Mercury in retrograde? Not a great reading month for me – picked up and dropped quite a few titles. Started Danielle Allen’s ‘Sweatpants Season’ (yes, on the strength of that cover!) but it read too much like a debut work to keep me hooked; I’ll likely get back to it when the mood strikes again.
Ignoring the massive TBR, I opted for comfort re-reading instead with Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English mysteries – absolutely perfect for when you’re in the mood to have your heart shattered and then painstakingly put back together again. Also read her latest Holmes & Moriarity mystery which was predictably great – I love Christopher’s hilarious, bitchy voice.
@JoannaV – I caught the film adaptation of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ on Netflix, and while it was quite good, I hated the Nazi romance subplot – that’s a huge NOPE for me. I haven’t read the book and I understand that there were significant differences between the book and the movie, but was this plot line in the original story? Or did the filmmakers add it to the movie?
@Anonymous (#55) – I can try. The Duke I Tempted is definitely a book worth moving up your TBR, so skip this comment if you want no spoilers at all. I’m trying to be vague, but…
The heroine eventually displays some stereotypically alpha behaviors (of the growly “mine!” sort), but it comes late in the book. Since that’s the direction the author chose, I would have appreciated seeing those behaviors sooner and more frequently so they would feel more organic to me. Alternately, she could have displayed no dominant tendencies at all and instead have truly understood and accepted the hero’s need for subjugation without being the one to deliver it. (I’m intrigued by the idea of a loving couple who doesn’t share a kink. I think that could actually be romantic, but the genre tends to insist on partners completing/complementing each other in all ways.)
The terrific books I’ve read this month:
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding. Five stars! A plus-size heroine whose story does not have weight loss as the goal! LGBT+ romance!
The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier. A wonderful magic trick of a book! I felt like I was watching a shell game except the rotating cups were couplings. Also, you find out very early that ‘unicorn horn’ is a euphemism for penis. Saucy!
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. Even though I’ve read this book what feels like a million times, this was my first re-read in a long while because I wanted to watch the film adaptation (now on DVD.) This still holds strong at #2 of my Top 3 Judy Blume Novels of All Time (the other two being It’s Not The End of the World and Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great.) It’s a fairly quiet – but not boring! – book that translated into an equally quiet – but not boring! – movie. Directed by Judy Blume’s son, actress Willa Holland was cast perfectly as Davey. I was captivated by her, and mostly her. Other actors were questionable, and I definitely wanted more of little brother Jason. However, it was faithful to the book in ways that were small but satisfying (the Dracula cape, the Christmas candle, the dancing bear.) I was pleased that in the movie, Davey and Wolf actually kiss instead of her just fantasizing about it. And watching the death scene instead of reading it was sad in an entirely different way.
PLUS, I SPOTTED JUDY BLUME!!! Enough said.
Lots of Courtney Milan and Rachel Grant over the past couple weeks, and enough to keep going for a few more weeks, I hope. I’m picking up the ones I missed along the way. And I also have A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson waiting. Now that the offspring are back in school, I’m back on the treadmill at the gym and it’s back to reading a lot!
I really liked Rachel Grant’s CATALYST and TINDERBOX in her new Flashpoint series. In some ways her writing reminds me of Courtney Milan — so much research, so many layers to the characters, takes a lot of risks with the conflicts she sets up, creates absolutely beautiful sentences and structure to the novels, extremely high quality standards in self-pub books, etc — sure, they write completely different book genres (historicals vs. military romantic suspense) but at least to me, they give me a lot of the same reading experience and feeling. That’s why I’m toggling back and forth between the two authors right now.
@Maile. I haven’t yet seen the film version of Guensey Literary Society yet, but I want too! As for the romance, yes there is a relationship in the book between a Nazi doctor and a main character during the war, since the book is kind of told in flashbacks what you get is people’s opinions of him and the relationship, some that he was a good person who didn’t want to be there and some that saw it as aiding the enemy. He was only a small part of the story and since he is not around after the war when the book really takes place you don’t get much of a sense of him as a character.
The story struck me as realistic, as occupiers the Germans were generally truly horrible, but they were also human, and as individuals could be kind and generous on occasion, often when the local citizens least expected it.
August was a busy month with a couple of ‘new to me’ authors and a long weekend for reading.
Outstanding
Fielding, Kimberly – Brute (M/M). A recommendation from SBTB, the main character was amazing. I read it at the beginning of the month and then reread it by the end, just to savor the characterizations.
Very Good
Other Kimberly Fielding books – including The Sacrifice and the Bones series. Not as good as Brute, but still interesting. The Bones series is set in modern day Pacific Northwest with werewolves.
Megan Derr – The Harem Master (M/M). Again the characterizations got to me. Other Derr books read were good but not up to the Harem Master, including Lynx [3/5]; Backwoods Asylum [3/5]; Rabbit Season [2/5]; An Admirer [3/5]; Kiss the Rain [2/5]; An Exception [2/5]; and Treasure [3/5].
Klune, TJ – How to be a Normal Person (M/M). This just hit me in the right place. A socially awkward loner trying to impress/date the new hipster in town. The people were nuts and I would reread it just for the funny internet provider service call.
Lionsdrake, Ruby – Unchained (M/F/M). It’s fun! And heroine is refreshingly competent, managing to save herself several times.
Vale, Maria – The Last Wolf (F/M). A unique werewolf story and interesting both from the world building and the character side. The second one, A Wolf Apart, wasn’t as good, but was still a good read.
Good
Charles, K J – Unfit to Print (M/M). I liked the characters, I liked the setting. However it just felt unfinished and not long enough.
Locke, Claryssa – Pirate Consort. Telepathic space pirates are always awesome. This was just not as awesome as the earlier ones in the series and more of a continuation book than a romance.
Lucille, Kelly – Shielding Her (F/M). Another series disappointment. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as the others. I didn’t feel like I really knew the heroine.
Walker, N.R. – Finders Keepers (M/M). This was sweet. From the meet cute over a lost dog to the dates on the beach, it was a frothy read, perfect for a summer’s afternoon.
OK
Kyle, Celia – Real Men Howl (F/M). This book was a solid 3/5 up until the end, when it slipped into the 2 range.
Ribbon, Madeline – Blessed Curses (M/M). I had high hopes for this, but it wasn’t for me.
Roberts, Val – Unique Solution(F/M). Yet another series disappointment. I love the author’s other work and the first part of the book was page turning. The rest, however, had issues. Like formatting (same scenes in multiple places) and continuity. I think it needed another edit.
@Rebecca @Paula Thank you so much for your kind comments! I’m thrilled you enjoy my books. I try to put an animal-rescue subplot in each book, because that is, in my view, an extremely important message. Also happy you like my heroines – I hate silly heroines! As for what I am reading, it’s a series of Donna Leon books set in Venice – the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries. Love them!
I’ve spent the last several days binge reading books by Jennifer Bernard, a new to me author. I read the Jupiter Point series, and then the Bachelor Fireman of San Gabriel books. I REALLY loved these, so much so it was very hard for me to do anything else, I kept glancing longingly at my Kindle. Very engaging heroes, strong and competent heroines-she is an author who ticks a lot of boxes for me! She also has a series set in the world of baseball that I will read as soon as I reload my amazon gift card 🙂
@Betsydub-you asked how some people can read so many books in a month-I’m able to do it because I have the summer off and I’m an empty nester. I might also let household chores slide a bit…
@Lulinke and @Alexandra YES to Spinning Silver!!! I absolutely loved Uprooted and squee’ed heartily about it on last month’s Whatcha Reading post, and now I am about 75% finished with Spinning Silver and loving it just as much, albeit in a different way. I was trying so hard to finish it last night but fell asleep around midnight with my Kindle over my face, so TONIGHT I have a date with the rest of that book and I can’t wait.
@Kristen I don’t know how I missed out on Rachel Grant before now but I am adding her books to my TBR after reading your list, sounds right up my alley. Also I am going to look for the girl hero books for my 8 year old daughter, who says she likes “books with adventures like Harry Potter but just with more GIRLS.” She’s pretty awesome.
This was a pretty great reading month for me because we went on a beach vacation. We always stay in the same condo, which is a little “rough around the edges” in terms of amenities but has a fantastic giant screened porch. My post-kid-bedtime vacation ritual is to mix myself a rum & coke and sit out there with my Kindle and read until WAY later than I probably should. While we were there I read Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas (just OK for me, I know others liked it better but I was skimming by the end), One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah Maclean (OMG so freaking good, I love this series), The Thief by JR Ward (very good, but where TF is she going with this new storyline, I wonder), and As Dust Dances by Samantha Young (pretty darn good. This author writes some HOT scenes and I love her Scotland settings. Not sure if she will ever recapture the magic of On Dublin Street for me but this was a solid book). I’ve spent the week since we’ve been home with Spinning Silver and loving it so much. Next up I have the third book in the Rules of Scoundrels series, new Kylie Scott called Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time, and The Duchess Deal, so reading-wise, September is looking pretty good so far!
@Kristen, thanks for Miss 8’s recommendations! I am actually looking for books for tween girls, so I am open to any more suggestions. They are bilingual(Spanish and English) so they may be slightly below English-only 6th grade readers. The last thing I know one of them enjoyed was Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
@Karin, for tween girls, check out Dork Diaries if they like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. To me it’s the same but just with a girl protagonist. My girls have also loved the Upside Down Magic series and the Whatever After series, the Charmed series by Jen Calonita, and they love graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier.
I had to go back to work today after being on vacation for a week. Didn’t go anywhere but I spent money on new furniture and attempted (and succeeded) in reading a book a day.
–Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid–This book jumped 5 years from the last book and focuses on the youngest Roscoe and his childhood friend Simone. It was good but everybody wants Billy and Claire’s book which is next up but it got pushed back.
–Someone Else’s Ocean by Kate Stewart. Father gets devastating news about his 16 year old daughter so he leaves the city and goes to his old vacation home on a Caribbean island and runs into the old next door neighbor
–Driven by K. Bromberg. Read this because it’s the new movie on Passionflix. It was just ok to me and left off with a cliffhanger. I’m not sure I’m interested enough to read the rest of the series.
–Baby Maker by P. Dangelico. Financial manager decides to forgo her timeline and wants a baby before it’s too late. Finds a retired football player through friends that wants more out of life. It was cute and there are a couple of other books that feature characters in this book.
–Transcend by Jewel E. Ann. Duet book. Nanny knows things about her widowed boss that only his best friend knew and she was murdered years ago. He thinks she might be his friend reincarnated. I liked this one. Still haven’t read the second one to find out what happened though.
–Man Card and Boy Toy by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby. There are three books in this series that follow 3 friends. The books are really funny especially the 1st one and it doesn’t hurt that the books take place about 45 minutes from me so I’m familiar with the area.
–Fauxmance by L.H. Cosway. A male escort is intrigued listening to a female in a coffee shop talking to her friend about her wild weekly escapades. What he doesn’t know is that it’s all an act and that she is actually painfully shy. He decides to take her under his wing and help her open up.
–Shame on You by Tara Sivec. Three friends run a Bail Bonds business and Kennedy also helps out her father. Her father wants her to partner up with her ex-husband’s best friend. She doesn’t want to because she’s pissed at him because she thinks he knew about the husband cheating on her. They end up betting to see who can end the case first and it just ends up being a really funny but short book.
–Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger Slow Burn romance between a wallflower and a Scottish rugby player living in the apartment across the hall. It was an enemies to friends to lovers book that I really enjoyed.
–Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven. Sequel to Bad Romeo. I felt like these 2 books were really drawn out. They were both good and you get an excellent look at the backstory but I felt like it was too much and at some points you just wanted it to be over.
–Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn. A Daytime tv host is trying to keep her dating life private but because she used company resources she has to talk about a new restaurant Going In Blind. She ends up getting set up with The Suit, The Rebel and The Jock. I really liked this book and at times it was funny.
–The Stocking was Hung by Tara Sivec Heroine loses her job, dumps her boyfriend and is now homeless has to go home to her family for Christmas. While her flight is delayed she convinces a soldier just getting home from an 18 month deployment to go home with her and pretend to be the boyfriend she just dumped. I love Tara Sivec’s books especially her funny over the top ones.
–Games of the Heart by Kristen Ashley. 4th book in her Burg series. Also known as the book that would not end.
–Rough, Raw and Ready by Lorelei James. 5th book in the Rough Riders series. Newlywed married couple are surprised when the husband’s old roping partner and lover show up after he left him years ago. Wife is afraid husband is going to leaver her end up with menage relationship. It was ok. Felt like there need to be more to the story. Tied up too quick and too fast.
–Road-Tripped by Nicole Archer Manwhore of the Office and copy editor trying to restart her life get stuck going on a 2 month advertising tour across country in an RV nicknamed the Silver Dildo. This book was great. It was funny, it was angsty and a lot of banter. I have never read this author before but there are a couple more books in the series I look forward to reading.
–The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. This book has been getting a lot of good reviews and I can see why. The main female character has Asperger’s and is uncomfortable with a lot of things except numbers. She hires a male escort to help her get used to touching and being around people.
@AmyS-Have you read the other books in the Rough Rider Series? Trevor and Edgard are in the first book in the series-Long Hard Ride. So there is a lot of history behind Edgard coming into their lives.
@Kristen – so glad you are still enjoying the Suzanne Brockmann. Prince Joe is one of my all time favorites. I don’t think I saw Night Watch on your list yet – that is another one of my Brockmann favorites from the Tall Dark and Dangerous series.
Although I have read and loved romance since I was a young teen, Brockmann was my first addictive must read author when I was in high school and college. I remember driving to Borders!!! late at night because I just had to get the next Troubleshooters series. And I was in college when she announced that Sam and Alyssa were getting their own book and I completely freaked out and wrote her a fan girl email saying thank thank thank you. So I am glad someone else is finding them and enjoying them!!!
@KatieC, thanks so much for the rec! I am really enjoying them. Hopefully Night Watch will come in at the library soon!
@Karin, the other series she is loving at the moment is the Truly Tan series by Jen Storer. They’re very Australian in voice & humor (so there’s probably a fair amount of slang and Australianisms which may not translate easily?), and she & I both find them hilarious. In each of the books there’s a ‘mystery’ that Tan needs to solve, and luckily (as she herself says) she has the mind of a great detective. The stories are in Tan’s 1st person point of view interspersed with her diary entries. There are six books in the series with another due soon, and Miss 8 will happily read them over & over again.
Thank you all for the recommendations!
The Obstruction of Emma Goldsworthy by Sean Kennedy – ff NA, #3 in Get Out series, but pretty standalone. More of a coming of age story than a romance but a lot of fun. So Many Feelings! So much drama – with exes and exes’ exes.
Thanks to a comment by someone here I got Aftercare by Chris Tanya for free and then binged on like 4 or 5 books by her. Really enjoyed Omega Revealed – feminist a/b/o mm
Continuing to cautiously work my way through Matthew Metzger’s backlist. Favorite this month was the excellent Spy Stuff – YA m/m trans story.
Update!! Finished Spinning Silver, ALLLLL the Good Book Noise. All of it. The last line is everything.
Also, I know this comment is late but I checked into Rachel Grant as a result of this post and just wanted to give a heads up that Concrete Evidence (book 1 in her Evidence series) is free right now for Kindle on Amazon! I know what I am reading tonight…..
Joining in on the lovefest for The Phantom Tree! It was one of the most unique, refreshing time travel novels I’ve ever read.
@ 1, I’ve not read RING OF BRIGHT WATER, but the movie and song of the same name are excellent.