How is this the first Whatcha Reading of July? I feel like we should have had way more by now!
Or it could just be the heat turning my brain into utter mush!
Anyway, what have you all been reading? We want to know all the details!
Elyse: Under Currents by Nora Roberts ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) just arrived on my Kindle this morning so…
Aarya: I’m reading Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), and am probably the last person to do so! It’s on KU now.
Amanda: It’s fantastic. I loved it.
Aarya: I was waiting for the sequel to come out to make sure that the romantic element was developed more, and was reassured by friends that it was. It’s hard to give investment in non-romance series these days.
Amanda: I’m reading The Tycoon by Molly O’Keefe. I’m not a fan of second chance romances, but this one works for me. The hero and heroine were supposed to get married and then the heroine finds out it was all part of an arrangement the hero had with her father to secure a plot of land.
So it has that enemies to lovers aspect that I love.
Sarah: I’m reading The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver. It’s book four in the Amory Ames series, which are historical mystery novels with an amateur sleuth, Amory, and her husband, Milo. I read them one after the other on vacation last week – and was rather irritated with myself that I hadn’t reserved book three when I started book two. That said, borrowing library books digitally from the beach is still marvelous to me.
In the first one, Amory is unsure of her husband Milo’s fidelity, and decides to pretend to be having an affair with her former fiance/childhood best friend Gil in order to help Gil figure out if the scoundrel who is engaged to Gil’s sister is as terrible as Gil suspects. Milo arrives unexpectedly, and the tension is in multiple directions. Can Amory believe Milo when he says he cares about her, that he isn’t cheating on her, etc? Can Amory trust Gil, or Milo, or anyone? Then there’s a murder which always makes things complicated.
The questions Amory has about her husband are resolved through each book, so the repair of their marriage is as much a part of each story as whomever ended up dead. Amory and Milo are ridiculous wealthy and the books are set in the 1930s in Europe, amid high society hotels, parties, vacations, etc. Amory going shopping is delightful, vicarious fun.
Aarya: Amanda, I really enjoyed The Tycoon. That series is interesting, because there are multiple authors writing about the same characters (books 2 and 3 aren’t written by O’Keefe). I struggled with the middle books, but the O’Keefe books (books 1 and 4) are standout.
Sarah: Molly O’Keefe is a tremendously talented writer.
Amanda: She really is.
Carrie: I’m re-reading Dracula by Bram Stoker ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). It’s still scary.
Sarah: Update: Finished The Essence of Malice and realized I couldn’t borrow the ebook from the library. So I drove to the library in rush hour (yuck) to borrow the next book An Act of Villainy ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) before the library closed.
Amanda: That’s dedication.
Aarya: That’s also a ringing endorsement! I just put the first book, Murder at the Brightwell ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), on hold via Libby.
Sarah: It can be uneven as Amory chases her tail a bit, but it’s rather a fun series.
Updating again: finished An Act of Villainy. It was twisty and quite enjoyable. And I can return it to the library when it is not rush hour.
The next one is out in September, and I am most curious.
Which books have you read this month? Let us know in the comments!
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I have been inhaling audiobooks lately. Can’t stop, won’t stop, I guess!
Faves
– THE LADY’S GUIDE TO CELESTIAL MECHANICS by Olivia Waite – f/f historical! With embroidery! And French translations! And hot sex scenes! And science! And crushing the patriarchy! I can’t wait for the next in this series.
– SEVEN SUMMER NIGHTS by Harper Fox – m/m historical – WWII vets, one an archeologist, one a vicar, meet in an English village. An English village with a medieval church, some witches (maybe?) and motorcycles, this romance is unique. The romance is almost secondary to the relationships throughout the village. I looooved the writing and sense of place.
– HONS AND REBELS by Jessica Mitford – I do love me some memoirs, etc about upper class British folks in the interwar period. It’s “in my wheelhouse.” Naturally, the Mitfords are the first stop for that kind of thing, but I’d never read Decca’s memoir. It’s funny and ridiculous and maddening and the love story of Jessica and her 1st husband. Pick this up if you’re delighted by digs at Auden and Isherwood and Waugh, because you’ve read opposing digs in their works!
– HITHER, PAGE by Cat Sebastian – m/m mystery/romance in an English village post-WWII. So sweet and gentle. I hope there are more books in this world and I DESPERATELY want a prequel about Edith and Cora.
– I REMEMBER YOU by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (audiobook) – haunted house horror in Iceland! Missing kids and psychic visions and snow and scary shells and an island you neverrrrrr want to visit!
– GATHERING MOSS: A NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF MOSSES by Robin Wall Kimmerer (audiobook) – I love listening to nature audiobooks and Kimmerer’s narrating voice is so soothing, you learn all about mosses while being the MOST relaxed.
Good
– BY FIRE ABOVE by Robyn Bennis (audiobook) – just as good as the first book, but got surprisingly dark
– DEATH ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie (audiobook) – I picked this up because I’m excited about the movie. I enjoyed it, the mystery was neat and tidy, but something about that tidiness keeps golden age mysteries like this from being among my favorites.
– I LIKE TO WATCH: ARGUING MY WAY THROUGH THE TV REVOLUTION by Emily Nussbaum – some really, really great essays about tv from the last ten years. I especially enjoyed the essay about Joan Rivers.
– THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES by Dominick Dunne – Rich people climbing and hiding their sins. I laughed through a lot of this book and I’m pretty sure I was meant to, even though the story is based off a true story.
– THE KING’S MAN by Elizabeth Kingston – this read a lot like an old skool romance in that way where you’re not sure of the characters even liked each other during their most intimate moments and that threw me out the story. The historical aspect was great, though.
Meh
– I KNOW WHO YOU ARE by Alice Feeney – this went off the rails in the last third in a way that was just gross? And totally unearned.
Currently Reading
– THE AFFAIR OF THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER by Alexis Hall – a super out there Sherlockian tale with multiverses and sorcerers and sunken cities, it’s delightful and I’m loving it so far.
Well, I am immediately adding TYCOON and A MURDER AT BRIGHTWELL to Mount TBR, tyvm.
The best
PLAY and RISE by Karina Bliss – These are technically supposed to be read in the opposite order, but I would never have finished Rise if I hadn’t read Play first. Rise is a sprawling, everyone-in-the-band-has-a-storyline rockstar romance that didn’t focus enough on the core romance to keep me interested. Play is a laser-focused marriage-in-jeopardy novella that deals with the impact of sudden fame on an established, loving relationship. [A-]
The worst
TRYING TO SCORE and BLUE LINES by Toni Aleo – The hero from book 2 in this hockey series pops up in book 4 to comfort womanizing hero#4 with the information that though hero#2 loves his wife, he still gets a hard-on whenever his son’s teacher gives him a certain look. And suddenly I’m the penis police. [D+]
Since last time, I’ve started and put down a number of books. My book slump has raised it’s ugly head again and the weather isn’t helping.
The only book I’ve finished is Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. (I’ve read it once, or twice, or a bazillion times, before.) Still funny.
I don’t have Amazon prime, so I haven’t seen the show.
Currently, I’m trying to read Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (audio) and As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner (short).
A bit of mood whiplash between the two, and both are outside my comfort zone, but I’m hoping I’ll stick it out to the end of at least one of them.
In the middle of A PRINCESS IN THEORY by Alissa Cole and it’s so wonderful. I read the second book out of order and now wish I had gone in sequence the way the good lord intended. (;
Haven’t been reading as I am doing an unusual amount of traveling. I am currently in NC on Outlander vacation 3.0. Ya’ all, Gary Lewis is an amazing human being. On our way up to Grandfather Mountain this morning for the Highland Games with Gary as our special guest.
I did want to mention what someone else has been reading. While at my Dad’s VFW Post, I was chatting in the office with one of his pals and noticed a Lori Foster Western romance on his desk. When I asked if it was for the lending shelf, he said “Not until I finish it.” At which point he posited that it might be part of a series and I said that was probably true as she writes a lot of books set in the West, and I was pretty sure he’d have an easy time finding more.
Yes, I was talking romance books with a 90 year old man. Sometimes life is amazing.
I just finished SPINNING SILVER by Naomi Novik — soooo good. It’s a historical fantasy. It’s set in a land very like our own, but reminiscent of Poland or Russia. There are Jews and small villages and it could just be a historical tale of survival except there is magic and winter people and a fire demon and the story revolves around strong young women Who Get Shit Done and I loved it so very much.
I’m reading JANE DOE by Victoria Helen Stone. Several people have recommended it to me.
Next up, I’m hoping to read SPIN THE DAWN by Elizabeth Lim or maybe SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson.
FYI — Amazon is running a deal for Prime members. Buy $20 worth of ebooks by Sunday, July 14, and get a $5 ebook credit — https://tinyurl.com/yxovy7o2
Read: SOULESS by Gail Carriger. This book I was okay. The mystery was fun , the romance was sweet at times and there were some stand out side character like a flamboyant vampire with excellent fashion sense. Other than that the book was kinda forgettable and I most likely won’t read the rest of the series.
WITH HOPE by Dorothy Garlock. This was a romance novel set during The Great Depression that I came across at used bookstore and it was pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately, I can’t exactly recommend it because it was also written in 1998 and is full of problems of the era such as well meaning diverse characters that are stereotypical and lots of subplots and melodrama, some of which could probably be cut out and wouldn’t change the story much. However, if you really want to look into some non-Regency romances she’s written several and I for one tend to still look into her backlist, although I might stick to her more recent books.
Reading : BRIDE BY MISTAKE by Anne Gracie. It’s an Anne Anne Gracie book, so of course I love it! This is the 5th book in her DEVIL RIDERS and though I wasn’t impressed with 3rd book of the series I read awhile back, this is better. Some highlights includes a heroine who takes no crap, a Spanish setting and a road trip. I do have to issue a CW for rape in the heroine’s backstory and child endangerment towards the beginning. Other than that I highly recommend giving this book a try, it’s a lot of fun so far and the leads are great.
DNF’d POLARIS RISING halfway through. I can’t with the “seething jealousy means he cares about me” and “violence makes us both insatiably horny.” There isn’t enough competence porn in the world to catapult me over a hurdle that size.
Currently reading THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS by Karen Lord, which is surprisingly funny for a story that begins with a near-extinction. For example, one settlement was being torn apart by cultural bickering, so someone suggested they solve the problem by switching to a neutral monoculture and, hey, elves are cool, so they set up a Seelie Court… which promptly led to a rival Unseelie Court because everybody just really wants to bicker.
On the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, waiting for the deluge. My fellow residents of Louisiana (along with Mississippi and Alabama) stay safe and dry!
New books and lots of category romances—along with a couple of non-romance detours—formed the bulk of my reading for the past three weeks.
I loved J. Kenner’s BROKEN WITH YOU, a romantic suspense novel about an undercover agent who, as a result of torture by a terrorist group, has lost his memory entirely and is partnered with a security specialist as part of the therapy to regain his memory. He knows his partner is married, but doesn’t recognize that she is his wife. Angst for days in this one as the specialist cannot tell the hero that they are in love and married, and she has to ignore the obvious attraction between them. (There are similarities to Kylie Scott’s REPEAT in that the character with amnesia falls in love again with their pre-amnesia significant other.) Despite the villain being obvious the moment they appeared, I still give the book a high recommendation for its wonderfully angsty love story and intelligent, conflicted heroine.
CD Reiss’s latest, ONLY EVER YOU, is slow-burn romance that is both trope-y (friend-to-lovers, fake fiancé, billionaire) and meta (the heroine is a writer on a romance show called—ta-da!—“Romancelandia”). The hero & heroine were high school friends who made a teenage pledge to marry each other if they were both single at 30. Fast-forward 14 years and they meet again and—whatdya know?—they’re both single. Loving but meddling family members encourage the two to fulfill their pact and, for various reasons, the h&h play along, assuring each other that they will call it off before they reach the altar. But, as the fake relationship heats up, plans solidify, and two scripts the heroine is writing take on aspects of her life, is a real HEA on the horizon? If you’re unfamiliar with Reiss (who is, I’ve asserted time and again, criminally underrated), this sweet, poignant, and cleverly-written book would be a good place to start. Highly recommended.
I never tire of Caitlin Crews’s playboy princes—and one of them is the hero of her latest HP, HIS TWO ROYAL SECRETS. HTRS is the third and final book in her series about three wealthy Anglo-Italian siblings. The heroine is the sheltered younger sister of the heroes of the two previous books (THE ITALIAN’S TWIN CONSEQUENCES and UNTAMED BILLIONAIRE’S INNOCENT BRIDE). She has a brief fling with the aforementioned prince. Oh—but what’s this? Just a few weeks after losing her virginity to the prince, she discovers she is pregnant! With twins! As usual, both h&h have to work through how their individual dysfunctional upbringings color their relationship with each other, and there’s angst to spare—along with the de rigueur HEA and many-years-in-the-future epilogue. And, having experienced a twin pregnancy myself, I was amused to see Crews did not shy away from the physical side-effects of carrying “multiples” (including stretch marks everywhere, lumbering gait, and the utter impossibility of finding a comfortable sleeping position)—although I do think naming the twins Castor and Pollux might have been a bridge too far.
If your dream premise is to transplant the basic plot of “The Parent Trap” to the Harlequin Presents universe, do I have the books for you: Caitlin Crews’s very entertaining duet, THE PRINCE’S NINE-MONTH SCANDAL and THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET PRINCESS. Identical twins, separated a birth and unaware of each other’s existence, have a chance meeting in London and discover each of them are dissatisfied with their current circumstances. One twin is a princess, unhappily engaged to a notorious playboy prince; while the other twin (completely ignorant of her royal blood) is the personal assistant of a demanding billionaire. Throwing caution to the wind, the twins decide to trade lives for a few weeks. In THE PRINCE’S NINE-MONTH SCANDAL, the assistant becomes a princess and grabs the attention of the previously indifferent prince. In THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET PRINCESS, the princess becomes an assistant, showing her new boss a thing or two. Both books have the requisite intelligent heroines, fabulously wealthy heroes, angsty misunderstandings, and swoon-worthy HEAs, but I give the edge to THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET PRINCESS, which has a deep vein of melancholy beneath its polished surface and presents the h&h with significant obstacles to overcome before their HEA.
After years of publishing sexy, angsty romances that often followed the Harlequin Presents conventions, my perennial favorite, Jackie Ashenden, has finally published an actual Harlequin Presents romance: DEMANDING HIS HIDDEN HEIR. Obviously, based on the title, it’s a “secret baby” story. Interesting in that the heroine is married to another man—and was married to him four years ago when her “secret baby” was born (but not when the baby was conceived). There are mitigating factors regarding the marriage, but it’s still unusual for an HP heroine to be married…and not to the hero.
And speaking of Jackie Ashenden, she is at long last publishing the final three books of her six-book Texas Bounty series about rival “fugitive recovery” (aka, bounty hunter) agencies in Austin. The first three books were published in 2017, then Ashenden back-burnered the series. The final three books will be published over the next couple of months—with different titles than originally projected (it also appears the first three books are being released with new titles—check the copyright page carefully). THE HITMAN NEXT DOOR is the first of the final three books and it’s pretty much standard-issue Ashenden: h&h have amazing eye color, smell of pine (him) and vanilla (her), had dysfunctional childhoods, and are simultaneously attracted to one another and believe they can’t be together because…reasons. THND is mid-level Ashenden—she makes all her marks, but nothing about this story of a hitman trying to go straight and the woman he has loved since high school was particularly noteworthy.
I was thrilled to see that Kati Wilde has released another of her Dead Lands barbarian fantasy novellas. This one is called PRETTY BRIDE and I would not recommend reading it without first reading Wilde’s THE MIDWINTER MAIL-ORDER BRIDE, the first Dead Lands story, which sets up the world of kings, princesses, magic, casting & balancing spells, wards, and warriors. In PRETTY BRIDE, a princess and a barbarian warrior are stranded on an island—with predictable (and sexy) results. Now I can’t wait for Wilde’s THE MIDNIGHT BRIDE, the next book in the series.
In addition to being part of Wilde’s Dead Lands series, PRETTY BRIDE is also part of a series called Rags to Riches, where each book is written by a different author and all of the titles begin with the word PRETTY. None of the other books are set in the Dead Lands world, however. I did read Alexa Riley’s contribution, PRETTY VIRGIN, which is another of Riley’s virginity-fetishism/impregnating-as-alpha-male-claiming-ritual romances. You either like them or you don’t. And PRETTY VIRGIN is fine for what it is.
Pamela Clare’s BARELY BREATHING, the first in her Colorado High Country series, snuck up on me. At first this second-chance romance seemed to move at a glacial pace and was so full of detailed information about rock climbing and mountain rescue, I thought it would be a DNF. But the story grew on me: I became invested in seeing the h&h (a Rocky Mountain park ranger and his high school girlfriend, now a CPA, who returns to town after 12 years in Chicago) achieve their HEA. If you’ve ever read any of Kari Lynn Dell’s rodeo romances, you may see similarities in style with Clare: a deliberately-paced story with lots of interconnected characters and a great deal of technical information. I enjoyed BARELY BREATHING, but this is not a book to grab when you want a quick read—give yourself time to it read slowly and savor the story.
Although Juliana Stone (not to be confused with Julianna Keyes or Juliana Connors) has never been an “I’ll read anything she publishes” writer for me, over the years I’ve enjoyed a number of her books; she does a good job with small-town romances. Stone’s THE SUMMER HE CAME HOME is the first in her Bad Boys of Crystal Lake series, but it’s the only one I hadn’t read yet. The hero has been chasing his dream of rock stardom when he returns home for the first time in a decade for the funeral of a childhood friend. I liked that the hero is not a full-fledged superstar, but someone who has achieved mid-level celebrity; he’s known, but not so famous that he’s mobbed wherever he goes. Once the hero is home, he feels an immediate attraction to a local single mother who cleans houses for a living and has secrets. (CW for references to abusive relationships.) Although the connection between the hero & heroine is on the insta-love side, they do not act on their feelings for a while. Other than some unnecessary “not like other girls” and “mean girls” moments, this is a nice slow-burn romance.
While she was writing PERSUASION, Jane Austen referred to the heroine, Anne Elliot, as being, “almost too good for me.” I thought about that phrase while I was reading Tessa Bailey’s THE MAJOR’S WELCOME HOME in which the hero is almost too good to be true: a smoking-hot 26-year-old Army Major who is both a virgin and immediately conversant with all manner of kink (spanking, Daddy role-play, and, of course, this being Tessa Bailey, dirty talk), plus he completely understands the ambivalence his first sex partner (an artist who has always been marginalized and ignored by her parents) feels towards his insta-love/lust for her. Key quote: “You might have been my first…but I’m a grown man with a brain and a heart. And I know it isn’t going to feel like that with just anyone. I know.” In fact, the hero is so dreamily perfect, it makes the heroine seem overly prickly in comparison when she’s really not. THE MAJOR’S WELCOME HOME is not a bad book, but—perhaps because of its novella length—things just felt too rushed.
Tracy Wolff’s BREAK ME is an erotic romance about the relationship between a free-spirited artist and the journalist (severely injured while reporting in Syria) who comes to her isolated lakeside home to interview her. I have nothing against erotic stories but I need to feel the chemistry between the characters before they get horizontal—and I had a hard time believing a journalist who has trouble walking and an artist who spends solitary days working in her studio would be banging their brains out within a few minutes of meeting each other. Despite some nice descriptions of the heroine’s home and art (I really wanted the blue-green glass platter she made and uses to serve fruit & cheese), I felt BREAK ME spent too much time on sex and too little time on the build up to it.
I hate to DNF a book from a writer I’ve enjoyed in the past, but as much as I like Clare Connelly, I couldn’t finish her latest book for Harlequin’s Dare line, HIS INNOCENT SEDUCTION. Frankly, it’s a mess. While working as a waitress/bartender, the heroine decides that a frequent customer (an attorney) is going to relieve her of her virginity—she then pursues, with grim purpose, the surprised and (initially) somewhat reluctant gentleman. I know how I would feel about that dynamic if the genders were reversed! I could never get a handle on the heroine—an Australian medical student, currently living in Ireland—one moment, she’s boldly propositioning a customer; the next, she’s an absolute innocent, not only a virgin but completely ignorant of how any sexual activity is accomplished (she’s 23 and is surprised when she has her first orgasm); but once she’s no longer a virgin, she almost immediately participates in some (admittedly mild) bdsm kink. The heroine is not the only inconsistent character, the hero is also whatever the story needs him to be (reluctant, enthusiastic, kind, cruel, indulgent, etc.) to advance the plot. In addition, the book includes some weird word choices that should have been caught by a competent copy-editor: “ shirt hole” instead of “button hole,” “boarding house” instead of “boarding school.” Small things, but they took me right out of a story I was already not really enjoying. I hated to do it to one of my reliable go-to authors, but HIS INNOCENT SEDUCTION was a DNF for me.
NON-ROMANCE:
[CW: serial killer] Although it contains beautifully-descriptive passages of nature, along with several dogs who almost become secondary characters themselves, Diane Les Becquets’s psychological suspense novel, THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST, stood out for me because of Les Becquets’s very interesting (and, in places, heartbreaking) afterword where she details some of the real-life threads she used in writing the fictional story of a wildlife researcher & dog trainer who comes to suspect that her late fiancé was a serial killer. I stopped reading psychological suspense a couple of years ago because the genre seemed to have devolved into little more than making entertainment out of women being abused, gaslit, betrayed, and mind-fucked: an entire subset of fiction devoted to “punishing” women for loving the wrong person, trusting the wrong friend, defending the wrong client, etc. Plus, many psychological suspense novels were so focused on the big “shocking twist/reveal” that the rest of the story was given short shrift with weak characterizations, flimsy plots, and non-existent motivations. But after reading some positive reviews for THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST, I decided to tentatively dip my toe back in the psychological suspense pool—and I think this book was a good choice for a number of reasons. First, Les Becquets is a very good writer, especially of outdoor/nature/wilderness scenes. Second, the story is in the rear view, so to speak. The heroine’s fiancé is dead and whatever she uncovers about his behavior (and she uncovers a lot) is in the past. Third, there’s no big twist as such—just a gradual escalation of tension as the pieces of the (very well-constructed) puzzle start falling into place and one very important fact becomes obvious. (Key quote: “You weren’t weak. You were manipulated. There’s a difference.”) Clearly, in a book about a serial killer, there will be violence and murder, but these scenes are not overdone and don’t luxuriate in death. I would recommend THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST for psychological suspense fans who prefer a slow and steady tightening of tension as opposed to big BOO! moments. When I finished the book, I realized I am generally able to read the darkest of “dark romance” because there’s always the promise of an HEA (no mattered how fractured) in those books; for various reasons, psychological suspense can’t promise the same thing—and that may be another reason why I stopped reading it.
Sue Burke’s SEMIOSIS is a science-fiction novel about the first six generations of humans colonizing an Earth-like planet and entering into a symbiotic relationship with a bamboo plant to ensure their survival. I enjoyed reading how successive generations developed their own customs and how they started communicating with the bamboo, but this book was really heavy on the “science” side of science fiction and I must say my eyes glazed over during the book’s many long botanical/chemical passages. However, having once had a bamboo plant take over half of my yard, I can clearly see why Burke chose bamboo as the “sentient plant” in her story.
@DiscoDollyDeb, batten your hatches and stay safe!
I’m back to binging tv, watching a lot of movies, and barely reading but I did manage to finish a few books I really enjoyed:
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore- I adored this arc. It had great characters, strong women and friendship, realistic conflict, good pacing, witty exchanges, and a little bit of angst. Hero is a duke that the suffragette (and Oxford-attending bluestocking) heroine is trying to win over to get some support for their cause. Despite containing a lot of common tropes the writing made the story feel fresh and different. It comes out September 3 and I highly recommend checking it out then.
Well Met by Jen Deluca- This was a cute book. I enjoyed the setting and characters, but the romance and conflict was weaker than I would have liked.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams- A marriage in trouble story where the hero’s friends get him to join a club where they read romance books and use them as a tool to identify and solve their martial issues. It was funny and touching. I recommend looking for it in November when it comes out.
Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston- Book excitement seems to exist on a bell curve for me. A certain amount of good buzz and reviews makes me excited for reading it, but when everyone seems to be gushing about something, like this book, I become cynical about it and lower my expectations. I didn’t need to be worried; it lived up to the hype. If there’s anyone left still not quite sure about checking this one out, I’m here to tell you to read it!
I read some other books that I didn’t love, but didn’t feel like mentioning. Right now, I’m struggling through Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. I think the struggling is more me than the book.
I did a lot of re-reading over the past two weeks, but did make time for HOOKED by Elizabeth Hunter, the second of her 7th and Main series. I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book, but I think that’s because I’m much less interested in the heroine’s career in this book (she’s an accountant but also an influencer, with a strong online presence in fashion/beauty). The book itself was quite good, and I really like the themes of community, hard work, and perseverance that run throughout the series.
I also read PRIEST by Sierra Simone, which I did like, but erotica is generally not my thing. This was much better written and deeper than most erotica, but I really prefer slow-burn romance with the couples becoming connected, and erotica by definition generally has to jump straight into desperate lust.
Ha! I’m just finishing the 3rd of the Amory Ames series by Ashley Weaver. Practically inhaled them . So much fun! How can I wait until September for #4?? I’m thrilled that you guys have found this author at the same time I did. Hooray!
Life has been insanely stressful and upsetting lately, one damn thing after another, but I’m surviving. And still reading PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE and I have to say: THANK YOU to every single person on this site who rec’d this. I started to rly get into it approaching the halfway mark and now that I’m 150 pages from the end I feel like I’ve been falling more and more in love with it with each chapter.
And despite all the craziness and utter hell/stress of real life right now, it’s always been good to pick up. I feel like so many other books would have added to the bad feelings or seemed trite set against reality, but this has been a fine comfort and just wonderfully good to have. –And It even narrowly escaped an overturned water glass (guess who has two thumbs and doesn’t sleep enough anymore) with minimal damage.
So yeah, I have had literally no new books to discuss for like three of these posts, but anyway…thanks y’all. 🙂
I’m probably one of the last people around to read it, but I just finished EDUCATED by Tara Westover. OMG, my heart hurts to think of how she was raised. My hat is off to this woman for not only enduring a brainwashing, gaslighting, fundamentalist ideology, and abuse in her childhood but coming out incredibly strong on the other side.
On the romance side, I read an advanced copy of TRASHED by Mia Hopkins (it’s being released next week) and I loved it. I read the first book in the series, THIRSTY, last year and loved it also. Both books feature strong, sympathetic, LatinX heroes and heroines in East LA. In both books, the heroes (brothers) are ex-cons and gang members trying to break free and get on with their lives, while the heroines have good jobs, and are smart, determined, and career focused.
I also just finished GRUMPY FAKE BOYFRIEND by Jackie Lau and really liked it, although the hero wasn’t really grumpy, he just was pretty introverted and preferred to be alone most of the time. I was especially sympathetic to him, an introverted science fiction writer whose extroverted family can’t seem to accept him the way he is and completely ignore and discount his feelings. As an introvert myself, I totally get that. Yes, I really would rather spend lots of time alone, no I really am not interested in endless social pursuits and conversation, and yes, I really am happy that way!
I just started ONE by Jewel E Ann which is currently on a Kindle countdown sale. The sample sucked me right in and her books are highly rated on GR so I have high hopes for this new-to-me author.
We’re in a good stretch of Austen riffs lately, but I came across an absolutely fascinating one by accident: Sybil G. Brinton’s 1913 book Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen. Apparently it has one of the better claims to being the first work of Austen fanfic.
It’s usually-entertaining and sometimes a bit slow, not genius, but it’s well done. And the element of brilliance I don’t see as often: she puts all of Austen’s novels into one universe and has them interacting, usually in logical ways. Of course the Robert Ferrars from S&S would toad-eat Lady Catherine from P&P, of course naval Captain Wentworth of Persuasion would be friends with seaman William Price from Mansfield Park.
The main elements are drawn from P&P and Mansfield Park (even though Fanny is one of the absent heroines), but all of the major books come in somewhere.
Since the book is from 1913, it ought to be public domain (=free) practically everywhere; I got it from Project Gutenberg.
I am in a book hangover after reading WANT ME by Neve Wilder. If I didn’t have some ARCs that need read, I would read it again. It is a M/M story between college roommates with the added bonus of a jock/frat and nerd combo. There is a lot of sex in this book, so know that going in; but it doesn’t feel repetitious and seems true to the MCs (hello, early-20 year old men) and I think it helps to better understand their relationship.
Before that, I enjoyed MASTER BAKER by Pippa Grant because he was a dirty-talking baker that was swoony sweet. Plus, the usual Pippa hijinks.
And Winter Renshaw’s newest book THE MARRIAGE PACT. This has a royalty storyline with enemies to lovers. It kept my interest because of wanting to know what happened in the past to propel them into being enemies, but it was not as “meaty” as usual for her books.
My best reads of the past couple of weeks were Sierra Simone’s New Camelot trilogy. I watched Fleabag and wanted to read PRIEST, however AMERICAN QUEEN, AMERICAN PRINCE and AMERICAN KING were on the Audible escape package so I listen to them instead. And I am still recovering. Not only were they scorchingly hot, but she packs so much emotion and heart into her writing, which is something I don’t often come across in erotic romances. Plus anyone who can tear my heart right out of my chest, continually stab it with a pen and yet keep me reading is a master. I just need a break with some happy, low-angst romance before I read more of her.
Other notable mentions:
THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren was a really fun read. The banter between was hilarious and I loved the depiction of Olive’s large family, however I felt the hero was forgiven too easily given how utterly horrid his behaviour was. I definitely needed more grovelling.
MRS MARTIN’S INCOMPARABLE ADVENTURE by Courtney Milan was a fun, quick historical about two older women doing what they can to fight against the patriarchy and imposing their existence on a society that would prefer they slunk away into the shadows.
NEVER ENOUGH by Lauren Dane is the first rockstar romance I’ve read and enjoyed, most because it did not involve any of the usual rockstar tropes.
Just finished SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo (after hearing Amanda mention her in a recent podcast.)
Also read a couple of Anna Harrington’s books that I generally liked and the rest of Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflowers series which I felt compelled to finish but didn’t really enjoy. (I did like the Ravenels series.)
Next up: CROOKED KINGDOM by Bardugo and GODDESS OF THE HUNT (an older Tessa Dare that my library had.)
@Ren Benton: I’m with you on Polaris Rising. I did finish it but found it very meh, same with Bouchet’s newest one, which are kind of the same YA space princess rebels against her powerful daddy zzz. Recently I read C.A. Higgins’ Lightless trilogy which is a very different look at how a space revolution against the evil empire might go. Also featuring the “birth” of an AI which is a theme I dearly love. It’s a rough read sometimes because things don’t go how you wish they would, but so good.
I read Forever Wolf and it broke my heart. Man, Maria Vale grabs me so emotionally in every book. (Although the emotion of the second one was loathing for the hero.)
SL Huang’s Zero Sum Game was a fast fun read, as was MK England’s The Disaster’s.
You guys, go to the sample for Mark Lawrence’s Red Sister and read the opening line. is that not one of the best first lines? The trilogy is really good.
Recent reads here ~
— The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. This had me laughing aloud several times from some witty banter. I’ve read several books by this author pair, and I look forward to their next book.
— Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan which I enjoyed is a male/male romance with a paranormal element.
— Boundary Broken (Boundary Magic) by Melissa F. Olson. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author. This is definitely not a book to begin with as it builds on the author’s previous books.
— A Midnight Spark by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner. This is a modern historical (moon shot era) romance novella that the authors serialized for members of their mailing list; I enjoyed it.
— Valor’s Choice (Valor Novel Book 1) and The Better Part of Valor (Valor Novel Book 2) by Tanya Huff both of which I enjoyed. These are military science fiction.
— a fun time travel book ~ Bump Time Origin by Doug J. Cooper. Initially I thought I might put aside the book, but then I got caught up in the story. I was a little surprised when the story ended and would like to read on. A sequel is promised but as this is a new book…
— reread SK Dunstall’s Linesman … again.
Forgot these ~
— The Bride Test by Helen Hoang which I enjoyed despite some quibbles.
— Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter. I’d read several books in the author’s Jane Yellowrock series, but I preferred this and expect to read on in the series.
— Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey which kept me up late reading. Those of you who like mystery and magic might like this; I did.
— Fluency (Confluence Book 1) by Jennifer Foehner Wells. It was a pleasant read but not a book I expect to reread. I don’t intend to continue with the series at this time.
— I did not finish a book that I won in a Goodreads giveaway. In its defense, I’ll say that it’s vocabulary enriching as one of the characters is a logophile who carries around a dictionary. That is one of the few things I can say in its defense; the book in question is Solipsism by Noel Luis Nuñez.
Excellent:
CITY OF GIRLS by Elizabeth Gilbert – This book contained one of the best love stories that I have read in quite some time. The Majority of CITY OF GIRLS takes place in the off-off Broadway theater scene during the 1940’s, which was fantastic. Shit got deep about halfway through the book, then hilarity and seriousness merged into that beautiful love story I mentioned above.
JOE COUNTRY by Mick Herron (book six of the Slough House series) – Not a romance, a thriller. As background, The people of Slough House are M15 spies who messed up so badly that they are relegated to paper pushing in a crappy ass section of London, effectively being dared to quit. Their leader, Jackson Lamb, is the perfect mix of crass and cunning. Herron masterfully writes about the other poor souls in JOE COUNTRY. Case in point, one character takes speed and eats breakfast when offered during a search for a missing team member. Definitely a wtf maneuver, but Herron makes sense of it.The Slough House series is amazing. I recommend starting with book one, SLOW HORSES.
SUMMER OF ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand – three siblings try to make it through the summer of 1969 in and around Nantucket with very mixed results. Everyone struggles silently in the WASP way. Each POV is well written.
Good:
BITTER BREW (a Savanna Reid mystery) by G.A. McKevett – the quality of the series has gone downhill for the past five years. This installment gets closer to the heart of the series. BITTER BREW focused not only on the case but Savannah’s personal life, which is going through a rough patch. As always, Savannah gets shit done.
Sarah, have you listened to the Ashley Weaver books? I’ve had my eye on them but haven’t tried them. I’ll definitely give the ebooks a try now based on your positive feedback.
I’ve been on a reading binge since I turned in grades in mid-June. I LOVED “Teach Me” by Olivia Dade – it just hit all of my buttons (so much so that after reading my library copy, I bought the book in paperback). I’m a former high school teacher (now teaching college), and Dade’s depiction of high school teaching didn’t make me cringe. It also reminded me of how good it feels when you work with colleagues who have each other’s back.
I also enjoyed “Ice Cream Lover” (by Jackie Lau) and “Raze” (the third book in Roan Parrish’s Riven trilogy). Jackie Lau has become an auto-buy author for me, and while I wouldn’t put “Ice Cream Lover” in the top 3 of her books, it was a nice diversion. I wasn’t expecting to like the Riven trilogy as much as I did. I think Rend (book two) is my favorite, but Raze had a gentle sweetness to it.
“Stiff Suit”, the 5th book in Tawna Fenske’s Ponderosa Resort series, was a good read. It was a close 2nd to “Hottie Lumberjack”, the 4th book (and my favorite) in the series. James, the oldest brother of the clan featured in this series, was put in an awful position by his father, and it was interesting to see how Fenske had James (and his siblings) deal with the fallout of it.
I was a bit late to the party, but I just finished Alexis Daria’s “Dance Off” series. I liked “Take the Lead” (the first book) best, mainly because of Stone, the hero. Stone was put in an awkward position of keeping secrets by both his family and Gina (the heroine), and I don’t think either really appreciated the situation he was in.
I just started “Someone to Honor” by Mary Balogh. Her Westcott series has been up-and-down for me (I think I was spoiled by her Survivors series, in which loved every single book). I’m also looking forward to Jasmine Guillory’s “The Wedding Party” when it is released next week – I’m 4th in line for my library’s copy.
I just finished a reread of Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen Thief series. Well, I say reread but I switched to the audiobook format for the first time. It kills me that Turner doesn’t write faster. Her stories are so wonderful and the use of the unreliable narrator is such a treat. For the first four books, I stuck with the original narrator, Jeff Woodman, and with the final book, tried the newest narrator, Steve West. I’m happy to report that West’s narration is glorious and uses accents a bit better than Woodman.
I also finished Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis which is a historical graphic novel. The art is wonderful and the story itself was enchanting. It’s loosely based on the exile of Queen Elizabeth I by her sister, Queen Mary. It’s a historical reimagining but you don’t need to know historical details to enjoy the story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
And in so you want to time travel news: I came across this older historical romance book by Constance Heaven called The House of Kuragin and I finished it in less than 2 hours. I could not put it down. The story is about a young English woman who travels to 1830s Russia to become a governess. Family drama and romance ensues. The book was published in 1972 and there are two other books attached for a trilogy. One of my local libraries – I live in Southern California so I have a LOT of local libraries – has the rest of the trio so I’ll be indulging in that series this weekend. The writing reminds me of the older Betty Neels HQ novels but with a historical twist. They are non-explicit but full of melodrama, which I was very much in the mood for. I also have her other titles outside of the Kuragin series and will be indulging in those for the rest of the month.
*thought: I know the site focuses on newer titles but has there been talk of doing a series of conversations or posts about classical romance literature of the 60s and 70s? Or is that just me projecting my desires to the world?
I was thinking of rereading V.C. Andrews’s Casteel series since Lifetime has made them into films, which premiere at the end of the month. I’m always up for trashy drama but I don’t think I will reread the series. I started Heaven, got to about 1/4 into the story and thought – I could be doing laundry instead. I will of course be watching the series because SOMEONE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO CAST JASON PRIESTLY AND OH MY GOD DO I HAVE 100% TIME FOR WHATEVER THAT WILL ENTAIL.
@Judy: Do you ever visit the Dear Author blog? Hardly a week goes by when they don’t post a review of a “vintage” book by Betty Neels, Elisabeth Caddell, etc.
Little light on book reading this month due to me undergoing healing from a huge cancer globule. I’ve subscribed to a comic service for Shonen jump archive so I binged read some Dr. Slump, Tokyo Ghoul and Dragon Ball Volumes.
So according to Goodreads, I read an estimate of 40 books.
But I’ve been reading one hundred Years of Solitude. And it feels like a good book to read before bed because it’s slow paced, but it has interesting details in it’s world.
The Ex-Princess by Fiona West stood out from the pack so far. It’s a fantasy and a romance. I loved all the world building but it didn’t distract me from the endearing characters and how much I enjoyed the plot. As much as I enjoyed the story as a whole (funny, interesting, and smart), I think what really made it shine for me was the representation of chronic illness. There was no magic cure to enrage me, just a nuanced take on the challenges of dealing with the day in and day out issues. Not just the physical, but the emotional toll as well. It was 99 cents where I am, and it looks as though it still is at the time of this writing.
@DiscoDollyDeb OOOOHHHHH I have not heard of the Dear Author Blog but with just a quick peek at the site, I’m already hooked. Thanks for the information!
@DiscoDollyDeb – I loved THE MIDWINTER MAIL-ORDER BRIDE and liked the storyline in PRETTY BRIDE but was constantly yanked out of the story by the “medieval-speak” writing style she used. I’m looking forward to THE MIDNIGHT BRIDE and really hoping she goes back to the style she used for MIDWINTER.
@MaryK: I noticed that with the overly-medieval speech patterns—but overall it didn’t bother me…although I hope Wilde tones it down some for the next one.
@Judy One of the Dear Author features that has given me the best tips is called “If You Like.” It’s in the menu labeled “Need a Rec.” It’s an older feature so the books are not the most recent, but it’s still a terrific resource.
I’ve done a lot of re-reading lately, but last night (more like really early this morning) I finished Red, White, and Royal Blue. OMG. Why did I wait so long to start this? It was so good. There isn’t an adjective in the English language to describe how good it is (I bet the Germans have a word, but the only German I know is the lyrics to O Tannenbaum). Hopefully, she’ll release a sequel for some of the other characters. I’d love to see Nora and June get their own books. Part of what I loved about this book was the friendship between the young characters, especially the karaoke scene.
I’m probably going to start The Lady’s Guide to Cellestial Mechanics today or tomorrow
Just finished American Street by Ibi Zoboi and y’all, this book killed me.
I decided several weeks ago that I was only reading authors of color this summer because my kindle shelves are way too monochromatic as in about a hundred shades of white.
I got just what I deserved, fierce and complex writing that made me think where have you been? Because you are in the keeper shelf!
I’m three books into the Amory Ames series (thank you, my library, because the ebook prices are terrifying) and I’m about to hit burnout on the narrative of their fragile marriage recovery. I hope this spoiler stuff works…
Weaver seems invested in keeping that pain alive for Amory. In addition to Milo’s ongoing close encounters with other women (which are balanced by Amory showing up in equally compromising positions with other men, “proving” that Milo is innocent and misunderstood), they can’t sit down to dinner with a bunch of potential murder suspects without someone at the table dropping a bon mot about Milo’s time on the Riviera while Amory struggles to maintain her sophisticated façade.
Because of the era and the genre, I can’t be certain Milo isn’t an unfaithful husband who — threatened by the reappearance of his wife’s ex-fiancé in book 1 — has reluctantly brought himself to heel. Mystery doesn’t have the same obligation romance has to clear up the messy emotional past, and not talking about feelings fits perfectly with the series’ “stylish” representation of jazz age high society. In which case, I’m an unhappy reader because, without understanding Milo’s past actions, there’s no reason to believe he won’t ghost on his marriage again.
Then there’s the alternate possibility: Milo isn’t a mildly repentant rogue but a secret agent whose playing away was a cover for his spying which will be revealed in some future book where his secret agenting and her amateur sleuthing intersect. The problem with that being: 1) huge cliché, and 2) I can’t endure X more books of watching Amory being insecure in her marriage just so Milo can prioritize king and country.
tl;dr: I need Milo to be a better husband, now.
On a positive note, Amory seems to be highly skilled at compartmentalizing. It’s easy enough to forget Milo exists when she’s off sleuthing alone.
(If the spoiler tag didn’t work, I beg an admin to delete this comment.)
:::stumbles in after a very long day including an ER visit in which my daughter brightened the doc’s day with the fact that I worked with what I had and thus she had a big toe wrapped in gauze and scotch tape:::
Wowzers.
All right, onto the books, one of which I finished while hanging out in the ER with the aforementioned daughter.
So we’ll start with my reading With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo. I had heard of The Poet X and knew it had won a bunch of awards, but I also had heard that it was written in verse and poetry tends to be kind of hard for my brain, so this book, which was not written in verse, was a much better entry point to her writing for me. And I loved it. I loved this portrayal of a resourceful, intelligent teen mother who is handling her responsibilities and doing what needs to be done to accomplish her goals and raise her child. It was such a lovely read, and oh, yeah, the recipes (the main character is an aspiring chef). Loved it. Then because Stranger Things was getting ready to jump off (El and Joyce and the Scoops Troop forever), I read Stranger Things: Darkness On the Edge of Town by Christopher Golden. It was a novel that went back some and gave you Hopper’s background as a former homicide detective in NYC. It was a pretty effective mystery, with some subtle, but understandable nods to the universe of the show (as it turns out, Eleven’s not actually the first person he’s ever met that was experimented on). Then, because I have been on something of a suspense kick, I followed it up with Her Other Secret by HelenKay Dimon. I liked the two main characters, and enjoy a small-town, but it took a bit to get going. Once it did, it was good, and the interactions between characters were enjoyable. After that, I read The Lovely War by Julie Berry, which was lovely and had really beautiful writing. It was a story being told by Aphrodite to her husband Hephaestus during what amounts to a trial, and focuses on two couples that she works to bring together and protect during WWI. You also hear from a few other gods, including Ares (predictably, an arrogant, short-sighted ass), Apollo (the closest thing to a neutral party in the proceedings), and Hades (portrayed as understanding and compassionate, and probably my favorite narrative voice in the book). It really was just beautiful writing. I then burned through The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (easy to do, I spent about four hours at a courthouse honoring a juror summons before they cut me loose). It’s about a fictionalized version of the first female lawyer in 1920s India, and she becomes involved with a group of widows whose mutual husband (he practiced polygamy) live in a form of seclusion called purdah. There are some discrepancies with their finances and his will, which is how Perveen becomes involved with them, as she’s the only one that can interview them, since their seclusion and the grieving rituals prevent them from speaking with male investigators. It was very interesting, and the culture and setting and how they affected the investigative process and the mystery was engaging. I finished it was just as I was finishing Stranger Things (sob, I need more), and needed what basically amounted to more YA horror.sci-fi/government conspiracies in my eyeballs, so I went with Wilder Girls by Rory Power. It had a nice combination of body horror and government conspiracies, but I found the ending a bit abrupt. Which brings us to now, in which I have started Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet, which has a spaceship, found family, scary space governments, and snarky narrator, which is A LOT of my catnip and I’m pretty sure I already love it. Till next time, watch the library door and protect the toes.
@KateB, I am a huge Mitford Maven! Have you read Jessica Mitford’s memoir of her later life, “A Fine Old Conflict”? She’s so entertaining. My copy of the book you read has the American title, “Daughters and Rebels”. I guess they figured Americans wouldn’t know what “Hons” are.
I have been struggling to finish books, even books that are good. I can’t seem to concentrate. Certain current events are too upsetting and distracting. I read the 3rd Lady Darby mystery, “A Grave Matter”. To be honest, I don’t much care whodunnit, I am reading this series for the relationship between Kiera and inquiry agent Sebastian Gage. So it dragged for me until he showed up, which luckily was just a few chapters in. And there was substantial and gratifying progress in their slow-burn romance, so I’m looking forward to continuing this series.
Then coincidentally, I read another book where the heroine was an artist, “Last Night With the Earl” by Kelly Bowen, It was good, not great, but it might just be me.
I’m now reading the 2nd book of the Lord & Lady Hetheridge contemporary mystery/British police procedural series by Emma Jameson. It’s got another slow-burn romance, not exactly May-December, but maybe July-December.
I’ve been having better luck getting through some closed-door romances from previous eras, maybe because they’re so short and lightweight: “Libertine in Love” by Caroline Courtney, which had some of the same flavor as Heyer’s “Devil’s Cub”, and several Betty Neels books.
And I am counting the days for a new Mimi Matthews book to show up in my Kindle library, “The Work of Art”, on July 23rd.
@Crystal If you’re okay with subtitles (or speak German), Dark is like a darker, deeper, more adult German Stranger Things on Netflix. You can also watch the dubbed version, but I found the bad voice acting made that version impossible to watch. It deals with the mystery of missing kids and strange happenings in a small German town. I stayed up way too late one night then ignored all the things I should have done the next day to binge both seasons.