We’re slowly approaching the end of February and it’s a Leap Year!
That means one more day to enjoy some (hopefully) good books.
Sneezy: The Likability Trap by Alice Menendez, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and City Kitty and Country Mouse by Alyssa Linn Palmer! The Likability Trap has been “I see myself in this picture, and I don’t like it,” from literally the first sentence. City Kitty and Country Mouse is cute as FUCK, and already layering feels, and I’m only at the beginning!!
Tara: Sneezy, I just started reading City Kitty and Country Mouse too! ( A | BN ) And I totally agree about it being cute af. I’ve been bouncing between a few other books, but the most notable is So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) I got the audiobook from the library, but I’m going to have to buy my own copy, so I can take notes in it.
Catherine: Oh, I’ve had a really good run of books this week! I just inhaled Jackie Lau’s Baldwin Village series, which made me enormously happy because the food is described in such loving detail and the relationships and friendships are lovely and I basically want to live there now and eat pie and ice cream every day. They are funny and sweet, and will make you want to try Durian ice cream (which I also got to do this week, and I still don’t know whether I like it or not, but it is the most interesting thing I have tasted in some time).
And I have just finished The Lord I Left by Scarlet Peckham, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which just blew me away with its thoughtfulness, and with the kindness and integrity of its hero and heroine. The hero is a Methodist minister, and his faith is so beautifully handled – his theology is really well thought out and it’s just lovely. (This is very much not an Inspie, by the way – but you really couldn’t write a character like that and not do make his faith central, especially to a story like this one.)
Carrie: I am reading Marmee and Louisa, a biography of Louisiana May Alcott and her mother, Abigail May Alcott. Review pending!
Shana: I’m reading Takeover by Anna Zabo. It’s an erotic m/m romance set in a Pittsburgh tech company. It’s my first book by them, and I’m enjoying the angsty office drama so far. I also just finished A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which made me want to be friends with all the characters, as per usual.
Lara: I’m reading Whiteout by Adriana Anders and it is blowing my mind. EPIC romantic suspense. Thank you, Elyse, for the rec!
Elyse: I’m craving fantasy romance so I’m going to either start A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane ( A | BN | K | AB ) or The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Susan: I’m on a manga kick right now, so I’m reading the first volume of Blue Flag. ( A ) The protagonist stumbles into helping a girl in his class confess her feelings to his best friend, who already has a crush on someone else. …I’m genuinely hoping that the best friend is actually crushing on the protagonist, because it’s already awkward and doubling down couldn’t make the situation worse!
I’ve also started Banana Fish ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I have no idea what I’m getting into beyond “there are drugs, street gangs, and some poor reporter who is not prepared for this,” so that’s going to be fun!
Aarya: I just finished an arc of Melissa Bashardoust’s Girl, Serpent, Thorn. It’s a gorgeous YA fantasy based on Persian mythology (out May 12). It features a lonely bisexual princess whose touch poisons and murders anyone unfortunate enough to make skin contact.
I would recommend it with one caveat: the romantic endgame doesn’t work as well as I wanted it to because 1) the heroine spends WAY more time with the villain (terrific, nuanced, monstrous, and semi-sympathetic villain) than with the love interest and 2) the romantic development needed to simmer more due to the comparatively smaller on-page interaction. I adored what existed of the romance; I just needed more of it so I could buy the HEA. I would’ve loved the book more with the mindset of “read for the fantasy, not the romantic endgame.”
Caveats aside, I enjoyed the book immensely and would rate it as a B+. I’m still thinking about it days after reading and I want to reread it. That it’s stuck in my brain for so long tells you something!
Not sure what I’m going to read next but I’d like it to have more romance. Maybe the Milla Vane book like Elyse, though I’ve heard that readers should check out the content warnings on the author’s website. It has elicited polarizing reactions among my friends and I’m curious to see what camp (love or loathe) I fall under.
Catherine: I’m halfway through the Milla Vane – it’s my last day of holiday and I foolishly started it this morning and am getting nothing else done as a result…I think I’m in the love it camp, but it certainly is everything the content warnings said it is…
Sneezy: Read In Peace, Catherine, we’ll see you on the other side.
Catherine: I mean, I’m going to be a platinum level bad decisions book club member if I stay up reading this tonight when I have my first day back at work tomorrow…
Sneezy: As a fellow platinum member, I can only encourage you to do your best. (Or rely on coffee.)
Susan: It’s the first day back, I’m sure your coworkers will understand the book hangover.
Maya: Over the weekend I read A Phoenix First Must Burn, a collection of SFF short stories edited by Patrice Caldwell which was wonderful!! Some of the authors included are Elizabeth Acevedo, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney, and Rebecca Roanhorse. They are all stories about Black girls and women and it was truly a delight.
The other book I read this weekend was The Cake King by Rosie Chase. ( A ) Despite the cover making it look like it would be about an interracial romance, race was never mentioned. People were only described in terms of their hair color and eye color. And the romance was between a rich and famous man holding a baking competition for his also very famous sister’s wedding and a women who is competing, so there are some icky power dynamics that are never acknowledged.
EllenM: While I was sick with the flu I marathoned Our Dreams at Dusk, a GORGEOUS 4-volume slice-of-life manga about a young gay teen who gets connected to a drop-in center for LGBTQ+ folks. There are some magical realism elements but the characters are so real-feeling, and while there are definitely some dark parts the overall tone was very hopeful and life- and love-affirming. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Maya: (immediately sends to friend that used to run a drop-in center for LGBTQ+ folks)
Susan: I love Our Dreams at Dusk! I’ve got the last two volumes on order at my local comic shop!
What are you currently reading?
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….bisexual Persian princess? I think my id book just arrived. Also because I just listened to Renee Ahdieh on the podcast I am definitely requesting The Wrath & The Dawn because !!!!
I read more this month which is nice.
The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis which was AMAZING and I’m honestly still thinking about it. So much joy, so much kindness. Heed the content warnings (I skipped bits) but it was <3.
Steeltide by Natalie C Parker or All Ladies Mad Max But Pirates Also Pretty Much Everyone Is Queer
The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas which was amazing and OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH MRS WATSON
THE SPANISH MASK by Anne Cleeland – Citing this historical mystery/romance set in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars may be cheating, since I’m reading it as an incomplete serial on the author’s website, but so far I *love* the characters, the action, and the mystery of whether or not the levelheaded postulant is secretly a Spanish grandee. (Apparently, the only way to keep me from leaping ahead and spoiling myself is to serialize a story.) [A]
LAST LIGHT by Claire Kent – An emotionally believable post-apocalyptic romance. I have minor gripes about the author’s inability to handle action scenes with sufficient drama plus the triteness of the heroine’s willful blindness at the end, but the book does a nice job of balancing despair and hope and makes falling in love after the world has ended seem possible. [A-]
HEADLINERS by Lucy Parker – Thinking about this book breaks my heart, because I’m convinced it never made it to bestseller status at Amazon because there’s a black man on the cover, while Parker’s only reference to the hero’s ethnicity is through food. So I’m sad because I think racists rejected the book at the same time I’m disappointed the author didn’t confront racism in the entertainment industry the way she does sexism. Meanwhile, the book does a brilliant job with enemies-to-lovers, forgiveness, and a countdown to Christmas (why wasn’t it released *before* the holiday?). And I got two magnificent pages of Richard and Lainie!! [A-/B+]
CHASING CASSANDRA by Lisa Kleypas – I loved both protagonists, though I wasn’t crazy for the push-pull plot that revolved around Tom’s fear of catching feelings and Cassandra’s reputation being ruined. In my head, I’m rewriting this to be all push: smitten!Tom vs the Ravenels. In the end (assuming this is the end of the series), I liked all the Ravenel-heroine books and am not a fan of the Ravenel-hero books. [B+]
CHOOSING HER ALPHA by Isoellen – I’ve been fascinated by m/f omegaverse since I discovered it was a thing in self-published romance. (I was introduced to the omegaverse through m/m fanfic, where the fantasy construct made sense to me as a way to allow for mpreg and impose extreme heteronormative sexism on m/m relationships. I was confused as to what function it served in het romance, since we already have sexism and pregnancy.) Isoellen’s debut is one of the few examples of m/f omegaverse I’ve read that manages to balance the (het) subgenre’s propensity for darkness with the optimism/hope that I consider a necessary component of romance. I’m still searching for an m/f omegaverse author whose default setting isn’t post-apocalyptic. [B]
SWORN TO THE SHADOW GOD by Ruby Dixon – Fun fantasy premise and the lonely hero can teach a master class in yearning and covetousness, but I feel like a responsible author would have included a note on suicide prevention. Also…too long. I hope this is because the author needs a good developmental editor and not because the story was stretched out to make more Kindle Unlimited money. [B/B-]
THE VANISHING by Jayne Ann Krentz – When I read the synopsis before this was published, I had such high hopes JAK was going to write about a heroine from a town that was trying to keep its paranormal abilities secret and a hero from a seemingly nefarious organization that was either trying to uncover those secrets or that knew the origin of the paranormal event. This…was not that. And the hero is a damp squib. [C+]
NOT YOUR SHOE SIZE by Eve Dangerfield – This sequel to Act Your Age is a bit disjointed in the same way its predecessor novel was, but mostly I wasn’t prepared for the sexual roleplaying to still be on the dark end of the spectrum. (The “Daddy” stuff isn’t what makes it dark, except now I suspect that Dangerfield is specifically choosing these scenarios to avoid any accusations she might be romanticizing incest or child abuse. I had thought the dark scenarios in the first book were a product of the hero’s self-loathing.) They’re at an interesting point in their relationship where the hero wants to marry and the heroine simply does not. I would love a book that had the space to explore that fully. [C]
Just blew through the latest Rivers of London book, “False Value”, the cover of which actually glows in the dark. Our heroes pursue a cyber-billionaire putting the work of Ada Lovelace (“the Empress of Numbers”) to bad uses while a Peter Grant and Beverley Brook approach parenthood. Delicious.
For no reason, I can name, revisited Samuel Richardson’s Sir Charles Grandison. If you can have patience with the epistolary style, book is both fun and fascinating, not to mention romantic. This is the novel that famously lists its dramatis personae under the headings of Men, Women and Italians.
I’m about to start reading Dr. Jen Gunter’s THE VAGINA BIBLE, which is currently on sale for $2.99.
An accurate—but incomplete—description of Penelope Douglas’s CREDENCE would be “New Adult reverse harem with enforced proximity in a snowbound house in the mountains,” but that rather porny-sounding set-up would never capture Douglas’s delicate handling of the emotions, thoughts, and family histories of the main characters—making all of them complete, fully-fleshed characters. CREDENCE is a deliciously-fraught story of a suddenly-orphaned 17-year-old girl who goes to live with her step-uncle and his two sons (who are in their early twenties) in the Rockies. She has never met any of the three men before but, although they are not related to her by blood, they are her only relatives. The heroine—ambivalent about the loss of her parents, who were so wrapped up in each other that they completely neglected her when they were alive—quickly adapts to her new surroundings and being, for the first time, part of a family unit, albeit one with many issues. As time goes on, she feels a pull of desire toward each of the three men in the house—feelings that are reciprocated and only intensify as winter approaches, the house becomes snow-bound, and (significantly) the heroine reaches her 18th birthday. Is there sex? Yes—and some of it is rather transgressive—but, for well over half the book, Douglas also stretches out the sense of erotic possibility to incredible lengths without anything actually happening (there’s a scene where the heroine and her two step-cousins watch porn in the dark that’s a master class in how to maintain unresolved sexual tension on the page). Every time I begin a Penelope Douglas book, I hope that I will find something as emotionally nuanced as THE BIRTHDAY GIRL, her beautiful and melancholy story about a young woman who falls for the father of her ex-boyfriend. I’m glad to say that CREDENCE, the story of a young woman learning what she wants in life and love, is the book that is at last a worthy companion for THE BIRTHDAY GIRL. Highly recommended.
[CW/TW: domestic abuse, mental illness, postpostum depression] There are two parallel stories running through Molly O’Keefe’s SECRETS OF THE RIVERVIEW INN (the second in a three-book series): the first is about a woman on the run with her child from an abusive, criminal ex; the second is that of an older woman who, while suffering from untreated postpartum depression, deserted her family 30 years before and has now returned for a not-very-happy reunion. The stories intersect at various points: the woman fleeing her ex grows close to a former cop—who happens to be the son of the older woman. Everyone has secrets, everyone tells lies (especially to themselves), and there are several examples of dysfunctional parent-child relationships. SECRETS OF THE RIVERVIEW INN is written with O’Keefe’s reliably good, emotional style, full of people with messy lives who sometimes have to make the same mistake more than once before they learn from it. Although technically a stand-alone, SECRETS OF THE RIVERVIEW INN is a richer reading experience if you read WEDDING AT THE RIVERVIEW INN first.
I started out being somewhat ambivalent about Caitlin Crews’s latest release, TEACH ME, the first in a new series called Filthy Rich Billionaires that she is writing for Harlequin’s Dare line. TEACH ME is a bdsm romance between a dom hero and a sub heroine (who also happens to be the younger sister of the hero’s best friend). Initially, the hero refers to the heroine as a “brat” who needs to be “punished,” but it appears that his opinion is based on little more than her decision to drop out of college and that she is somewhat undecided about her future. As much as I like Crews, that irritated me. However, as the book progressed, I found myself liking it much more because of Crews’s ability to get into the minds, motivations, and emotions of her characters—why they are the way they are, why they like what they like, and how they feel when they are together in a “scene.” Considering that I started out being on the fence about TEACH ME, I ended up enjoying it very much. Key quote: “BDSM is never just the sex….Not the way I do it.” [I should add that all the bdsm activity in the book is completely consensual and is quite intense—not at Annabel Joseph levels perhaps, but there’s certainly more going on than fur-lined handcuffs and spanking.]
Kelly Hunter’s THE COURAGE OF ELI JACKSON was one of the 13 romances in the Valentine’s Day anthology, HIS ONLY VALENTINE (which was free in the kindle store when I downloaded it last week). It’s a story of overcoming loss and learning to live with the uncertainty that you might face loss again. After playing together in an on-line role-play game for two years, the hero (Eli Jackson of the title) and heroine, Zoey (a costume designer), finally meet in the flesh at a gaming convention where, due to an only-in-Romancelandia mix-up, they find themselves sharing the honeymoon suite at a luxury hotel. Because he is still mourning the death of the woman he loved five years ago, Eli is confused and conflicted about the attraction he feels for Zoey (who is far more open to the possibility of a relationship than Eli is). Zoey also has a medical condition and Eli must decide if he can cope with it. As is usual in Hunter’s books, the characters act in mature and honest ways, even when they don’t agree. I’ve enjoyed every Kelly Hunter book I’ve read and THE COURAGE OF ELI JACKSON is no exception. Recommended.
Sarah Mayberry’s ALMOST A BRIDE was also in the HIS ONLY VALENTINE anthology. The hero and heroine are partners on the police force of a small Montana town. The hero has kept his feeling for the heroine suppressed because she’s engaged to be married; but when the engagement breaks off (the heroine’s fiancé—a high school teacher—is having an affair with one of his students, a fact for which I wanted the fiancé to face tougher consequences than he did), the hero and heroine grow closer. As usual Mayberry packs a lot of plot, character development, and good writing into a compact package—both the hero and heroine have to make compromises and overcome family expectations to achieve their HEA. I enjoyed the book and recommend it, but the “It’s ok, I’m on the pill, no need for condoms” approach to sex was a bit of a letdown and took my enthusiasm for the book down a notch or two.
Romances that present religious people (especially priests and pastors) as fully-fleshed humans are a bit of a catnip of mine and—outside of “inspirational romance” (which I rarely read)—relatively uncommon. [Catherine: Although I don’t read much historical romance, I added THE LORD I LEFT to my tbr the minute I read your comments about the hero’s profession and faith.] So I’m pleased to report that BJ Salsbury’s FACE THE MUSIC is a surprisingly even-handed story of a widowed pastor who develops a relationship with his sister-in-law’s best friend—a woman who begins volunteering at his church. The woman in question is a bartender approaching 30, no longer satisfied with drinking and casual sex. I like the fact that the heroine slowly came to the realization that she needed a spiritual element in her life—she didn’t have a blinding Road to Damascus experience, just a steady progression toward needing something beyond immediate gratification. And Salsbury didn’t make the pastor perfect: he’s a busy man, pulled in multiple directions, trying to be the best parent possible to his young daughter, mourning his late wife (who has been dead for six years), and not sure how to handle his growing attraction to another woman. (The heroine has also experienced something that rarely shows up in romance novels. I’m not 100-percent down with the heroine’s perception of the incident but, given its rarity in Romancelandia, I was pleased to see it addressed at all.) Despite some unfortunate caricatures of churchwomen as catty and sexually-repressed (along with a baffling scene where a school administrator’s refusal to release a child to a person not listed on the child’s approved list is presented in a negative light), I enjoyed FACE THE MUSIC. Key quote: “…no two people digest spiritual things the same way. Some hear religion—a long list of rules and rituals. Others hear relationships—the act of receiving love and grace…and then extending that love and grace to others.”
On the other hand, I must sadly report that I had to DNF Erika Wilde’s NO INHIBITIONS. I was really intrigued by the book’s premise: a woman who designs boutique hotels that feature “fantasy rooms” falls for the contractor she hires to build same. Unfortunately, Wilde’s writing style is full of clunky tell-not-show and massive amounts of info-dump exposition (if you’re talking to your best friend, do you tell her everything that is going on in HER life—as if she doesn’t know what she’s got going on?—that’s exactly how the heroine and her friend in NO INHIBITIONS talk to each other). No matter how imaginative a book’s set-up is, a flat execution simply destroys the magic. Alas, NO INHIBITIONS wastes the potential of a great premise (and a really hot cover) on dull, uninspired writing.
I’m not on wifi here, so I’ll try to keep this short. Hah! My reading slump has really turned around, but I beat it by DNF-ing even faster than I usually do? I used to aim for trying at least 100 pages, but now it’s way less. I’m a little discouraged that’s been the solution but the flipside is everything I’ve finished is at least a B+, so maybe that’s my new normal. I’ve really been craving “quiet” romances lately not necessarily sweet or inspirational, just something that is a slow burn without anything too gimmicky or or over the top. Hard to find!
So in not any real order since I liked all of them
GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert. I’m so glad I connected with this because her other books haven’t worked for me. Found it sweet and adorable.
WILD OATS Pamela Morsi. Americana with virgin mortician hero and ” fallen woman.” From the 90s and held up better than I thought it would and better than the sequel which I DNFed due to some pretty tasteless racist stuff that was passed off as “cute teasing.” I’ll say when Morsi works for me, she really works. I like her kind of downhome regular folks stories when they don’t get too quirky.
REFORMING LORD RAGSDALE by Carla Kelly. The hero is this started off saying some really nasty bigoted things about Irish people and it definitely put me off a bit. Considering he’s a British lord and it’s the Regency, it’s not that suprising. And he has “reasons” per the story, but yunno don’t they all (side eye face). However, I persevered and ended really loving it as quiet romance of people who grow to respect each other deeply than love each other. I found the ending very emotionally satisfying.
STAY MY FANTASY by Alisha Rai. This can’t really be read without thur first part BE MY FANTASY which I read ages ago. And then in a fit of pique, I bought the sequel but wouldn’t read it. (yes, I know that makes no sense). I’m glad the cliffhanger ebook thing doesn’t seem to happen much anymore. This was still a fun sexy read and I’m glad I got over my snit.
I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI by Sarah Kuhn. A YA with Japanese American girl reconnecting with her grandparents in Japan with a little romance. So much delicious food and fashion and it made wish I could visit Japan, especially Kyoto which is described in detail.
I’m in the mood to read something dark and action-packed, so I’ve been downloading some thrillers/suspense books, including WHITEOUT by Adriana Anders and THE DIME by Kathleen Kent.
On the lighter side, THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB by Lyssa Kay Adams; CHRISTMAS WISHES AND MISTLETOE KISSES by Jenny Hale; and ALEX, APPROXIMATELY by Jenn Bennett are all waiting in my TBR pile.
Life has been really busy lately, and I keep bouncing off books or just generally having meh experiences. So most of my reading this month has been The Untamed fanfic. But I’m hoping in March I can finally visit my new local library and get back into my usual reading habits.
That said, for the past few weeks I finished:
Kendare Blake- Three Dark Crowns
YA fantasy, an interesting sort of setup but I felt the execution was really lacking, and I won’t continue the series.
Rose Lerner- A Lily Among Thorns
A bunch of bonkers bananapants plot points, and the most impossible hero who’s somehow good at everything (he’s a chemist! and he designs clothes! and he’s a great cook! and he perfectly plays the organ!). This was a lot of fun even though it was so silly. Since there were essentially two romances, I think it might have been better split into two books.
Cathy Maxwell- The Duke That I Marry
Meh. I really didn’t connect with anything in this one at all. Nothing egregiously bad that I can point to, but it just didn’t work at all for me.
I was in a bit of a reading rut with a long string of DNFs that I won’t mention by name because I don’t think I read enough of them to fairly critique, they just weren’t holding my attention or had tropes/characterizations off the bat that aren’t my thing.
I finished TRIBUTE by Nora Roberts and while the first part of the story held for me – former Disney-type child star from famous mom and grandma (who died by suicide when she was in her 40s) leaves Hollywood to return to her grandma’s old Virginia farmhouse and fix it up, someone is clearly out to get her – I found myself skimming the last 25%. I just didn’t care enough who the villain turned out to be.
Read some more Jill Shalvis, who’s great for a reading slump. Finished HEAD OVER HEELS, the third in the Lucky Harbor series, about the youngest, impulsive sister trying to figure out if she wants to put down roots and the rule following sheriff with a secret bad boy past. Also finished her Wilder Brothers trio with INSTANT GRATIFICATION and INSTANT TEMPTATION. These are about three brothers in Northern California who run a wildlife adventure company. Different sort of premise which I enjoyed. The first is a bit of opposites attract, while the second is a little enemies to lovers, a little second chance.
WHITEOUT by Adriana Anders totally brought me out of my slump. A researcher and a cook stranded in Antarctica and being chased by a murderous shady organization, and along the way they fall in love? Could have been a tough one to pull off, but Anders has either done her research or believably fakes it. I loved this book and can not wait to read the next one.
Currently reading HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU by Mhairi McFarlane, which is the last McFarlane I have to read until her new one comes out this year. I don’t always love the whole “ugly duckling in school becomes a swan as a grown up and then confronts her tormentor/crush” trope, but I do love McFarlane so I’m going to trust her.
Watching and Wanting: Housemates by Jay Northcote (4/5 m/m) The series is based around a house with a bunch of university students and new adults. Some of them pair off, or find love and move out so new roommates can move in (and keeps the series going) This particular Student Jude is paying for collage by being a cam boy, housemate Shawn claims to be straight but watches Jude’s videos. Usually this situation ( and many in the Housemates series) wouldn’t by my thing but I really like this author
First Class Package by Jay Northcote (3/5) free little short story. Jim works from home and gets a crush on his temporary postman Patrick, so he starts ordering random stuff to be delivered.
Dances Long Forgotten by Ruby Moone (4/5) Current day with flash backs historical. James and Dylan hear music in James’ family home. James tells Dylan about the legend in the family that family members (men?) who are in love hear the music. Then in flash backs Hugo and Lyndon fall in love and dance to the music for the first time.
Camp H.O.W.L by Bru Baker (3/5) Tate works at a werewolf youth camp setup to help teens through their first shift. Adrian is an adult who didn’t shift as a teen, assumed he never would but now attends the camp when he shifts for the first time at 27
Reread of An Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles. Season 2 of the podcast unobscured has been about spiritualism and it made me want to do this reread. Nathaniel is out to expose spiritualists as frauds and meets spiritualist Justin.
Next 3 are from the Alphas’ Homestead series, historical werewolves. Caleb and Jacob setup a home in Nebraska 1870s. They eventually adopt children Martha, Ephraim and Thaddeus.
Longing for Shelter: Alpha’s Homestead (5/5) Seth was causing problems in NY and given the choice to spend a year in Nebraska or werewolf prison. He meets native American Malcolm who’s the deputy sheriff.
Home in your Heart: Alphas’ Homestead (3/5) Martha is grown up and has just returned to the homestead after becoming a doctor. She’s being pursued by a werewolf from a new, creepy pack
Be My Sanctuary: Alphas’ Homestead (3/5) Samuel is a drifter who came to the homestead because he knew Caleb from fighting together in the civil war. Thaddeus is about to leave the homestead to take over the NY pack.
I think these books are so interesting. I just wish I knew more about the world they are in. I want to understand more about the role werewolves played in the civil war. In Home in your Heart its revealed that Thaddeus is a rare werewolf type, and I kinda don’t understand what’s expected of him and why. But I care enough that I WANT to know more. Also, the series spans 20-30 years and not everything is a happy bow, they live on a farm and animals grow old and die (and its so sad!) but it makes it so much more realistic. I suspect a reread of the first 2 books is in my future
@Ren Benton thanks for the heads-up about the vagina bible sale
The past two weeks have been slow reading wise for me.
Read: THE SPYMISTRESS by Jennifer Chiaverini
This book was based on the real life of Elizabeth Van Hew who worked as a union spy after Virginia seceded during The Civil War. Sounds interesting right? To a degree it was, she has some great competence porn moments and it got me interested in the time period. The problem is, this book should have just been a biography, but it was a work of historical fiction. Character arcs are nonexistent, most of the action is “off-screen” and done by other people instead of Lizzie, and half the time it reads as just a dry report of Civil War events.
The good thing about this book though is that it debunks a sexist narrative around Elizabeth Van Hew that said she was crazy or at least faked being crazy to avoid being captured as a spy, this simply isn’t true. I think it also serves as a good introduction to the Civil War and all the terrible things surrounding the event, but I won’t be rereading it.
Reading: KISS CARLO by Adrianna Trigiani
This is another work of historical fiction set in Philadelphia shortly after WWII. I’m about 100 pages in (of a 500 page book) and so far it’s good, but not particularly deep since this book is marketed as a Shakespearean comedy . Issues of the time are addressed, but aren’t the focus is the story. this might bother some people, but honestly I’m really enjoying the themes of the book does tackle like grief and family expectations. There are also beautiful setting descriptions and lots of Italian food porn. The characters are likable( but there are a lot of them) and I really want to see what happens to them. If you just want a light book or a palette cleanser after heavier material definitely pick this one up, I’m really enjoying it so far.
Enjoyed CHASING CASSANDRA by Lisa Kkeypas. I wish I remembered all the back stories of the Ravenel family and their orbit.
For closed door romance, you can’t top Mimi Matthews. A WINTER COMPANION was worth the wait. But glad she will move on from these 4 orphans…I am ready for something new.
Finished I, ELIZA by Susan Holloway Scott. I am sure the breathless, worshipful tone she gives Eliza’s voice is straight from the primary source materials, but it was fatiguing to read. I had to put the book down after a few chapters. But I was glad I read it.
It’s been a struggle for me this month. I’ve either blown through books or I find myself with a DNF.
The Duke’s Stolen Bride by Sophie Jordan: I blew through this one in about a day and a half and while I enjoyed the story, I find that Jordan’s romances just aren’t that memorable to me. This one was no exception. I really liked it while I was reading it but I couldn’t really tell you much about the plot.
The Chai Factor by Farah Heron: I finished this one a couple of days ago and this book really has a lot going on. Almost too much and it overshadowed the actual romance.
Last week I read the first three books in Julie Kagawa’s YA series The Iron Fey. I do remember trying to read these when they first came out 10 years ago or so and I apparently wasn’t in the mood then. Well that changed because I read the first three in about 4 days. It’s typical YA but I enjoyed Kagawa’s take on fairylands and the rules governing the fey. I now have the last 4 from the library so my weekend is booked.
Finished off the week with A New Dawn which is a Star Wars book by John Jackson Miller that sets up the meeting of Hera and Kanan prior to the Star Wars Rebels TV show. I adored it. Hera is such a no nonsense character and Kanan spends his time after work in the tavern starting bar fights and causing trouble. We need more common people stories in the SW universe.
I’m just finishing AUTISM IN HEELS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF A FEMALE LIFE ON THE SPECTRUM by Jennifer Cook O’Toole, and I’m a bit overwhelmed both by sadness and hope for all of the autistic women (and men) that she champions in this book. (Note: TW for abuse and serious bullying). The focus is specifically on what it’s like to be an autistic woman in a neurotypical world and how autism in women has historically been ignored, discounted, and/or misdiagnosed because most of the scientific studies on both autism and Asbergers were done by men using only male subjects and describing specifically male behavioral patterns. Women in fact are autistic in probably the same numbers as men, but because they are often so much better at masking their thoughts, mimicking neurotypical behavior and blaming themselves or accepting abuse for “non-social” behaviors, no one realizes that they are autistic and many go undiagnosed. Sadly, although they are often very intelligent, they often fall into abusive and gaslighting relationships, and suffer eating disorders at a very high rate.
Like Helen Hoang, the author of THE KISS QUOTIENT, Jennifer was only diagnosed as an adult, and only because all three of her children (including her daughter) were finally identified as being on the spectrum. Once she was diagnosed, finally, her thought patterns and things she’d struggled with her entire life started to make sense. My heart just broke for her. She was severely bullied throughout school, was called a drama queen and far worse, had breakdowns and behaviors that no one could understand, and suffered in abusive relationships and from anorexia. Even now, it’s pretty obvious that her mother is still clueless and doesn’t understand her. Ultimately, this is a hopeful memoir that explores the autistic mind in fascinating detail. Her main focus in her life and work is to reach out to and help everyone else on the spectrum. The book is occasionally chaotic but I highly recommend it.
I probably should read Autism in heels being on the spectrum myself (diagnosed at 37), however I’ve read a few of them and they have been very depressing reads for me. I would welcome some positive memoirs. Autistic people in positive relationships and being good parents (you’d be surprised how many people think these are not possible!). Having said that I’ve had eating problems, unhealthy relationships (that I blamed myself for not just ‘getting it’) and bullying. I’ve even had anger management! (for throwing tantrums at school that were blatantly in hindsight meltdowns). Also absolutely nothing about autistic people grieving.
Anyway books, not much, a few bland predictable shifter romances and I’ve finished Strange Love which was good in places, (heroine too accepting of being kidnapped, deadly trials glossed over) but I admire the message and it made for a change from alien alphas hung like a… Well…
Other than that concentrating on writing for WP Open Novella Contest (sort of a mini nanowrimo).
If you’re enjoying the Anna Zabo book, you must read their Twisted Wishes trilogy. Absolutely loved them
Thanks to Sarah and Amanda’ podcast on space books I read and loved LOVED a Conspiracy of Whispers. So fun, and ideal if you like your romance with a complex world and lots of plot. My favorites are the Liadan books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, and Joanna Bourne’s Spymaster series, and this book had a similar scope. It’s also the closest to a fated mates scenario that’s ever worked for me except maybe Mercy Thompson. I downloaded the next book but haven’t started it yet.
@JenM: Thank you for the recommendation. My oldest daughter is on the spectrum (high-functioning, but has a difficult time with social cues and idiomatic language). She was diagnosed at a fairly young age and when we’d go to support groups, she was generally one of the very few girls there—which always seemed odd to me; it didn’t seem likely that autism was a sex-selective condition like baldness or color blindness, but there were very few girls in any autism support group we attended. Also in my non-scientific observations: I’ve worked for over a decade with special needs students in a high school; most of the students I work with are on the severe end of the autism spectrum and this year, for the first time in nine years, we have a female student in our class. So I’m still thinking that females simply don’t get diagnosed at the same rate as males.
Anyway, I will ask my daughter if she wants to read AUTISM IN HIGH HEELS and, if she does, perhaps we’ll do a mother-daughter book club read of it together.
Between school and work, and reading two MEATY historical fantasies back-to-back, I don’t have a lot to contribute. I finished Deathless Divide, which was excellent, and really turned Jane’s hero journey on its head by making her do some decidedly bad things, but you still root for her. Then I dived into King of Crows by Libba Bray, the ending in her Diviners saga. I loved it. I loved the way she used stories and how people are remembered. That said, the book ends with the knowledge that something else bad is coming. After all, the people in this one were dealing with supernatural consequences of WWI. We all know that the story of 20th century World Wars did not end at one, and the characters, while they have to come to the happy ending of this story, can feel that something else is coming. And since the reader knows what it is, it makes the story bittersweet. Which brings us to today, in which I’m reading Golden In Death by J.D. Robb. I’m not going to lie, the quality on the last few has been kind of scattershot, but this one is pretty good so far. It’s been very procedural, which is nice, but Roarke feels like he’s more of a presence than he’s been of late, which is good, because he almost felt like a non-entity in the last one. Until next time, folks, eat the ice cream when it’s warm enough and drink the hot chocolate when it’s cold enough.
I have been finishing up some ARCs that are coming out this coming week. I actually liked all of them, which is unusual.
AN INCONVENIENT DUKE by Anna Harrington is a great historical that has an unusual plot of the heroine running a secret underground for abused women. Also with good banter and the clever writing that I associate with Anna’s books.
SNOW ONE LIKE YOU by Ashe Winters is the ninth book in the Snowed-In Inc series, but is a standalone. I was in the mood for some snowy atmosphere in my book which pushed me in the direction of this M/M story. It was an enemies to lovers trope that fit the bill for what I was looking for, but I would have liked more than just the day they were snowed in. Darn being “rescued” so quickly.
THE BEST MAN WINS by Adora Crooks was funny and super sexy…lots of sexy times. It revolves around a wedding planner that falls for the best man who is the brother of the bride.
I DNF’d a couple of audiobooks that were on many highly anticipated, and loved books, for the end of last year. I am not liking that books that would be better classified under women’s fiction are getting blurred in with romance titles. I want my fiction reads to be in the easily recognized romance category. But maybe that is not so well defined anymore?
I did finish listening to ALEX by Sawyer Bennett because I love hockey books. Also had BROOKLYNAIRE by Sarina Bowen on my TBR forever, but hadn’t gotten around to reading. So I decided to listen to it instead and only felt about 3 stars for it, because I wanted more from Nate’s POV.
@Kit, I totally hear what you are saying. Although the author of AUTISM IN HEELS briefly discusses that she’s in a positive, loving relationship (with a man who is also on the spectrum) and has three great kids, the focus is more on her struggles than her successes. As I was reading it I wished it had been a bit more balanced to the positive. I think she wanted to speak directly to all of the undiagnosed people out there, and also try to educate “neurotypicals” that yes, autistic people do feel deeply, they are not at all uncaring or oblivious, the behaviors that are considered odd or uncomfortable like stimming and meltdowns are wholly necessary and are the result of the way they process thoughts, emotions, and stimuli, and most importantly are not something they can just stop doing. For you, I think the book might be too triggering, but of course, if you are feeling strong, you might want to give it a a go.
@DiscoDollyDeb, in addition to this book, the author has written a series of books called Asperkids, that provides advice to autistic kids on how to navigate a neurotypical world. I’m not sure how old your daughter is, but you and she might want to take a look at those also.
Another fascinating fact that that the author brought up in the book was that autistic people in general, but autistic girls in particular have a high incidence of synesthesia, a common form of which is that letters, shapes, numbers or names are perceived with another sense like smell, touch or taste, and how disorienting this can be for young autistic children since it’s pretty much unknown in the general population.
@JenM I probably won’t read it at the moment. The synesthesia is interesting, I’m not sure this counts but I can “hear” Gifs, they are very distracting reading websites as it’s too noisy for me. I’m thankful that SBTB keeps them hidden unless you click to reveal them. This is great for me and I wish more websites did this.
I’ve only read three books in Feb so far and they were all a little meh. Not bad but not great – all like 3.5 / 5
World Turned Upside Down by Elyse Springer. Low conflict mm romance set in Antarctica. The author has lived in Antarctica and I really loved the setting.
Omega Returned by Tanya Chris. Sexy slow burn m/m/m a/b/o shifter erotic romance. This is the 4th in Tanya Chris’ feminist alpha/omega shifter series but it’s pretty stand alone. It’s lower conflict than the previous books. I enjoyed it but I thought it dragged a bit in the middle.
You, Me & Her by Tanya Chris. Bi, poly romance with m/m, m/f and m/f/m sex. Refreshing to read a believable hea for a poly triad that includes commitment but not monogamy/ exclusivity. Because it’s told from the first person POV of one MC, I thought the character development of the other MCs was limited and the romance felt a little muted.
I hope we get back the heart/like button soon. I always love to show my appreciation to other great comments especially on Whatcha Reading! I have been chipping away at a lot of books and have four that I finished since the last WAYR to report on!
Excellent:
Educated by Tara Westover: I am not sure what else can be said that hasn’t already been said about this highly acclaimed memoir, but the hype is real – it is amazing as all of the awards and reviews say. The author grew up in an extremist Mormon and survivalist household and did not receive any formal education, but went on to graduate from BYU and then get a PhD from Cambridge. That makes up part of the story, but the true heart of the story is her learning to become her own person and no longer be controlled by some of the members of her family that are/were abusive and toxic. CW for domestic verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, untreated mental illness, graphic depictions of workplace and auto accidents, gaslighting, and violence towards animals.
Very Good:
My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis: Second in the Cedar Ridge series which is all about a group of half siblings that own a small struggling ski resort. This book focuses on Hud – part owner of the resort, head of the ski patrol, and part-time small town cop. The heroine is in remission from a long bout with cancer and is ready to figure out who she is. The interactions between the siblings are really great and the chemistry between the hero and heroine was both hot and real (although I though their first kiss happened unrealistically quickly based upon the characters and set up of the story). I added the next to my TBR.
Moonglow by Kristen Callihan: The second in her Darkest London paranormal historical series, the hero of this series is a lycan (were/werewolf) who was a jerk in the first book and the heroine is the sister of the heroine in the first book, Firelight. I absolutely devoured the book, but wasn’t entirely thrilled with the direction the ending took which bumped it down from Excellent. I did add the third book in the series to my TBR.
Good:
Holding Fire by April Hunt: This is the second in the Alpha Security series and I loved the first book. Unfortunately, the hero in this one seemed very flat to me – a muscled guy with a gun, but no real depth. And the entire conflict revolved around the heroine thinking she would make the hero unhappy because, after an accident, she had been told that it would take a miracle to get pregnant and he wants to have a biological family. SPOLIERS AHEAD – First, reading between the lines, you could see that the doctors said it was unlikely she could get pregnant NOT impossible AND then they have unprotected sex because they tell each other they are both clean and she is like I’m covered from the pregnancy angle. BUT MAJOR SPOILER – the story ends with them finding out she is pregnant with said miracle baby. END SPOILER. In this particular case, I hated the conflict because they never sat down and talked about it – there are other options in her particular case including IVF, egg donation, and surrogacy if they wanted to try those not to mention adopting BUT she didn’t even ask the hero about it, just assumed he wouldn’t be happy with anything other than the “traditional” way to have kids. I just didn’t believe that two supposedly smart people who have very strong feelings for each other would communicate this poorly on a topic like this. That being said, I loved the first book and I am all for romantic suspense that does NOT involve serial killers (I was a major Suzanne Brockmann fangirl back in the day), so I added the third in the series to my TBR.
Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs [Most] Americans Won’t Do by Gabriel Thompson: The author is a journalist focusing on immigration. He spent a year doing three jobs that are mostly filled in America by immigrant labor – picking lettuce in the fields of Yuma, AZ, working at a chicken processing plant in Russelville, AL, and doing take-out deliveries in New York City. I really like the section on the lettuce – I had no idea the amount of backbreaking labor that goes into the harvest and found the other two sections ok. I was in the middle of reading this when the American Dirt controversy started and I don’t think this is an #ownvoices story and thought that while this was an interesting read, an #ownvoices story would have have made for a stronger book.
Meh:
None
The Bad:
None
Just wanted to agree with what Catherine said and rec ‘The Lord I Left’. I’m an actively practicing xtian who tends to have a hard time with Inspies. I LOVED “The Lord I Left”. The author did a supurb job of showing how the Hero struggles with what being a devout Christian means in a world that is unjust and frequently unkind to those without power. I also appreciated how the Hero was forced to confront his actions in an earlier book and reflect on how he had hurt other characters – I think it’s important that the grovel included acknowledging *everyone* who he hurt, not just the new romantic interest.
I’ve missed so many of these lately. Stupid new work schedule…Anyway I’m going to list the books I’ve read since the beginning of the year and I swear I will keep up on this as its posted.
–Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich–Honestly not even sure why I bother anymore.
–Pretend You’re Mine by Lucy Score–Woman running away after her boyfriend cheats runs out of gas at a bar after driving in the wrong direction. Saves a woman from domestic violence and goes home with a soldier who agrees to let her stay with him until he gets deployed in a month. They both fall hard but he’s spooked by thoughts of his dead wife. It was a good book. Lucy Score is turning into a favorite.
–The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata. Was a reread about a rugby player and a woman who had his baby that he didn’t know about. Love Zapata’s books.
–Say You’ll Stay by Corinne Michaels. Um, I don’t really remember this book. Woman goes home after her husband commits suicide because they were broke and keeps running into the one that got away.
–Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant. Loved this one! Male librarian who loves romance book. Really funny and be prepared for book suggestions.
–Peep show by Isabella Starling. Erotic romance with an agoraphobic. It was ok.
–The Score–Elle Kennedy. 3rd book in NA romance series. It was good and I really like Elle Kennedy books.
–Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan. This book gave Grip a run for it’s money in favorite KR book. Trigger warning for sexual abuse in the past. This is Lotus and Kenan’s book that have appeared in other Hoops books and Lotus surprised me because I didn’t think I would like her. Kenan. Kenan is up there on the book boyfriend list.
–Hoops Holiday by Kennedy Ryan. Novella. Basically a giant epilogue for the Hoops series.
–Trust by Jana Aston. Love Jana Aston book which is saying something. Wasn’t sure if I was gonna keep going with this author after I read the first book. But I’m glad I did.
–Finally Mine by Lucy Score. Book that happens simultaneously as Pretend You’re Mine. Involves the character that was a domestic violence victim.
–Protecting What’s Mine by Lucy Score. Final and favorite of the series featuring a Fire Chief and a Flight medic trying to slow down.
–Vendetta in Death by JD Robb. Eve and Roarke!
–Something in the Air by LH Cosway. One of the stars of the Running on Air show and their personal assistant. Love Cosway’s writing.
–Heartland by Sarina Bowen. Friends to lovers college romance. Love Bowen’s books!
–Coldhearted Boss by RS Grey. Female needing money to help support poses as a male to get on a construction crew. Boss is the stranger who she almost had a one night stand with in a bar bathroom and he thinks she stole his wallet. Loved it. Grey’s books are cute, quick reads.
–The Play by Karina Halle. Liked the book but not as much as the others in the series. And this one felt too long.
–Wrapped Up in You by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine. M/M Valentine’s novella
about a doctor trying to make up for missed holidays. Also a short on Passionflix.
–Shelf Awareness by Katie Ashley. Book in Penny Reid’s Green Valley universe. It was ok, not great but I might be getting burned out on these.
–Hideway by Penelope Douglas. Love, love, love these books. I don’t know why because the guys are bully assholes but I do.
–Family Ghouls by Alex A. King. Female who can see ghosts helps her neighbor find out who murdered her. Cozy mystery book.
–Dirty Bad Savage by Jade West. Erotic romance. Sub not happy with her newish dom ends up with basically a young street thug. I really enjoy West’s books.
Current read is The Pilot and the Puck-Up by Pippa Grant.
Since last time ~
— read/skimmed Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix. Horror is a genre that I generally avoid; however, I was doing gift giving research for a friend who does read horror. The book was quite enjoyable and not intrinsically scary; I learned quite a bit! At heart, it’s a book about books which is something I do like.
— reread, with pleasure, two favorite romance novellas: His Road Home by Anna Richland and The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan.
— Enjoyed Two Man Station by Lisa Henry which is a contemporary male/male romance set in Australia.
— finished my tome-ish book group book, Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art by Mary Gabriel. I think this book would most interest those who like Art History, the study of women, US history from 1930 to 1960, or New York history. The book was incredibly well researched; it has 716 pages of text and almost 140 pages of dense endnotes. It was easy to read; it just went on…and on…and on! I definitely learned about five women of whom I’d been unaware.
— Principles of Spookology (The Spectral Files Book 2) by S.E. Harmon which is a contemporary paranormal mystery romance; I enjoyed it.
— Granddad’s Cup of Tea by Amy Rae Durreson is a short novella which I quite enjoyed; it’s a romance between two older men.
On my phone< I am working my way through the Australia romance anthology. The short story format is working well for me. Some are great, some not as much. I am finding a lot of authors who I intend to check out further.
On the grandson's re-gifted paperwhite, I have been reading the actual books.
The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter by Mimi Matthews. This is set in Victorian times. His father is on the verge of banishing him to his furthest estate. She has fallen on hard times and is working as a companion to an very unpleasant woman. Misunderstandings and complications and a forced engagement later,well, it's a journey. Fun but not deep. More believable than many but still some suspension of disbelief required.
The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford. This was interesting. Set in Spain in 1946 but centered around events of the Spanish Civil War. Not a romance, just strong women making their lives. The research seems good – she cites sources at the end. I would recommend it.
I want to add that, the night before her 93rd birthday, my mom stayed up until 3 am finishing one of her inspirational romances. "I just wanted to see what was in the next chapter and then I was going to stop." I told her she was now a member of The Bad Decisions Book Club. The question is: is she the oldest member?
Just finished DEATH IN KEW GARDENS, the third in the Death Below Stairs series by Jennifer Ashley. I love these books—the mystery in this one is a little thinner and mostly it’s an excuse to hang out with old friends, but that bothered me not at all. I really love the friendship between all the characters and I really hope Cynthia and Mr. Thanos get their own story!
Also read MEAT CUTE which (finally!) features the Hedgehog Incident that’s referred to in the Parasol Protectorate series. If you’ve read either that series or the Finishing School series, this is a fun one. Gail Carriger is one of those authors who, at first blush, would not be my jam (steampunk with vampires and werewolves), but she writes great heroines, curmudgeonly heroes, good friendships/found family and LGBTQ themes, and those are definitely my jam.
I normally don’t get down with fantasy romance because I’ve felt that the ‘romance’ part is always lacking…BUT I just got through reading Radiance by Grace Draven and the sequel Eidolon and WOAH. Like Joey from Blossom WOAH. It is simply beautiful and amazing and all the things. Now that I’m done with them I feel empty because I don’t know what to read next. Any suggestions along the vein of these ^^ type of fantasy romance novels?
@Vicki: Congratulations to your mother! She’s an inspiration to keep making bad decisions — like “I’ll just read until the end of the chapter” and then you find yourself halfway through the following chapter. Good to know some things are constants for all book lovers everywhere every age!
Bitchery- I’ve been on vacation, so I read A TON. I have not read all the comments above yet, so sorry if I’m duplicative.
MILLA VANE – A HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES – (Barbarian Romance — B+/A-) I love Vane’s steampunk work as Meljean Brooks (I recommend THE IRON DUKE to anyone who likes steampunk or needs an intro to steampunk), so I ordered this and preordered the second one as soon as I heard about them. Not going to lie, the first hundred pages was rough. Very violent, first sexual scene was questionable for consent and icky, and the characters felt wooden. However, after that the badass women, the connections between the 7 friends in the band of barbarian soldiers, and the world building sucked me in. Did the big misunderstanding last too long? Yes. Was there a lot of description of pain and suffering from horrific past abuse? Yes. So don’t buy this unless you are Jonesing for a world of sorcery, dinosaur-like creatures, mammoths, and ancient gods and goddesses where bisexuality and female warriors are accepted as de rigueur. Basically, an intelligent book version of Conan the Barbarian. Great, but not for everyone.
ANKARET WELLS — ANNA CHRONISTIC AND THE SCARAB OF DESTINY –I don’t know how to rate this one, but I hope this author keeps writing and want to read more by them. The premise — bisexual bon vivant time traveler who needs to save the timeline by finding the McGuffin (in this case, a ruby scarab) is excellent. Told from the MC’s point of view as a recording for her niece, the MC’s voice is engaging, and I was in the mood for the amusing footnotes that assumed an understanding of our time as well as history. This author knows a LOT about history, which I also enjoyed. The plot didn’t really hang together well, though. I’m not exactly sure what happened. And there were a lot of characters that we needed a few more pages with. There was, ironically, way too much jumping around, which, while the point of the book, just didn’t really work. Some of the most interesting stuff (seducing a woman for information, for instance) was off page. I think it felt like a first time author, who could do much better, and I’m really looking forward to their next book, because their voice is unique and entertaining. Again, not for everyone.
JEANIENE FROST’S second book about Ian and Veritas, WICKED BITE was a solid B. Like her Cat and Bones series, the romance deepens each book, lots of action and the writing makes it a good comfort read. A sure thing if you like her past books.
ILONA ANDREWS — SWEEP OF THE BLADE (B+) Will read anything they write, and I had read this in serial form on their website, but wanted to read the completed book again. Can’t wait for the next Hugh story, but this was good in the meantime.
HELENA HUNTING, A FAVOR FOR A FAVOR. (C) Readable, because it was free. Solid hockey romance if you are in the mood, but led me to re-read THE WALL OF WINNIPEG AND ME again, which was so much better.
TALIA HIBBERT, GET A LIFE CHLOE BROWN (B-) I was actually a little disappointed with this one. The characters were well developed, I loved the way the heroine’s disability was handled, but I felt like there was too much insta-lust, and no real conflict. Hero seemed to get what heroine needed in regards to her condition way too easily. Liked a some of Hibbert’s past books a lot more. However, am really looking forward to her book about Chloe’s sisters, so I can’t complain too much. 🙂
Thanks for everyone’s comments — I’m looking forward to sitting down with some tea this afternoon and figuring out everything to read next!
I only started (actively) reading romance novels this year so it’s all very new and exciting. At the end of last year I read a lot of middle books in fantasy trilogies and they all left me kind of anxious because a lot of authors seem to insert character deaths and/or betrayals to keep readers engaged and I just cannot deal with it at the moment. I picked up my first romance novel (that was marketed as romance) in January and my god it was such a comforting experience. Now I’ve basically ditched my entire TBR because all I want to read is romantasy and historical romances.
I just finished “Do You Want To Start A Scandal” by Tessa Dare which is about the youngest of the Highwood sisters, Charlotte, in Dare’s Spindle Cove series. I’ve also read the two books about the other two sisters (“A Week To Be Wicked” and “Beauty And The Blacksmith”) but this one was my favourite – partly because I already knew more of the side characters and enjoyed the family dynamics (sisters who are not rivals? Yes please!) and partly because the hero and the heroine were my favourite kind of trope, which is a reserved, kind of quiet hero and a lively heroine who is honest/open about her feelings. This book made me realize that a lot of my favourite pairings have this dynamic though I never made the connection before because the settings are usually so different.
I’m currently reading Courtney Milan’s “Once Upon A Marquess” which is good but also so, so angsty that I feel myself questioning how it’s all going to work out (and also wanting to put the heroine in a blanket burrito with her favourite food and a kiss on the forehead). I’m already invested in the characters though so there’s no going back.
@Lynn: Welcome!! You’ve started off with some wonderful books. Welcome to the romance genre!
Brazen & The Beast by Sarah MacLean: I don’t know why I have never read MacLean before. I really like her writing style. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will probably dig through her backlog. The only quibble that I had with it is that it took too long for the characters to realize that they belonged together. I felt like the author kept them apart from each other a smidge too long.
Hello Stranger & Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas: Catching up on the Ravenel series. Hello Stranger was meh. Devil’s Daughter was better. Lisa seems to have lost some of the zing in her writing that used to be there. So many sentences would almost be laughable to me in terms of the words she used. I miss the characterization of Then Came You & Dreaming of You days.
The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden: DNF. I was bored by the end of the first chapter.
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai: Working on this right now. It’s well written but I hate when characters meet and get together before the book even begins. I feel like some of the connection to them as a couple is lost when that happens. I like the H/H but don’t feel all that excited about them as a couple.
Like Katie above, I was reading both Hello Stranger and Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas this week (thank you, library hold list), so it has been a solid week of reading so far. Agree that I found much of Hello Stranger to be a little meh. I just couldn’t figure out why the hero liked the heroine so much, I mean she was fine but why did HE fall for her specifically, and I needed more of the hero’s backstory to feel like I understood him. The last 25% of the book was really good though. I’m a sucker for a mystery sub-plot. However I’m already liking Devil’s Daughter better, just feeling like the two main characters have more chemistry. Since the last WR I also read Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik. This was good–great concept and heroine, but some of the writing felt slightly off to me, like there were instances when the dialogue seemed very stilted or unnatural. Contractions were an issue–there were times when they were used and times when they definitely would have fit but were not used, and although that is such a tiny thing, it started to bother me after a while. And rounding out my reading for the last couple of weeks was Fall by Kristen Callihan, which I really enjoyed. I felt like she treated the topic of mental health with the seriousness it deserves, although I did want to hear some specifics about how the hero was going to deal with that moving forward, since as we all know even the best relationships do not magically heal depression. But despite that issue I appreciated the book.