It’s our second Whatcha Reading of June! It’s been quite the month, hasn’t it? As you’ll see from the convo below, some of us are crushing our TBR, while others are in a bit of a slump.
What about you? Has it been a good reading month? Or are you in a dreaded slump, too?
Sarah: I’m reading/listening to a review copy of the audiobook for Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, read by Julia Whelan. I read an early-early-early draft of this book well over two years ago, and really, really enjoyed it. I definitely remember thinking, “This right here is why I shouldn’t read manuscripts. I can’t talk to ANYONE about this book.” Reading the finished novel and recognizing some of the changes has been a complete freaking delight. I still love the dialogue and the storytelling inside, and I like how the structure creates room for grief, love, loss, and the really hard work of rebooting one’s life.
Aarya: I’m nervous to read that book.
I love, love Linda Holmes and have been a Pop Culture Happy Hour listener forever. I went to their Brooklyn live show and she was so nice in person. But all this just means that I’m nervous to read the book. Because what if I don’t like it?
Sarah: I think you’ll like it, Aarya. It’s kind people trying to do better for themselves and others, and making mistakes and trying again. There’s grief and humor all mixed together.
Aarya: I like Julia Whelan so I guess I’ll save a credit!!
To answer the earlier question: I’m reading Victoria Helen Stone’s new thriller. I loved Jane Doe ( A | BN ) and am interested to see if this one lives up to it (different characters).
Sarah: Oh, which one is this?
Aarya: False Step ( A ). It’s out in a few weeks but was made available early by amazon prime reads
It’s good, but not that same spark as Jane Doe. But that revenge storyline was irresistible to me.
Sarah: A good revenge story is SO satisfying sometimes, isn’t it?
Aarya: The other book I’m reading is A Lady’s Desire by Lily Maxton. I was in the mood for another f/f historical after loving Olivia Waite’s A Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and several people recommended this novella to recover from my book hangover.
Elyse: I don’t know what to read! I have a bunch of stuff on my TBR and I’m just kind of staring at it vacantly and overwhelmed.
Amanda: Hard same. I have to think about it because I’m feeling some major reading exhaustion.
Sarah: I wonder what causes or contributes to reading exhaustion. I have it sometimes, too. Like my brain is way too tired to construct the world I’m reading about.
Elyse: When I’m mentally tired I don’t want to make choices. My brain is like “eh, we’re done.” I don’t want to decide what to make for dinner, or wear to work, or read next.
Amanda: I’ve been busy with outside stuff lately – book clubs, attending a wedding, allergies – that I want to exert zero brain power.
Carrie: I just finished Lent by Jo Walton and am starting A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Sarah: Amanda, what does your brain want to do?
Mine is really hoping to set some kind of blueberry record in Stardew Valley.
Amanda: Sleep, haha. I’ve been watching a lot of horror game play throughs on Twitch and YouTube.
Elyse: I’m with you on the sleeping
Sarah: To quote Mary Oliver, You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Amanda: I think I may take a small break from romance and read a couple others things that I’ve recently picked up. First is Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly. I flipped through this at my local bookstore and it was a no brainer to buy.
At my recent book group, someone brought up the The Rook by Daniel O’Malley ( A | K | G | AB | Au ) adaptation coming out and one of my very best friends loves the series. I have the first book and I think that might be great to start.
Elyse: Rich loved that book!
Amanda: I’m wary of books with female protagonists written by men, but I’ve heard nothing but good things and I know Carrie has enjoyed it. I trust her judgement.
Sarah: Why was it a no brainer to buy Rage Becomes Her?
Amanda: It discusses how powerful women’s anger can be on both a personal level and then on a larger societal level. I think part of my recent exhaustion is just feeling frustrated and well…angry and having no outlet for that.
Carrie: Rook was AMAZING.
Amanda: Will you watch the show, Carrie?
Carrie: I’m not planning to, although it looks well done.
How was your reading this June? Tell us in the comments below!
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I’ve started rewatching Chuck again. You want romantic comedy? Spy romance? Where the heroine is the badass? Check out Chuck! (It deserves a Hulu comeback ala Veronica Mars, imo)
Faves
– THE LUMINOUS DEAD by Caitlin Starling – omggggg this was so gooodddd. Tense and claustrophobic, it’s literally one person in a cave with a voice in her ear and it’s just…. it’s a thriller and it’s scifi and it’s horror and it’s WONDERFUL.
– MAGIC FOR LIARS by Sarah Gailey – I lovedd the AMERICAN HIPPO novellas, so I was pumped to read this. It’s a detective novel at a magic boarding school. It’s so great.
– THE FIERY CROSS by Diana Gabaldon – the Outlander books are like a warm bath for my brain, even if, as is the case with this, that bath is 1,500pgs of glimpses of a life at Fraser’s Ridge. Sometimes there’s a scary boar, or a scary buffalo but mostly it’s life at the Ridge.
Good
– THE WOMAN WHO DIED A LOT by Jasper Fforde – this one kinda spins out, but if Fforde ever returns to Thursday Next, I’ll be there.
– QUEEN’S SHADOW by E.K. Johnston (audiobook) – Padme! I love Padme for everything she could be, so this book was a great chance to explore that. I wish there was more action, but I loved seeing her relationships with her handmaidens.
– GETTING HOT WITH THE SCOT by Melonie Johnson – I enjoyed the setting and the friendships, but I fundamentally did not understand the development of the romance.
Currently Reading
– VANISHING CORNWALL: THE SPIRIT AND HISTORY OF CORNWALL by Daphne du Maurier – part memoir, part history, part travel guide, with photos by du Maurier’s son. I love Cornwall and du Maurier’s writing, so I’m loving this!
– THE GUNS ABOVE by Robyn Bennis (audiobook) – reread in prep for Book 2, perfect for fans of Temeraire and/or grounded takes on steampunk.
I went on vacation, so I got a lot more reading done than when working/paying attention to cats/husband:
Magic Bends by Ilona Andrews – Reread to prep for Magic Triumphs
Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless – Reread to prep for her newest one
Cosmere Collective by Brandon Sanderson: I’m working my way though this one story at a time, then I’ll read something else
Glenister Letters by Tracy Grant: The list of people in Grant’s Regency Britain who aren’t single/double/triple agents is shorter than the list of people who are. I still love these books in a ridiculous kind of way.
By Fire Above by Robin Bennis: As good as Guns Above. I loved it!
Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews: A really satisfying ending to the series.
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan: Pretty good. It reminded me of Tana French, except Nature isn’t trying to attack.
Currently reading:
European Travel for the Monsterous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss: Good but slow-paced. Also I’m back at work now, so have less time.
Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso: Same as European Travel. I hope to get some hard reading time this weekend!
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole.
I loved the first quarter. It was like a warm hug, but after the Dukedom revelation, the book really started to annoy me. I would have loved to read the whole book about the apprenticeship at the forge and about the badass heroine, but the story took a left turn after the first quarter and the h really started to annoy me. The h suffered from low self esteem, mainly because of her parents and the story never gave us a satisfactory resolution for that. Her parents really needed a serious talking-to.
Darkness Rising trilogy by Kelley Armstrong.
The first book, The Gathering was ok, so I read the second one The Calling, which was a meh for me. Still I decided to read the last one, the Rising, as I has sludged that far already. It was completely pointless and kept repeating a pattern. Run – get caught by the baddies – escape – repeat. So all in all, bleh!
Just the Funny Parts, a biography of and by Nell Scovell
Scovell is a writer, producer and director, who has worked on many tv shows from Late Night with David Letterman, Simpsons and Sabrina the teenage witch. It made me laugh and it made me rage and it was so good.
I just finished “Hither, Page” by Cat Sebastian today and it gave me all the feelings.
I started ‘Secrets Of A Summer Night’, by Lisa Kleypas yesterday. This is my first time reading the Walflowers series.
I also bought ‘Because You’re Mine’, by Lisa Kleypas, and ‘Stranger Things, Worlds Turned Upside Down’, which is a behind-the-scenes companion book for the first two seasons. My mother and I will probably be fighting over who gets to read it first when it comes.
I said last month I was going to binge T. Kingfisher and Kelly Barnhill. I don’t think 2.25 books rises to “binge” level (thanks, freelancing 16 hours a day!), but I’ve stuck to those two authors.
Kingfisher’s SWORDHEART is straight up a romance novel set in the same world as THE CLOCKWORK BOYS but several years after and unrelated plotwise. Halla inherits an in-law’s money, the rest of his family tries to force her to marry his nephew, she pulls an enchanted sword that summons a personal bodyguard, and shenanigans ensue. It’s 90% about their heart and pants feels. It’s not bad as far as romance goes, but I’m taking a break from romance and wasn’t thrilled to get one accidentally.
Barnhill’s THE WITCH’S BOY was, I think, her first book and lacked the whimsy factor of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON. It’s a good story, but there was no glitter nail polish on the darkness, which is what this “binge” was supposed to be about. I’m now about quarter into IRON HEARTED VIOLET, which has all the telepathic dragons,horse whispering, and snarky house gnomes I require as an accompaniment to all the dying, enslavement, and evil deities.
I had a string of DNFs lately, until the curse was broken by:
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – I struggled with the stalkerishness in Kiss Quotient at times, but completely fell for this one. It helps that’s marriage of convenience and mail order brides are some of my favorite tropes, but mostly I thought consent was handled really well. I was rooting for both partners equally.
Also great: Kabu-Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor – I got this short story collection after hearing Lavar Burton’s reading of her story The Baboon War on his podcast, and it’s lovely magical realism, but dark at times.
Good:
So Right by Rebekah Weatherspoon – This felt more like a short story than a stand-alone novella but as usual for a RW, I giggled at the sexual antics of the heroine. I devoured the sequel too.
DNF:
Foundation of Trust by AM Arthur. – m/m second chance romance. The hero is a caterer struggling to accept having Huntington’s disease when his disappearing ex returns to get him back. I liked the setup, although the ex’s backstory is wackadoodle, like someone watched Taken and John Wick—while high—and decided to mash it all together. I gave up when the public sex started.
Deception by Serena Montgomery – m/f romantic suspense. This is one of Georgia politician Stacey Abrams’ novels, and since I love her (please run for President and be my best friend Stacey) I tried. Professional poker player and undercover FBI agent fight small-town organized crime. Not my favorite genre and I couldn’t get into the story, perhaps b/c it’s the middle book of a trilogy. I gave up after realizing I wanted the steak recipe the heroine made more than I wanted to know the ending.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. – 100% unobjectionable fantasy novel with strong woman characters (although not strong female friendships). I had trouble enjoying the POV of the heroine, I just didn’t understand her motivation or background. Probably just me.
These are just the DNFs I made it halfway through. I am embarrassed to list how many didn’t make it that far.
A Whatcha Reading earlier this year led me to Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Series. A post in the Slytherin/Slytherin Rec League recommended her Cainsville series. I loves this series even more! Thank God my library has the entire series – I’ll let you know when I return to the real world.
Also, I’m totally down for Slytherin/Slytherin pairings right now.
I read Kelly Bowen’s A Rogue by Night which is a total meh. I want a nice meaty, angsty, hot historical. Unfortunately, I’ve been finding too many wallpaper-y historicals. I’ll be watching this thread for recs!
Currently making my way through T.A. Moore’s backlog, I really enjoyed Wanted (fake dating!) and Ghostwriter of Christmas Past (second chance friends to lovers novella!)
I’m reading THE FRAME-UP by Meghan Scott Molin, which is about a comic book writer who gets involved in a mystery.
Up next, I’m hoping to read AN ILLUSION OF THIEVES by Cate Glass. I also want to check out PASSION ON PARK AVENUE by Lauren Layne.
I’ve also started watching the first season of YOUNGER. It’s cute, but the publishing stuff makes me roll my eyes a bit. I know it’s a TV show, but the glamorous publishing world depicted has certainly not been my experience. LOL.
@KateB — A big yes to more CHUCK episodes. That was such a fun show (although I was disappointed with the last season and how it ended).
Read: THE EMPIRE of SAND by Tasha Suri. This was a freaking fantastic book with a great heroine, a really sweet love interest and a unique magic system. Bonus , the cast is made up entirely of people of color.However, I still can’t recommend it for everyone because it’s slow-paced ( as much as I loved the book I will admit it there were parts that dragged, particularly around the beginning of act III) and the magic is basically explained by sleeping gods did it which doesn’t bother me, but might bother others. Also don’t go into this book expecting an epic fantasy with a lot of action, it leans way more into the fantasy romance genre. Lastly, I also have to issue several content warnings for abuse, graphic violence, and threat of sexual violence. If none of that bothers you it really is a fantastic book that turns consent it something really beautiful among other amazing scenes and as a result the sequel is an auto buy for me once it comes out.
Reading :SOULLESS by Gail Carriger
I heard a lot of good things about this book and the rest of the series , but now that I finally bought it’s just okay so far. I guess the voice is taking some getting used which is a pseudo-Victorian style of writing which is a bit formal and distant from the story. However, it’s still a pretty fun book so most likely I’ll finish it, but may not pick up the rest of The series.
HIS TO CLAIM by Brenda Jackson – This book shriveled my ovaries. It’s a marriage in crisis story about a wife who has come to resent her Navy SEAL husband’s control and condescension, frequently expressed as criticism of how she chooses to spend their money during his deployments. When he returns from his latest eight-month secret mission, he discovers that his wife didn’t go through with the tubal ligation they had agreed upon before he left. He doesn’t ask why (and, yes, there’s a reason she couldn’t have the procedure); instead, he pitches a fit because it’s just so typical of her to say she’ll take care of something and then not do it. Mister…back the fu*k off. That’s her body. How are you even the hero of a romance novel published in 2019? [F]
EVER YOURS, ANNABELLE by Elisa Braden – A prequel to Braden’s Rescued from Ruin series, featuring the courtship of the happily-married eldest Huxley girl. Although I’m critical of a couple of key plot points, I am completely charmed by these characters, which makes this book one of my favorites for the series. [B+]
Hit a slump, so decided to do some rereading. So far I’m two and a half books into the In Death series.
The early ones are quite a bit different from the more recent ones. She’s a lieutenant and has her crappy office, but she doesn’t seem to be actually running a homicide division. I forgot how long it took Peabody to show up. (Late book two) And I don’t recall so many characters smoking in recent books.
Been a bit of a slow reading month through a combination of back-to-back DNFs and some really long books (I try not to read much over 400 pages anymore because mostly I think life is too short, but somehow I ended up with 2 this month).
Mary Renault- Funeral Games
I love Mary Renault but I found the structure of this one a little hard to get into, and mostly it just made me want to go back and reread The Persian Boy.
Marissa Meyer- Archenemies
Sequel to Renegades. Long, and there’s a lot going on, but I enjoyed it. There were definitely a few unexpected gasp moments, and since it actually did not end the way I was very much expecting it to, I’m pretty excited to read the conclusion to the trilogy.
Stephanie Burgis- Snowspelled
I think this is one of those cases where I would have liked it better if it were longer. I really enjoyed the beginning, and I was really into the tension between the heroine and hero, who were exes, but had clearly broken up because of Reasons, and were obviously still in love with each other. But the thing was, the whole romance was resolved way too fast. And then the back half was stuffed with like 2 books worth of plot. So in the end the whole book felt rushed and kind of flimsy.
Meredith Duran- Your Wicked Heart
I know that I finished this because it says so in my reading log but I literally cannot remember a single thing about it. Not plot. Not a character name. Nada. So…uh…I guess it didn’t do much for me?
Anna Freeman- The Fair Fight
Historical fiction about female boxers in 18th century Bristol. Or, a little more accurately, one female boxer (raised in a brothel), and an upper-class merchant’s wife trapped in a horrible and unwanted marriage, who kind of end up saving each other.
This has been on my to-read list for a while and I’m so glad I got to it. It’s exquisite. It talks about female rage, and women finding power in situations that are designed to keep them powerless. There are a lot of really deftly drawn characters and the setting is really alive, too. There’s definitely a lot of violence and misogyny and unsavory things, so approach with caution if those give you pause, but I would absolutely recommend it to any historical fiction fan. We’ll see come December but I think this one might make my list of top reads for the year.
To paraphrase SB Sarah, everything I know about hockey, I learned from romance novels, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the sport-related information in Rachel Reid’s very sexy and extremely emotional HEATED RIVALRY, but I can vouch for how good the book is: I loved, loved, loved it! The book charts the ten-years-long secret relationship between two closeted professional hockey players—one Canadian, the other Russian—who play for rival NHL teams. In alternating third-person POVs, we meet Shane, the Canadian player, earnest, committed, confused about his attraction to men (it’s halfway through the book before he can admit to himself that he’s “probably” gay), and Ilya, the Russian, forceful, bombastic, far more at ease with his bisexual nature. The two first meet in their late teens at the World Junior Hockey Championship, where they are considered the two best prospects for the upcoming NHL draft. When they are later drafted by competing professional teams, their attraction to each other is heightened by their rivalry (and vice-versa). They snatch moments together whenever their teams play each other, while being fierce competitors on the ice (the press, completely unaware of the sexual undercurrent, constantly plays up their competitiveness). Reid does an excellent job with the passage of time in the book, showing a decade’s worth of hockey seasons, playoffs, All-Star games, and the 2014 Olympics, alongside the gradual transition of the men’s sexual encounters from their early “just scratching an itch” hook-ups to deeply affectionate days in Shane’s secluded cabin. The evolution of their sexual experiences parallels their emotional growth—as each man slowly comes to understand that he is in love with the other. Reid does not shy away from how terrifying it is for them to come out: homophobic slurs are frequently tossed around by NHL players and, in his native Russia, Ilya could be imprisoned for loving another man (several scenes set at the Winter Olympics in Sochi reinforce this depressing reality); but this is juxtaposed with Shane’s loving, accepting parents, his supportive former girlfriend, and a progressive-minded teammate. HEATED RIVALRY is a beautiful, erotic, emotional book. One of my favorite reads of the year. Highly recommended.
So after reading HEATED RIVALRY, I read Reid’s first book, GAME CHANGER, which like RIVALRY is an m/m romance involving professional hockey. However, unlike RIVALRY, only one of the heroes in GAME CHANGER is a professional hockey player—Scott, the captain of his team. Scott meets Kip when he stops in for a smoothie at the place where Kip works. Kip is out and very much at ease with his own sexuality, as opposed to the completely closeted Scott. There are elements of “millionaire romance” in GAME CHANGER because Scott is so much richer than Kip. Scott tries not to flaunt his wealth, but both he and Kip have to acknowledge the financial disparity in their positions: Kip is still living with his parents and working food-service jobs, trying to save money and pay off his student loans. Kip is only a couple of years younger than Scott, but, because he has no set career path yet, he seems at times much younger than Scott, who has been a professional athlete for over a decade. But Kip, by virtue of being out since his teens, has plenty to teach Scott about living an authentic life, about being true to yourself, about not making the person you love a “dirty little secret.” Although there is a strong romantic and emotional connection between Scott and Kip, the book is almost less about that romance and more about Scott’s long journey to finally coming out—which he does in a big, decidedly public (and wonderful!) way. Although not quite as good as HEATED RIVALRY, GAME CHANGER is still a great read—emotional, sexy, and with a real wide growth arc for the closeted hero in order for him to be with the man he loves.
According to her website, Kati Wilde has four (FOUR!) new books in the pipeline (that sound you hear is me squeezing like a fan girl), including two that have firm publication dates (although, with Wilde, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up—her release dates have a way of being pushed back). So, while resigning myself to waiting, I realized there was one Wilde book I hadn’t read yet, I wasted no time grabbing HIGH MOON, a paranormal/shifter romance. I don’t read much shifter fiction, so I have no idea if this book conforms to genre conventions, but the writing is heavy on exposition and, as much as I love Kati Wilde, my eyes glazed over during some of the explanations of werewolves, wolfkin, shifters, silver bullets, golden chains, various mythological threads, and fated-mates. But I enjoyed the elements here that pop up in all of Wilde’s books: a strong, intelligent heroine (in this case, a biracial rancher), an alpha-but-never-alphahole hero (the newly-hired ranch hand—and, boy, is he strong—with a great sense of hearing and smell), wild-hot sexy-times (involving, sometimes, fangs and claws—and always 100% consensual), a nefarious enterprise run by a relentlessly evil villain, and, after a crescendo of violence and death, an HEA. Nothing Kati writes can ever be anything other than well done, but my limited knowledge of and interest in shifter lore prevented me from fully enjoying the book. (Also, CW/TW for cattle mutilation perpetrated by the bad guys. It’s not graphically described, but it does occur.)
Caitlin Crews’s BRIDE BY ROYAL DECREE is related to her EXPECTING A ROYAL SCANDAL (the heroine of DECREE is the long-lost sister of the hero of SCANDAL), which I read a few months ago. DECREE is very much a Cinderella story. The heroine is a former foster child, now an adult in her late-twenties working a series of minimum-wage jobs and leading a hard scrabble, hand-to-mouth existence. Then it is discovered that she is actually a European princess, presumed dead twenty years before, and the king to whom she was betrothed as a child now wants to marry her. So she’s whisked away to his kingdom where she receives the complete Eliza Doolittle makeover treatment, becomes a stunningly lovely royal, and, naturally after some angst, wins the heart of the rather hide-bound king. The king, whose focus on doing his duty seemed to blind him to his own feelings, was hard to like, but I enjoyed the smart-mouthed heroine who refused to be cowed by her new luxurious circumstances. Also, there’s no mention of her being a virgin, so this is not one of Crews’s “virginity fetishism” HPs (although, at one point, the heroine admits she’s never given a blowjob before—so perhaps that’s where the “virginity” presents itself).
After A SINGLE GLANCE, the first book in Willow Winters’s Irresistible Attraction series, ended with a cliffhanger, I decided to wait until the other two books had been published to finish the series. A SINGLE KISS and A SINGLE TOUCH are the second and third books, respectively; all part of Winters’s dark interconnected universe about four brothers who run a criminal enterprise. The hero & heroine met in the first book because she wanted information about the drug-related death of her sister and he promised to get it for her. That search goes on in books two & three, but there are also new wrinkles: law enforcement is looking into the family’s activities, a local police officer seems to know more than he should, and the brothers’ empire is being threatened by a criminal mastermind (based on some breadcrumbs Winters scatters throughout the books, I suspect this manipulative Dr. Moriarty-type villain will one day be explained/redeemed with his own book). Meanwhile, the heroine moves in with the hero, even after she discovers that he has not been completely truthful regarding her sister. (Side note: The h&h enjoy “fire play,” a kink that is incomprehensible to me; every time a scene headed in that direction, I found myself silently begging the characters to please, please be careful with that open flame.) The books would have benefitted from a rigorous edit—there are time mismatches, awkward constructions, and sloppy grammar (writers, please learn to use commas appropriately). And yet, I’ll definitely be reading the next book—which will feature the hero’s right-hand man and the heroine’s best friend—a couple who, we learn on the last page of A SINGLE TOUCH, have a history. Yes, please!
In my quest to read all of Sybil Bartel’s books, I picked up her three-book Unchecked series (IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE, IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE, IMPOSSIBLE END) about a young woman on the run from the men who murdered her parents in Miami. She encounters two men who help her: an active-duty Marine home on leave in Gainesville and a veteran who owns a surf shop in Daytona Beach. These are relatively early Bartel books (published in 2015), but many of the themes that show up in her later books are in development here: Florida settings, scrappy heroines in trouble through no fault of their own, military (or former military) heroes, evil criminals, dirty deeds, violence, high body counts, and hot sexy-times. There’s also quite a bit of slut-shaming and “not like other girls” (an effect Bartel has thankfully tempered in her later books) and enough see-sawing emotions to give you whiplash (ditto). What I was not expecting was a heroine torn between the two heroes. Bartel lets us see the heroine’s conflicted feelings (emotional and sexual) for the two men; in fact, there were times when I thought an M/F/M ménage was developing—but the story didn’t quite go there. It’s interesting to read a book from five years ago and not only see how Bartel has matured as a writer since then but also read the “origin stories” of characters who show up again in her later books.
JA Huss’s PRETTY THING starts out as a somewhat different take on the “friend’s sibling/sibling’s friend is forbidden” trope: the hero and heroine are older (in their mid-thirties), and—although they’ve known each other since childhood—they haven’t seen each other for a while. When they do finally reconnect, it’s at the funeral of the heroine’s brother, who was the best friend and business partner of the hero. A good portion of the first half of the book deals with grief and mourning; there’s a melancholy undertone as the h&h finally give themselves permission to be together, despite the fact that the dead brother/friend was adamantly opposed to it when he was alive. I enjoyed that part of the book and thought Huss did a good job with the roller-coaster of emotions brought about by simultaneously losing a loved one and finding a new love. But then [START SPOILER] the book went off into an almost paranormal direction involving a phone app that lets a person record messages to be listened to after they die. These messages (of which, conveniently, the late brother/friend recorded many) approve of the h&h’s new relationship, which makes zero sense seeing how, when the brother/friend was alive, he always maintained that he didn’t want his friend to hook up with his sister [END SPOILER]. The second half of the book has a sloppy, thrown-together feel that certainly needed tighter editing or possibly a whole new approach to the story. Based on what Huss says in her interesting and informative afterword, she’s a very fast writer who can easily produce a book a month. I have nothing against prolific authors, but as the old saying goes, without sufficient drafting and editing, sometimes writing isn’t writing, it’s just typing. The second half of this book feels as if it were “just typing” and drags down what could have been a fresh take on an overused trope.
I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me writers with large backlists, so I was pleased to discover Tess Oliver, who has a lot of books in the kindle store, including several freebies. I downloaded Oliver’s CAPTIVE because it looked interesting: a female detective goes undercover to infiltrate a billionaires’ sex club—one that takes homeless young women off the streets and uses an addictive, aphrodisiac-type drug to keep them compliant for the clients. There’s a lot going on in this book, including the club’s billionaire mastermind falling into insta-lust/love with the heroine and the heroine’s unrequited (or is it?) love for her partner on the police force. He’s engaged to be married and I strongly disliked the way Oliver portrayed the partner’s fiancée: she’s shown in a negative light for wanting her future husband to do such things as look at wedding venues or shop for a wedding cake with her. Wait—isn’t that what engaged couples do? Then there’s the last name of the detective heroine—Tennyson—as if none of us have ever seen or heard of “Prime Suspect”! All-in-all, competently written, but with a lot of “not like other girls”/female bashing. CAPTIVE is the first of a trilogy and ends with a cliffhanger, but I’m not sure I’m intrigued enough to continue the series. However, Oliver has written a lot of books, so I’ll probably try at least one more.
I read POLARIS RISING by Jessie Mihalik and thought it was just okay. The hero and heroine are basically indestructible so I didn’t feel the danger, and there isn’t much conflict between them after they hook up. Also he did a lot of smirking and growling. I understand why others liked it (super alpha, kickass heroine, sexytimes in SPAAACE).
I might have mentioned WILD by Cheryl Strayed last time I commented. I listened to the audio and absolutely loved it. I’ve seen the movie twice. I could go for more.
I’m still on my Sandra Brown glom (I can’t quit you!!) and current audio is THE ALIBI. I’ve got LETHAL cued up next. It’s been a mixed bag story-wise but I love Brown’s voice and setups.
I’m also reading TOUCH OF FLAME by Jo Goodman on my kindle. I’ve tried this author before without luck, but I love her covers and I’m into gritty/serious Westerns. I really liked Dorothy Garlock’s Depression-Era series. Hope this author can be one to glom.
Since like 10 lovely ppl here recommended it, I’m reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. Y’all had me at “standalone” and “central f/f pairing”. I’ve been at it (in lovely HC door stopper form, which has been fine b/c despite thick paper it’s quite light and wieldy) a week and I’m less than 200 pages in. So I can’t really say much save that I think it’s well written but it hasn’t made me want to just sit down and reeead it when I could be doing something else. But I like the POV female characters and a good deal of the non-POV female characters but the men so far, ehh…I’m less excited by their man-chapters.
But probably the main reason it’s taking me an age is animal health troubles and lack of sleep and too damn much stuff to do. I’m gonna have to buckle down with it soon or I’m just going to get bored, even tho I think it’s quite good.
I was “squeeing” like a fan girl about Kati Wilde’s upcoming four books, but stupid autocorrect had other ideas! I suppose we fan girls do our share of “squeezing” too.
Not a lot of reading going on over here. Lots of projects to finish before and for the big Outland vacation in two weeks. How did I not order enough beads for the class I’m teaching? How?
I made time to devour Nalini Singh’s Wolf Rain. Late for work. Twice. I love that she was able to create a vehicle for moving the series forward after the dissolution of Silence. It’s all very intriguing, but I want more ocean shifters! If I don’t get my great white shark & or orca romance soon, I may expire from frustration.
Followed that with another shifter series, Marie Vale’s The Last Wolf which was rec’d here and featured in cover snark. If you get past that cover, it’s an interesting take on werewolf lore.
The GBPL coughed up a couple of my latest reading crush: historical mysteries with a touch of romance. Murder at Brightwell by Ashley Weaver and Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen are waiting for me to finish framing my goddaughter’s wedding sampler and kitting up a ton of teeny tiny beads.
@KateB & @Jennifer Estep, if we bring back Chuck, can we ask for Ed, too? I feel my tv watching experience is the poorer for the absence of both.
I started Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston right after the last Whatcha Reading and it was everything I thought it would be. I’ve had serious book hangover since. It’ll take a lot to knock this out of my first place read this year.
I also just finished The Savior by JR Ward and actually really enjoyed it despite having to continually roll my eyes at the totally bonkers way she insists on describing everything, all the time. The last few books in the original series have been, well, not great but I found this instalment more reminiscent of her earlier books.
@KateB – I loved Chuck! I would be all over new episodes. Oh how I cried every time they cancelled it and then again when they renewed it. It just had so much heart!
@DonnaMarie — I also loved ED. Such a fun, quirky show.
Tom Cavanagh (from ED) is great on THE FLASH too. He’s also really good in TRADING CHRISTMAS, which is a Hallmark holiday movie.
I just finished A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles for my bookclub and I now have the book hangover to end all book hangovers. Honestly, it’s the best book I’ve read this year, and definitely one of the best in the last several years. Basically, the plot is that in 1922, a Russian aristocrat is sentenced to live the rest of his life in the grand Metropol Hotel (which is a real hotel in the center of Moscow). If he steps foot outside, he’ll be executed as so many other aristocrats were at that time. How he refashions his life and finds purpose and honor under such constraints is perfectly envisioned and executed by the author. This is one of those books that’s both quiet yet exquisitely loud, both small and personal as well as sweeping. I’m in awe of Amor Towles’ complete command and mastery of the art and craft of writing. This is not a romance, but it also isn’t one of those LitFics where people die and horrible things happen, so if you need good feelings in your life these days as I do, don’t be afraid to pick this book up.
Aside from that, in my more usual genre reading, I loved KILL THE QUEEN by Jennifer Estep, which is a fantasy with a great heroine who ends up training as a gladiator after surviving the massacre of her entire royal family. The next book, PROTECT THE PRINCE, is out in July and I am definitely here for it. I also enjoyed IN A BADGER WAY, the latest fun crazy sauce UF/PNR from Shelly Laurenston.
In nonfiction, I’m finally reading THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo. I was completely inspired by her philosophy without actually having read the book, so I grabbed it when it was on sale last month. I gotta say, this is the first organizing strategy that has ever worked for me in any way. I am NOT an organized or tidy person by nature LOL.
@JudyW recommended Honor Raconteur’s MAGIC AND THE SHINIGAMI DETECTIVE in June’s first Whatcha Reading and I’m so glad I took a look. The detective is a woman from our world who ends up stuck in a Victorian-style portal world with magic, and the plot is about her first case with her new partner, who has magic. The character interactions sold me on the first book; the mystery plot is serviceable.
I headed immediately on to the second (currently last) book in the series, CHARMS AND DEATHS AND EXPLOSIONS, and at halfway it’s everything I loved in the first book plus a very interesting mystery that makes use of the magical setting.
JudyW (and the recommender to Judy, Ilona Andrews), are entirely right – really fun books. If I’m going to quibble about anything, in tough times too many characters can be selflessly charitable for the good of others, which is a bit of warm and cuddly un-realism I can get behind in these times.
I’ve never watched THE BACHELOR, but after Elyse’s many horrifying recaps I listened to Amy Kaufman’s BACHELOR NATION, and now I know I’ll never watch THE BACHELOR. I get that reality TV is heavily edited, but if you can’t trust that someone saying “I verb noun” isn’t an edit of “I don’t verb noun,” I guess I don’t see the point. Other than that, the book frequently reads like the author had a contract and wasn’t able to get the access to original material she expected. But it’s still a faster listen than to watch a season of THE BACHELOR, so win.
I was on a reading slump for the first few months of the year, and lately I seem to have hit my stride. It feels good, but I also get very restless and almost manic when I’m on one of these reading binges, where I HAVE TO KEEP READING and, I don’t know, it’s a weird brain moment.
That being said…
I read the first three books in the SHATTER ME series by Tahereh Mafi for a bit of YA Dystopian romance. It was very angsty and teenagery, but I don’t say that in a bad way – just as a warning in case that isn’t your thing. Girl with a deadly touch gets involved in something bigger than herself in Post-Apocalyptic U.S. The enemies-to-lovers romance in the second two books was what got me through – it’s really twisty and surprising and ultimately fulfilling. Recommend if you like an angsty slow burn. There are more than 3 books, but I found I was content with the original ending.
Also read 99 PERCENT MINE by Sally Thorne. I was a huge fan of THE HATING GAME, but when this one was released, I was slow to pick it up. Now I regret that, because I really liked it (read it in one night, Bad Decisions Book Club for me). The signature humor and sarcasm was in this one, but lots of pining from the heroine instead of the hero, which I enjoyed (although the hero had his fair share). The ending seemed a bit rushed to me, but ultimately these two characters found their way into my heart.
Currently reading WHERE THERE’S A WILL per the recent sale post on here. I’m not sure I’m sold on it. I’m about halfway through and I’m rooting for the heroine, but the hero seems like a jerk, so I’m not really feeling the romance. I hate when the “initially don’t like each other” factor is completely forced, and characters are being antagonistic with no real reason to do so (unless they’re ultimately the villain of the piece). I have a feeling this guy has his reasons, but they are very slow to be revealed, so I’m not sure how these two are going to find a believable HEA in the time left.
After that, I have plenty of books on my TBR, but I have serious decision fatigue in choosing one. I’ve already gotten a few ideas from this post! Yay Bitchery, saving me again.
Right now, I’m reading and loving The Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund. The hero’s declaration why he won’t take a mistress to the heroine is so romantic. The book reminds me that inspirational romance can be full of tenderess and full of sexual tension without sex.
I also enjoyed The Medallion by Caty Gohlke (WWII) fic. It grabs you from the page but it is heatbreaking as well.
I felt like I was taking a vacation in NC when I read Summer by The Tidres by Denise Hunter. These are all Christian fiction.
For the past month or so I haven’t exactly been in a reading slump, but my reading moods keep being “I want to read a book by [author], but not one that I’ve reread more than three times.” Luckily many of those authors have new books coming out this summer, but I feel like I’ve spent as much time looking for new books as I have reading. But I did find some books I really enjoyed!
I read Kristen Callihan’s historical PNR series, starting with Firelight. I loved the first two books, but then a few had tropes I don’t really like. They were still good books, but husband/wife reuniting and enemies-to-lovers and childhood-friends-meeting-again-for-the-first-time-in-years are all things that won’t prevent me from reading a book, but I enjoyed the books in spite of those things. Overall I’d recommend the books, but I’m glad I got them from the library because I don’t feel like I’d reread them often.
I read How to Wake an Undead City by Hailey Edwards, the last in her necromancer series. I thought it was a great end to the series and set up the next one series really well. The series has a slow burn romance thing going on, the main couple doesn’t get together for the first few books which makes total sense because the heroine has a lot of emotional trauma going in to the first book. I thought the characters were well written and loved that the romance came after the healing and the romance itself wasn’t the healing factor.
I read A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz and LOVED it. It’s NA or late YA fantasy that follows fairies during a war they’re having with gnomes. The world building was absolutely amazing, and the characters and plot were perfect. I think this is the best book I’ve read in a long time.
I started The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch, but have sort of given up. The pacing is off, because there’s sort of a mystery but at 35% in I don’t care enough about the characters or the plot to keep going.
I’m in the middle of the Chicagoland Vampires series and enjoying it, but I’m currently #4 on the 8th book in the series and it’s $13 on kindle, despite coming out in 2013. So now I’m just waiting. I like the series and not every single supernatural character is white and there are strong female friendships, but there’s some fatphobia and some, IDK, not exactly slut shaming but weirdness about other girls. The books are in first person POV and Merit, the main character mentions multiple times in each book that she gets to eat whatever she wants and not gain weight and the best part about being a vampire is getting to eat a ton of junk food and still be thin, and she’s described as thin and multiple characters comment on how thing she is throughout the series. And Merit has close friendships with other women, but there is a not-evil-but-trying-to-steal-her-man ex and river nymphs who are all busty, shrill, petty, engage in multiple cat fights (no punching or sword stuff like Merit does, all scratching and pulling hair) throughout the series, wear skimpy clothes, and are easily distracted from their fights by a handsome man. I enjoy a lot about the series but these kinds of things keep distracting me from the actual story and provoke a lot of eye rolling.
And that’s pretty much it so far! I’ve watched Good Omens multiple times though, and recommend it to everyone!
I had too much going on for the mid-month Watcha Reading, so this is for the past four weeks. I fell down an Avon Gale rabbit hole most recently and read three of the books in her Scoring Chances series. This is M/M hockey romance in a well-handled form. I read EMPTY NET, then POWER PLAY, and just finished SAVE OF THE GAME, which was my favorite because it included a goalie, roommate, first time same-gender attraction plot. Ms. Gale is now on my must-read hockey list. I am going to happily read more in the series and beyond.
Some other books I have read this past month and enjoyed are:
FIX HER UP by Tessa Bailey — this was a fake dating story that made me smile, even though Travis was sometimes hard to like because of a bit of jerk behavior and his use of “baby girl” for an endearment.
28 DATES by Stacey Lynn — this was a friends with benefits trope that had the female MC trying out a new dating app; I just wish the main couple would have spent more of the book together.
HAMMERED by Pippa Grant and Lili Valente — another zany return to the town of Happy Cat if you are in the mood for quirky and a not serious summer read
Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones… the finale of the series but..?? Beep is still a baby. Maybe there will be a YA series about her? Look Alive 25. Too much Lula, but plenty of Joe and Ranger. A bunch of Maisey Yates cowboy books. A bunch of Harlequin Medicals that I found at the monthly library book sale one town over. Romances, ten for a buck! I get a kick out of Britishisms, especially the medical Britishisms. Nonfiction… Tangled Tree, which is about genetics.
Daniel O’Malley is the only male author I have ever read that made me forget he was a male author. In fact I was so convinced that it was really a female author writing under a pseudonym for a while. His female characters are great. There are female friendships. Badass women are the focus of the the first and second book stiletto. It’s fabulous.
I just finished Lucy Worsley’s Queen Victoria biography (it was released under numerous names, but in the states its Queen Victoria: 24 Days that Changed Her Life). An excellent book, but I expect as much when reading Worsley
Recently I read THE BODY READER, which is the first in the Jude Fontaine mystery series. It starts out with a fabulous opening, as our heroine escapes from a man who kidnapped and held her for years, then moves on to a lot of adventure and her challenges with readjusting to normal life. It wasn’t perfect – everything tied together just a little too much for me – but it was an exciting read with good characters. It gave me a little bit of a Jessica Jones vibe, in that you have a woman who has been very damaged by a traumatic experience who is trying and not always succeeding to build a new life for herself. I’m eager to move on to the next book in the series. I also read REBEL HARD for the book club, which I enjoyed despite a few flaws (instalust/love), and HURTS TO LOVE YOU, which nicely wrapped up that series.
Currently I’m working my way through the CAINSVILLE books. I like them a lot, although I preferred the Rockton books. Cainsville has a love triangle, and while it’s handled well, it’s a trope I really dislike. I’ve had to learn to live with it here since I like the characters and world so much.
Since last time, I read and enjoyed The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. I kept wishing Esme would grow some self-confidence and then she did. I think the author portrayed a man on the spectrum learning to love in a realistic way. I was on the sidelines when my on-the-spectrum nephew went through the same, except it was a fix-up by mutual friends, not an arranged marriage. LOL. I’ve since recommended the book to houseguests and friends.
Now that school is out, it is houseguest time on the farm and my reading time is limited. (Let’s stay a few days with LauraL, honey! She has a guest room with a charging station and maps to historical sites.) I am working my way through the Once Upon A Wedding anthology with mostly success and a couple of DNFs. “I Do, Again” by Jamie Beck has been my favorite so far.
I’m with you, Minerva, I’ve recently read a few Regencies with more wallpaper than historical fact, or dudes in Regency pants as I call them. I’m going to take a chance on Lady Derring Takes A Lover by Julie Anne Long next if the library doesn’t deliver on one of my beach book holds before then.
In Heather M’s post above, she wondered whether a book might end up amongst her favorites of the year. Now I’m wondering, too.
Might I suggest that in December, in addition to the two Whatcha Reading posts, there be a Favorites of the Year post in which we list our favorite three, five, ten reads of the year?
He’s Not My Boyfriend by Jackie Lau – I had started it and put it down because it felt so different from Not Another Family Wedding, then gave it another chance and I’m so glad! The family interactions are lovely, especially with her granny.
The Blackmail Blend by Livia Day – novella, not the first in the series but can stand alone. Food porn, lots of snark and a cosy mystery. Yes please!
The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey – thanks to Aarya’s post! I had read several books in that series years ago, enjoyed them as fantasies / fractured fairy tales, then came across this one and was NOT expecting so much romance. Back then i was all about the fantasy. Now rereading it as a fantasy romance, it worked a lot better. Next up – The Sleeping Beauty.
Nonfiction:
Quiet by Susan Cain – reading a chapter whenever i feel the need for validation as an introvert in an extroverted world.
Oh! REBEL HARD by Nalini Singh for the SBTB book club! Loved it!
Good Omens is excellent! Left me with a huge grin on my face and a song in my heart. and I went in with very high expectations, fresh off a reread of the original book.
@Jennifer Estep – I have only watched the last three episodes of CHUCK once. I refuse to acknowledge their existence. The show deserves an actual ending. Come on, Hulu or Amazon Prime (where the show is currently streaming!), pick it up for a fair and solid finale!
@Heather M – I loved THE FAIR FIGHT. Great historical fiction for those who want to get into the grit of the period.
@DonnaMarie – I’ve never heard of ED. Googled it and now I’m interested!
@Kareni – I love that idea! I’m a sucker for favorites of the year posts.
Recent reads here ~
— The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen was a rather dark mystery which I enjoyed.
— The History of Soul 2065 by Barbara Krasnoff is a collection of some twenty stories that feature the family members of two girls that meet prior to world war I. The stories contain magic, the inexplicable, Death and the God of Cancer, concentration camp survivors, ghosts, pigeons, seders, and much more. Many of the stories were quite moving, and I enjoyed the book.
— A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan for my book group. I found it a light, quick, pleasant read.
— Some of the many samples on my Kindle.
I just read Rae Carson’s Goldseer Trilogy and I feel the need to convince everyone to read it! I read the entire trilogy in 5 days. It is just stellar. It’s the story of a girl in 1849-51. Her parents are murdered, and she decides to disguise herself as a boy and join the Gold Rush. But she has a secret – she can sense gold. It was amazing, exciting, incredibly intersectional (it addresses what was done to Native Americans, black people, how Chinese people were treated, the topic of coverture, and much more) and it taught me so much I didn’t know about the era. It’s YA, but in the “the main characters do not have sex” way. It certainly deals with mature themes!
EXCELLENT:
I Recently finished MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner. It really resonated.
MRS. EVERYTHING is the story of two sisters growing up and growing apart. The focus is on each character’s suffocating herself to fit in with society’s expectations of what it means to be a woman from the 1950’s through present day. MRS. EVERYTHING is quite a departure from earlier Jennifer Weiner books, but well worth the read.TW/CW: sexual abuse, eating disorders, homophobic slurs.
I Reread Sherry Thomas’ Heart of Blade books. I enjoyed Book One (THE HIDDEN BLADE) the most. I am a sucker for far flung origin stories. Book Two (MY BEAUTIFUL ENEMY) reminded me quite a bit of the movie, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, which is a a very good thing. Sherry Thomas is so bleeping talented!
Good:
I am about to finish SUNSET BEACH by Mary Kay Andrews. I am not a fan of the main character’s pettiness but Drue acknowledges that she is a work in progress. Respect.
DNF:
NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LOVE AND FORTUNE by Roselle Lim. I wanted to like the book but I couldn’t get into it after 40 pages. Forty pages is much earlier than I usually step away from a book but I really need to whittle down my TBR list.
Not much to report in my usual historical romance genre. Instead, I read “The Bride Test” by Helen Hoang, and really liked it. As an earlier commenter said, I was rooting so much for both of them. It’s a great slow burn romance. Now give me a book about the brother!
I’m now in the middle of two books: C.S. Harris “Who Slays The Wicked” and “Rogue Protocol” by Martha Wells, because yay! my library finally got the 3rd Murderbot book! Sometimes too many murders pile up in the C.S. Harris books, but so far there’s only 2 in this one, which is enough for me.
Aside from that, I’ve been on a Betty Neels comfort reading binge, mostly following recs from Miss Bates Reads Romance and The Uncrushable Jersey Dress.
And I’m doing a reread of “The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club”.