How in the world is it the second Saturday in June already? Is summer in full swing for you yet? New England is still figuring things out.
We hope you all have been reading some great things and we want to hear about ALL THE BOOKS!
Elyse: I started watching Chernobyl on HBO so I’m reading Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). It’s really fascinating.
I’m also reading Rebel Hard for our book club!
Carrie: I’m almost done with Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Amanda: At BLC, I got some great tips on increasing my audiobook listening since I don’t really have a commute. Now, when I’m winding down in bed at night and playing phone games, I’ll pop in my headphones and play an audiobook. I’ve been listening and enjoying Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ), which is part of the Audible Romance Package.
Sarah: I really liked that one!
Where did you get these tips? That’s a great one.
Amanda: Nita from Hachette Audio! I had a meeting with her about audiobooks and she was awesome.
I’m also reading The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). I have high hopes for this one and I’m curious to see how the heroine’s situation regarding fertility will shake out.
Also…it looks like they might be redesigning the Elder Races covers.
Sarah: Nita is brilliant.
Alas…I’m not reading anything at the moment. I’m listening to some things, though!
Amanda: TELL US ANYWAY
Sarah: I just finished listening to My Year of Rest and Relaxation (review to come) which was powerful and weird and terribly absorbing, but definitely something I need to listen to and not read.
Amanda: That’s Ottessa right?
Sarah: Yes. WOW is it weird and transfixing.
Amanda: She writes some weird stuff. I read Eileen by her.
Sarah: You’re on first name basis?
Amanda: HAHA! Yeah, Ottessa and I are BFFs.
Sarah: I just landed off the hold list for Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditations for Extraordinary Performance ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which, I’m not sure where I learned about it but Past Sarah makes neat choices for Future Sarah’s hold requests!
What books have kicked off your reading month? Any winners?
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!
In honor of Pride month I’ve been reading Melissa Scott & Lisa Barnett’s Astreiant series. M/M mystery + romance + fantasy + alternate history, with all sorts of immersive details.
Just binge-read Mary Robinette’s The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky. Amazing. Science, multidimensional characters, and a very sweet romance between the narrator and her husband.
Also I’ve read Nalini Singh’s Wolf Rain twice now, and plan to read it a third time.
I’ve still been listening to audiobooks more than reading. I signed up for the Audible Romance Package to try it out so trying to listen to as much as I can. I’m lucky because I can listen to books at work, so I can usually get through a book in a night or two.
The Audible Romance Package has the first romance audiobook book I ever listened to way back in the 90s. It was one of the books that got me hooked on romance novels. And it’s read by one of my favorite narrators – Barbara Rosenblat. It’s Amanda Quick’s Mistress. That started me on a binge of more of Amanda Quick’s 90s historicals. I’ve listened to Mystique, Mischief and Affair. All of them narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. There are a few more from Amanda Quick/Barbara Rosenblat in the Romance Package so I’m hoping to get through the rest in the next couple weeks. Since it’s finally stopped raining and I can get out in the garden, I will be listening to audiobooks even more.
I’ll be finishing up ‘Do You Want To Start A Scandal’ this morning. Thank you to those who suggested that I read it a while back, it was a funny, sexy, and lovely read. 🙂
I’ll probably be taking a break from reading for the next two weeks to get some artwork done.
Thank you KateB for telling us about the new audio versions of Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond series. I read those books years ago and loved them, but imagine that listening would be an entirely new experience. I clicked immediately over to Audible, listened to a sample and had to remind myself that I don’t need to buy the entire series now, since I can only listen to one at a time! I’m looking forward to revisiting those books again.
I read the first two books in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series and really enjoyed them. There was an bundle of the first three books on sale a while ago and it was recommended here. Fantasy isn’t my first choice, but historical fiction is and this was a really great blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Another poster mentioned getting book echo when you binge read a series. I find that sometimes too, so when I am enjoying a series, I try to stop and take a rest between books. I’ll pick up number 3 later this summer.
I also read the Devil’s Daughter, which I liked, but didn’t love. The heroine never felt fully real to me, which may be because I think that I have skipped at least one book in this series. I was happy to see the hero get his happy ending.
Currently revisiting ancient Rome and Falco, which is always a pleasure.
I’m happy to see the love for Mary Renault, who I discovered as a teenager and read everything she wrote that was available at my library. I actually bought both of the Marilyn Miller books after recs here, but haven’t read them yet. I think I will move them up on list in my TBR folders, when I need a break from Falco.
I need to echo recommendations above for the audio versions of Educated and Circe (though I’m in the minority as one who loved Song of Achilles more). But I loved, loved, loved, The Bride Test. I thought the Kissing Quotient was good, but this one was even better – I described it as toothachingly beautiful to my sister as I handed it to her. I also listened to the Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren, and while it took me a while to get into it, I was satisfied by the end. Sarah, thanks for mentioning Stress Less; let us know what you think. I just asked my library to get it in audio, so I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed.
Since the last Whatcha Reading, I’ve read almost entirely romance, which is a bit unusual for me; usually I mix it up with other genres and some nonfiction. I spent most of Memorial Day reading “The Wedding Ring Quest” by Carla Kelly. It didn’t compare to her best books, (I thought the setup was silly and not really believable) but I always like her characters. Then “Riven” by Roan Parrish. I don’t read many rockstar romances, but this was good. After the angst in “Riven,” the much lighter and fluffier “Temptations of a Wallflower” by Eva Leigh. I’m saving my thoughts on “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” for this afternoon’s book group. Lastly, KJ Charles’s novella “Wanted, A Gentleman,” which I found on the shelf in my public library when I went to borrow the Leigh book. I’ve read most of KJ Charles’s books, but all as ebooks; this was the first time I’ve ever seen a paper book of hers “in the wild.”
My unintentional “themes” these past two weeks were heroes named Theo (in “Riven” and “Wanted, A Gentleman”) and “heroine or hero writes pseudonymous popular novels of which the (other) hero is a fan without knowing that his love interest is the author” (“Temptations of a Wallflower” and “Wanted, A Gentleman.”)
Finally, thank you to whoever recommended the “Devil’s Cub” modern AU fanfic a few months ago. It was delightful.
@JillQ I loved the Ghost Belonged to Me as a kid! I read it after finding out that my favorite movie at the time, The Child of Glass, was based on it.
@Melanie How can I find this fanfic? Please do tell more….
Here goes!
Very Good
Boykin, Alma – CLEARLY FAMILIAR. Fifth in her Familiar Tales series – an urban fantasy with mages that still have to go to work, attend conferences, and deal with their in-laws while also dealing with magical issues, and whether familiar vet visits are tax deductible. The books aren’t long, and the latest is a compilation of short stories, but they are a lovely read.
Roberts, Val – KINDNESS OF STRANGERS. F/M Sci-fi romance. Third in her Ganymede Series this lives up to the other two. My favorite is still the first one (Open Mike at Club Bebop) but that may be because I love a down on her luck heroine who turns out to be amazing in her own way. This book dealt with an older hero and heroine, refreshing in Sci fi where people are often young and fit. It explores how you can fall in love or lust without having even a body at your disposal.
Walker, N.R. – THE HATE YOU DRINK – M/M CW for alcoholism. While this is a romance it is almost more about recovery from alcoholism than the relationship. There is angst, there is hope. It was a lovely journey with these two characters.
Walker, N.R. – UPSIDE DOWN M/M Asexual romance. This is a a sweet Australian romance between a librarian and the guy who rides the same bus. It is sweet. There are coffee dates and wacky side characters and mango fries (which I now I want to try). And there are serious thoughts and discussions about what asexual and relationships really mean.
Good
Bailey, Tessa – Heat Stroke. M/M A recommendation from SBTB (thanks!) a nice low angst beach read about life guards.
Fielding, Kim – Redesigning Landry Bishop . M/M Light read about a Hollywood lifestyle expert and his new assistant.
Lucille, Kelly – Love me or let me go F/M This is an ok book with an amazing scene. The heroine does what we all wish we could do about the sleazy guy in the office – makes him and her male boss understand what a creep he is. The rest of the book feels rushed, like there was more to the plot that was cut out.
Reynolds, Jane – A Ruined Woman. M/F regency romance. I read it concurrently with a reread of Amanda Quick’s Dangerous. Dangerous was the better of the two, but A Ruined Woman was a nice read and a refreshingly proactive heroine.
OK
Draper, Kaye – Gryphon’s Pride Series. F/M/M???? Urban fantasy. A refreshing new take on the urban fantasy reverse harem genre. Fun characters to spend some time with.
Martinez, Angel – The Mage on the Hill. M/M Fantasy. Beginning of a new series. A couple of plot holes and sequels set up. Not as good as other Martinez works, but I’m definitely going to be reading the next in the series.
MacKinnon, Skye – Meow (Catnip Assassins 1)- urban fantasy/suspense.
I am currently reading A Rogue by Night by Kelly Bowen and am enjoying the chemistry between the doctors. However, I have a friend named Katherine Wright, as one does, and she is neither a doctor nor a smuggler and I find reading her name over and over again a bit distracting. P.S. – I am in hopes Captain Black gets his own story.
Before I could start reading A Rogue by Night on Kindle-drop day, my local library snuck Kat Sebastian’s A Duke in Disguise into my TBR file. I liked the story, old friends to lovers with a family mystery thrown in, but there was yet another over the top villain. Verity’s strong will and drive kept me reading to the HEA since I wanted to smack Ash and remind him dukes in his day could do whatever the the hell they wanted. 🙂
Next up is The Bride Test by Helen Hoang and I probably need a visit to the 21st century reading-wise.
@Dreamingintrees, it’s “a thing with feathers” by hazel on AO3. Enjoy!
@42, Marci, since you’re such a Barbara Rosenblat fan, have you read Elizabeth Peters, especially the Amelia Peabody series? Rosenblat narrates lots of those, & they’re excellent.
@49, Jeannette, you forgot to mention that the first two books in the Alma Boykin Familiar series are on sale. Book 1, _Familiar Tales_, is .99, and book 2, _Strangely Familiar_, is 1.99. Ask me how I know. 😉
This month has seen me on a YA contemporary romance kick. My favorite read so far has been If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Smart Bitches reviewed this book a couple of months ago so I picked it up and I loved it.
I also read Romanov by Nadine Brandes. This is a pretty close retelling to the original historical narrative of the last days of the Romanov family with the addition of some magic. This book broke my heart.
So many good books on my Kindle….so not enough time to read them! But summer is coming and hopefully with it, a little more reading time. This month I did read MacReive by Kresley Cole to keep up with Fated Mates. Maybe I’m biased because my daughter is a soccer player but I LOVED the heroine in this one. I also continued my Lisa Kleypas backlist lovefest with Dreaming of You. Which was really, really good but I fear I might compare all other books of hers to Devil in Winter forever and ever. Then I read Managed, by Kristen Callihan. Super good. The main characters don’t get physically intimate until like 60% of the way through the book and normally this kind of thing drives me nuts, I’m like “JUST DO IT ALREADY!” but the writing in this one was so good that it totally seemed right. There was some stuff at the end that I found annoying–I hate it when the hero falls in love and then starts to do and say things that totally don’t fit the established character at all. But the ending was sweet and the rest of the book made me very happy. Now I’m reading Dark Skye, again following along with Fated Mates. It is so interesting to see how Kresley Cole’s dialogue and writing in general evolves throughout the series. I feel like in terms of communication between the characters, this is one of the best ones in the series so far.
I mostly read this website and comments and rarely post, but could not stop myself because May-June have easily been the best reading months ever for me! Not only did I absolutely love two new releases (AMERICAN WITCH and BRIDE TEST), but I found two new (to me) series that I love almost as much as the Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy series, which are my all-time favorites.
I nearly gave up thinking I could find other books like that when I couldn’t get into Mercy Thompson or Night Huntress, which came highly recommended. I tried, reading 2 books in the Mercy Thompson series and 1.5 in the Night Huntress series, but they didn’t hit the right competency/respect for the character/humor ratio as the Ilona Andrews series. But at least so far (two books into each) I’m loving THE EMPEROR’S EDGE series by Lindsay Buroker (first book is called Emperor’s Edge) and CONFEDERATION by Tanya Huff (first book is Valor’s Choice). The latter has been out for so long, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it before!
Also really enjoying the Guild Codex: Spellbound series by Annette Marie, recommended here (first one is Three Mages and a Margarita). Light, funny, and interesting.
Would love any other recommendations in line with what I’ve liked (series or individual books) as it seems like I’ve been missing out. In addition to what I mentioned already, I also loved, loved the LINESMAN trilogy.
Late to the party (man, life is busy!) and I missed the last Whatcha Reading but May and June have been decent reading months. I’ve also been anxious about work and some life things lately and I needed some easy reads so there have also been a lot of rereads mixed in (Sarah Dessen & Nora Roberts, mostly).
Read:
Becoming by Michelle Obama – fabulous. I’m so glad I bought this at BJs a few months ago.
The Bargain by Jane Ashford – cute although I wasn’t sold on the couple. I loved her trying to fix up the hero’s brothers, though.
If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberly – Placed on hold because of SBTB, but DNF. I think I’ll like it, but I wasn’t in the mood for high school angst. I’ll pick it back up another time.
Pride & Prejudice & Other Flavors by Sonali Dev – it was beautifully written, but the first half of the book was really slow, so it took me forever to get into. I loved the little homages to the original scattered, and I’m really hoping that the cousin & the brother get a HEA in their own books (maybe with other Austen homages??).
Then Came You by Kate Meader (book 3/final in her Laws of Attraction series)- I didn’t really enjoy Illegally Yours (book 2 in this series), but I really enjoyed this one. Second chance romances are my JAM, and this one was excellent.
Fumbled by Alexa Martin – I really wanted to like this (second chance romance again!) but it fell flat for me. I kept thinking “this will be the big conflict” but it never was, so I felt like I was constantly on the edge of my seat and then got really let down by the ending.
Can’t Escape Love & Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole – Can’t Escape Love was pretty good – I loved that the heroine’s disability was a non-issue in the romance, and the length was good, although I wouldn’t have complained about a couple of extra chapters. Prince on Paper just didn’t click for me – I’m not sure why. *sigh* Everyone here seems to love AC, but maybe she just isn’t a good author for me.
Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne – surprisingly cute and fun.
@OK, I’m a big fan of Linesman so I’ll name some other books I’ve enjoyed. Bear in mind that I also like Patricia Briggs’ Alpha and Omega series; I actually prefer it to her Mercy series.
Lyn Gala has a m/m alien series I recommend beginning with Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts.
Anne Cleeland has a mystery series that begins with Murder in Thrall. Readers tend to love or hate the hero who is an anti-hero.
It’s not a romance, but I’ll also recommend Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor.
Dark Horse (Class 5, #1) by Michelle Diener it’s the first of a science fiction romance series that I enjoy.
Two more thoughts, @OK.
Andy Weir’s The Martian.
Anne Bishop’s the Others series which begins with Written in Red.
Kareni, thank you so, so much! Just looked up The Goblin Emperor, and it sounds exactly like what I like! Romance is a nice bonus but not a requirement for me, but HEA/HFN is – does the book have a good ending?
I love Dark Horse series as well, forgot to mention them! And I liked Murder in Thrall but the second book was too much crazy for me. I also liked the first book in the Others series, but not enough to keep reading.
Lyn Gala’s series looks interesting – will be checking it out for sure.
I might give Alpha and Omega a chance, although I worry it will have the same issues for me. My biggest problem with Mercy Thompson is that in the first two books at least she’s seen by everyone as “less,” even by her romantic interest, and has to work within that construct to get what she wants.
@Melanie Thank you!
@OK, yes, the Goblin Emperor does end well.
I don’t recall feeling that Anna in Alpha and Omega was considered less. If you do try the series, start with the Alpha and Omega novella.
The Lyn Gala series is certainly different but it really speaks to me.
Have you read Jennifer Ashley’s The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie? Or Joanna Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Lady and the others in that series? I like those, too.
You might also consider Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot novellas — I liked both of these but not as much as the others I mentioned.
@OK, a couple of recommendations for you.
– I haven’t read Tanya Huff’s Valor books, but I absolutely adored her Enchantment Emporium series. It’s straight UF, not romance. Basically it features a family of strong female witches in Calgary. Be warned though, there’s a fair amount of crazy sauce in the plots.
– The Lizzie Grace series by Keri Arthur. Another UF series, with a strong main character, a witch, who has a great friendship going with her familiar, another witch, and a budding romance with the local werewolf cop. These are kind of a mix between murder mystery, romance, and UF. If you are looking for strong female characters with agency, I’d also recommend her older Riley Jensen series which featured a main character who was a wolf/vampire hybrid.
– Finally, the Soulwood UF series by Faith Hunter, starting with Blood of the Earth. This is a spinoff of the author’s Jane Yellowrock series, but I haven’t read that one and I don’t feel lost. The MC is a great character, was raised in a cult, broke free of that, and is now exploring her rather bloodthirsty dryad/wood nymph powers.
Kareni and JenM, you are amazing, thank you both so much!
Kareni, I loved The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (and liked some of the other books in the series, although not as much as this one, and definitely not the book about his eldest brother/duke, whom I couldn’t stand). Loved Murderbot too, and Joanna Bourne’s spy books. I’ll have check out Wayfarers.
JenM, thank you so much!!! I never could put into words what I like, but “strong female characters with agency” is exactly that.
I’ve never even heard of the Lizzie Grace series, but they look really interesting – I just got the first one and I’m really excited. I’ve stumbled upon the Riley Jenson series before but not sure it’s for me because of the multiple partners/love triangle/can’t choose stuff I usually find annoying.
And Soulwood series look excellent as well – I’m on hold at the library now for the first book. I started the first Jane Yellorock book and it didn’t grab me, but Nell seems to be more like the type of character I like to read. I would have never found either series without your recommendation, thank you for this!
Will also take a look at the Enchantment Emporium series later. I have a trip with lots of long flights coming up, so having new books in case I can’t sleep is very exciting!
Forgot to mention, I also loved the Dred Chronicles trilogy by Ann Aguirre (first book is Perdition). I didn’t read her Sirantha Jax series due to the multiple partners/can’t choose aversion I have, but this one was amazing. A little gruesome, but interesting and had the strong female lead, great supportive romance, and, apparently, a redeemed villain (the male lead was the bad guy in one of the Sirantha Jax books). Highly recommend it.
@OK, I’m not big on love triangles at all, but the reason I loved the Riley Jensen series was because it really wasn’t one. In the werewolf culture created in the series, for both men and women, sex was just a fun way to express themselves and blow off steam on the full-moon days (at least until they met their “true” mate). This was the series that really taught me the difference between PNR, in which the romantic relationship is much more in the forefront, vs. UF, in which there may or may not be a romance (sometimes several romances with successive partners), but the plot, world building and action are much more the primary focus. Yes, Riley gets involved with multiple people over the course of the series, and yes there is a vampire that ends up being her primary love interest, but the books aren’t really about their relationship, instead, the focus is on her investigations into various crimes and bad guys.
Another series you might like is the Soulless series by Gail Carriger. I tend to describe it as a Victorian comedy of manners with vampires, werewolves, romance, and some steampunk. I think people either really like it or don’t, but it’s worth a try if you haven’t already done so. I’d also recommend the Wraith Kings series, a wonderful fantasy romance by Grace Draven (sadly only 2 books so far, Radiance and Eidolon). Finally, there’s a werewolf series, The World of the Lupi, by Eileen Wilks, that flies under the radar but has a wonderful female lead character, an FBI agent who is strong and smart but not snarky or abrasive. However, this series does feature the fated mate trope so if that puts you off, it’s probably not for you.
Thanks JenM, I’ll check Soulless and World of the Lupi as well! I loved Radiance, didn’t realize more books were coming as well!
@Melanie, you’ve really sent me down the rabbit hole with that Devil’s Cub fangic, thanks!
@OK, I feel exactly as you do about the Mackenzie series, love Ian, DNF’d the book about the eldest brother! It sounds like we have similar tastes(Joanna Bourne and Murderbot).