Hi. Yes. It’s Whatcha Reading time.
If you’re new or new-ish, this is where we talk about what we’ve been reading: all the hits, misses, and everything in between.
Sarah: I’m reading: Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovich, ( A | BN | K | AB ) a collection of short stories from the Peter Grant series. Peter seems to be my exception to my disinterest in reading any law enforcement characters at the moment. There’s one short story that takes place in a haunted bookstore that I freaking loved.
But with the start of virtual schooling, my brain has the bandwidth for short fiction, comics, and re-reading. I just mainlined all the Sarah Andersen/Sarah’s Scribbles books in Scribd, which charmed me endlessly, especially Adulthood is a Myth. ( A | BN | K | AB ) And I’m listening to Dani Shapiro’s Still Writing, ( A | BN | K | AB ) published in 2013.
Amanda: I’m in full on bonkers mode and impulse bought A Nurse for the Wolfman by Eve Langlais. I saw her on a Canadian authors panel at RT one time and she was a riot.
Tara: Sarah, if short fiction is working for you, I just finished reading Vampires Never Get Old and a lot of the stories in there are excellent!
In terms of what I’m reading now, I started reading Legendborn by Tracy Deonn ( A | BN | K | AB ) yesterday and I’m mad that I have to work today because it’s so good.
Shana: I am having an excellent reading week, I just finished The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal, which I devoured, and loved. Now I’m in the middle of The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite. I’m not a fan of the cover, but thankfully the book is a relaxing read.
Sarah: Oh, thank you Tara! That’s on my list!
Carrie: In War and Peace, Anatole is making fuck me eyes at Natasha, who is engaged to Arkady, and she is SO CONFUSED. I am also reading The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan, ( A | BN | K | AB ) sadly, it is more timely than when written.
Claudia: With multiple wildfires, two heat waves, and one ongoing pandemic, it was time to reread a few Meredith Duran favorites. I just finished the Enlightenment series by Joanna Chambers, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it was very enjoyable. I had been meaning to read that for a while. I am about to embark on The Hidden Moon, the new Jeannie Lin, but first rereading The Lotus Palace.
Elyse: I have been reading Flirtasaurus ( A | BN | K | AB ) which I was excited for because it’s got a paleontologist heroine and astronomer hero and a museum setting. The problem is the heroine accidentally drinks shroom tea and is tripping when they have sex the first time. He drinks the tea too but is aware she’s high and has limited experience with drugs and that’s a big consent issue. Later he even worries she didn’t remember it or couldn’t fully consent. She tells him it just loosened her up to do what she wanted to do, but that clearly tells me he knows they should have stopped.
Carrie: Noooo it sounded so good…
Elyse: I know. Majorly bummed.
EllenM: I finished Last Song Before Night, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which actually was kind of a bummer because the first 1/3 of the book was really strong and then it all kind of gradually fell apart into a mess of tired fantasy cliches and wildly inconsistent characterization. Sadly it kind of reminded me why I mostly stopped reading high fantasy books for a few years of early adulthood.
Now I’m reading No True Gentleman by Liz Carlyle even though I’m kind of afraid to read historical romance that’s more than a few years old (it’s from 2002) because it always feels like a major crapshoot in terms of whether there will be casual inclusion of really upsetting content. We will see!!
Catherine: I’m finding it hard to read right now for a lot of reasons, so it’s comfort reads all the way for me. This week, I’m bingeing Jackie Lau, and have started Not Another Family Wedding, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is the sweet, easy, funny read I need at the moment.
Susan: I’m still struggling to read, but I’ve picked up Books on Fire by Lucien X. Polastron ( A | BN ) again, which is all about the destruction of libraries through history! Apparently what I need right now was an excuse to be angry at archaeologists who destroy historical artifacts and profit from thefts. (…Do not get me started on Schliemann. We will be here A WHILE.) (edited)
Shana: I loooove Not Another Family Wedding. What a great comfort read, Catherine.
Catherine: It’s great fun so far!
Maya: I’ve having THE! BEST! TIME! reading the Dragon Kin series by G.A. Aiken. I’m on Feel the Burn, which I think is the penultimate book in the series. After I watched The Old Guard on Netflix, I had the deepest of hankerings for even more ladies kicking ass. Who’s better at that than G.A. Aiken/Shelly Laurenston?
Kiki: I finished Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James this week which was exciting because it is the first piece of fiction I’ve been able to finish in over a month, quite possibly longer (based on Catherine’s review from May, this seems to be a magic reading rut busting book). Life has been stressful and hard but I think my ability to focus my anxious mind long enough to read fiction has finally returned from the war. To celebrate that, I’m continuing my Hidden Legacy reread that I started in, ya know, June.
Aarya: I’m weirdly on a contemporary kick lately (weird for me anyway). I recently finished Therese Beharrie’s Marrying His Runaway Heiress (category romance + South African millionaire + marriage of convenience in Italy) ( A | BN | K | AB ) and Cara Bastone’s Just a Heartbeat Away (grieving widower/single dad + age gap + slowest of slow burns). ( A | BN | K | AB )
Sneezy: I’m still on Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I LOVE IT! Jackie’s books makes me love Toronto in a way that almost makes me forgive the snow and the 6 months of winter.
I’m also on a non-fiction bend right now, and have recently started The Purpose of Power by Alicia Garza. Yes, THE Alicia Garza! Her book is coming out in October, get your preorders on!
What books have you been reading lately? Tell us below!
Lots of manga and comics these days..first came Gorou Kanbe’s DON’T CALL ME DIRTY and its sequel/prequel DON’T CALL ME DADDY. Both gain points for emotionally resonant themes (homelessness in the first volume, a second-chance romance between older men in the second, and eldercare in both), even if they didn’t quite stick with me. Then came the craziest book I’ve read in ages, volume 1 of Shinya Shinya’s NO VAMPIRE, NO HAPPY ENDING! It’s the tale of a young vampire enthusiast/fetishist (depending on your take), and the vampire she schools in the ways of vamp culture (since he sunbathes and does other unwise things). It starts out almost like a kids’ manga, and then it’s…not. Plus there’s pie! I can see how it might offend some people for various valid reasons, but the last one I reacted to this way was FOOD WARS! (which I ended up following through 36 flawed-but-entertaining volumes). So, who knows?
The winners so far: volumes 2 and 3 of Natsuki Kizu’s GIVEN. Volume One got a little bogged down in setup, but the next two perfectly balance the musical and m/m plotlines. I’m currently loving the Nib’s BE GAY, DO COMICS compilation, especially its historical stories (the life of gay Jewish WWII freedom fighter Gad Beck needs to be a movie!), cultural diversity, and its great ace/demi rep.
My standout reading experience this month is the new October Daye book by Seanan McGuire, A Killing Frost. This whole series is layered and amazing, and it’s full of little clues for future books that one only picks up on a reread. Highly recommended if you like urban fantasy — books 1 and 2 are kind of uneven but 3 really hits it out of the park and the quality stays high from there.
@Arijo, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Linesman; my proselytizing is working!
Since last time ~
— Heated Rivalry (Game Changers) by Rachel Reid. I can imagine rereading this male/male contemporary hockey romance.
— Game Changer by Rachel Reid, the first in the same series, which I also enjoyed.
— a reread of Linesman (A Linesman Novel) by SK Dunstall which I enjoyed once more.
— the audio version of The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. The narrator is Lloyd James who does an excellent job with the many voices. It was my husband’s first exposure to the book while I read it for the first time some months ago.
— Midshipman’s Hope (The Seafort Saga Book 1) by David Feintuch; this is a military science fiction novel. It is by no means a perfect story; however, it definitely kept my interest and I talked a lot about it with my husband. I would happily read on.
— Murder in St. Giles: A Regency Mystery (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 13) by Ashley Gardner which I enjoyed. Ashley Gardner is a pseudonym of author Jennifer Ashley.
— stayed up late reading the newest Anne Cleeland Acton and Doyle book, Murder in Revelation; I enjoyed it. I’ve given up trying to solve the mysteries in these books which are complex, and I simply enjoy revisiting the characters.
— Boy Shattered by Eli Easton — this was a poignant story that dealt primarily with the relationship that develops between two highschoolers in the aftermath of a school shooting. Landon, out and proud senior, saves the life of Brian (hmmm, inadvertent Monty Python humor!), popular quarterback/jock. I appreciated the tenderness that is shown in the boys’ relationship as well as the fact that individuals are shown to process trauma in different ways. The identity of the shooters is also a mystery through much of the book; my solution was only 50% correct. I recommend this book.
— The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic — many trigger warnings for this book (past abuse/torture by a parent; drugging). This is the first of a trilogy; the series might prove to contain a romance but this book did not. I was admittedly confused much of the time I was reading, but the story kept my interest. Neil has spent years on the run from his criminal father. His senior year he joins the Exy team (a sport created by the author) at his high school and ends up being enlisted to play with the Foxes as a college freshman. The story covers about four months of training (with many dysfunctional teammates) and the start of the school year. This book is FREE for Kindle readers and the sequels are each 99 cents. I don’t believe I’ll continue as reviews indicate that the follow on books are very dark; the series as a whole has an average rating of 4+ on Amazon and has many fans.
— Plumbess Seg by Jude Fawley — is one of the most unique fantasies I’ve read. Select female orphans are raised together and trained to become plumbesses. They learn about toilets, sewers, and pipes of all kinds; they deliver babies, too (you know, from human pipes!). At a certain point in their training, they begin carrying a plunger (it’s akin to a wand). The novel focuses on Seg and Eck as they grow and train and go out into the world (with pipelords and peasants) where a plumbess is a woman of high status. I will likely reread this story and would like to read on in the series.
— For inspiration for my next art gathering, I enjoyed reading
Making an Impression: Designing & Creating Artful Stamps by Genuine D. Zlatkis.
— the most recent book in an enjoyable series, Death at Brighton Pavilion (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 14) by Ashley Gardner.
— White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht which my book group will be discussing next week. It was a sad read dealing as it did, in alternating chapters, with the life of a Korean comfort woman during World War II and with the life of her sister in 2011. It was a quick and gripping story that I read in two days.
Just finished Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin and started the sequel Blood and Honey. I like the enemies to lovers with witch and witch hunter but I’m not that enamored with some of the plot points.
I’m also rereading Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. I love, love, love the second book of this trilogy. Completely swoony.
One bad book was Olivia Dade’s Hidden Hearts. I was so disappointed because I normally like Dade’s writing but I thought this book was icky with the hero trying to force the heroine to move to another state with him.
Also reading the new Star Wars Thrawn novel by Timothy Zahn. Was absolutely dying when Ar’alani thought Thrawn was asking her to go to dinner and a show and he took her to an art museum instead. I went to the zoom author chat that Powells did last week with Zahn and when he said it wasn’t meant to be a date, the chat messages were fast and furious. Fellow romance SW fans were all in agreement. It was a date.
I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of Christmas-themed books. Since July.
MURDER IN REVELATION by Anne Cleeland – After a few saggy volumes (that I nevertheless treasure because I love these characters), I think Cleeland is back on form with book 12 in her Doyle and Acton series. The smaller incidents unfold into bigger plots which become one giant singularity, she’s dropping “pay attention to this” signposts along the way, and — most importantly — I remember who everyone is and understand what’s at stake for the protagonists. For fans of the series, a solid A- entry. (The books can’t be read out of order, so I can’t give a newcomer rating. If you tried the series and walked away, nothing about volume 12 would bring you back in. It is delightfully, problematically the same as the earliest volumes.) [A-]
THE SPANISH MASK by Anne Cleeland – I had been reading this serialized weekly on Cleeland’s website and finally bought the book because Amazon was running a “spend $x, get $y credit” promotion…a deal is only a deal if you spend money you always intended to. Anyway, as much as I have enjoyed the weekly suspense of serialization, I’m grateful I could read the last action sequence in one gulp. Cleeland’s regencies look like stand-alone titles, but they all center on intelligence games during the Napoleonic war. I wonder if she’s building up an Avengers-like cast of characters who will all feature in a climactic volume. While that would be awesome, I’m sad to say that the romance in these books tends to be a bit perfunctory compared to the scheming and counter-plotting, and all her heroes read like Acton. [B]
HER BROKEN ALPHA by Isoellen – Sequel to CHOOSING HER ALPHA, can be read as a standalone. Even though I find the omegaverse a really problematic and frequently repellant space (m/f moreso and for different reasons than m/m), I’m incredibly impressed by what Isoellen does with it, both for giving the omega powers and a will of her own that raises her slightly above f*cktoy/broodmare and for building a world that explores both the biology and the sociology of these added dynamics instead of just the sexual implications. Although there is a metric tonne of sex in this book. [B+]
I read From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout earlier this year, and liked it enough that I pre-ordered the sequel, Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. I read it soon after it was released this month and I LOVED it. I loved it so much I couldn’t say goodbye to the world, and I read them both a second time. Now I’m contemplating going back for thirds… seriously can’t recommend them enough!
It’s been a busy reading month! Work is busy, and I have been finding it nice to unwind and read a book, rather than spend my time reading the very depressing news.
THE GOOD
STAR DUST by Emma Barry & Genevieve Turner: Good setting, historical but not Regency, and a great heroine. Newly divorced woman moves in next door to an astronaut and sparks fly. I’ve put the rest of the books in the series on my wishlist.
HAPPY TRAIL by Daisy Prescott: I’m not normally a fan of the dual POV, but it worked here. A ranger and a hiker meet on the Appalachian trail.
A NANNY CALLED ALICE by Barbara Hannay: It’s a quick read, but it’s engaging. It has kids who aren’t there as plot devices!
THE WEDDING PARTY by Jasmine Guillory: This might be my favourite one of her series so far.
INDISCREET by Mary Balogh: It’s emotional, but there is a nice redemption story and it’s quite romantic. I will read more in this series.
THE MEH
HIDDEN by Laura Griffin: This had a cop hero, and I struggled with that. I couldn’t invest in their relationship because of it, which isn’t the book’s fault. The mystery itself is good, and there’s lots of competence (yay!).
MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU by Eloisa James: It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. A decent read but I probably won’t go further in the series. I think I am burning out on Regency historicals, which may be why I found it just OK.
THE BAD
TEN DAYS WITH THE HIGHLANDER by Hayson Manning: The heroine wants to bring tourism into the town and convert things to an Air Bnb, the hero owns the hotel and doesn’t want this. I found the heroine obnoxious and her interest in putting forward her business proposal over other people’s concerns made this an F for me.
BOUND FOR EDEN by Tess Le Sue: This was a DNF for me and I try very hard not to DNF in general. The heroine and her family are being pursued by two creepy brothers who lust after the heroine. The hero is a womaniser who spends his time sleeping with lots of different women because everyone finds him so attractive. He comes across the heroine at different points. One of them is where she is asleep on the bed and he is so attracted to her that he just begins touching her, yes WHILE SHE IS ASLEEP, without asking after he walks into her room by accident. But apparently he is just so hot that it’s ok, since she gets turned on anyway. That was when I gave up on this book and deleted it from my Kindle.
Forgot to add, @EllenM, Liz Carlyle is an underrated author imo. Her characters and stories are complex and deeply emotional, darker than a lot of current HR. A lot of them involve people who are messed up because of dysfunctional families, unhappy marriages, or are under some kind of cloud, unjustly accused of some kind of crime, etc. It’s been quite a while since I read “No True Gentleman”, so I can’t swear that it has no problematic content, but at the time I really liked it.
My summer of YA ended strong and will roll right into an early autumn of YA too!
Excellent:
The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas: The third in the YA fantasy Elementals series, this was a fitting and exciting end to the series. Revisiting the themes of destiny versus free will and continuing a very satisfying romance, I just adored this series. The world building was amazing as well. I can’t say too much without spoilers but the ending was an unconventional HEA and I think would delight many of the readers of this site.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: This is the first book I have ever read by Maas and I can totally see why people are addicted to her writing. The heroine is such a badass, the action scenes are brilliant and the world complex and interesting. I also discovered that I don’t hate love triangles – at least not when they are in YA. I think the age of the characters and the fact that they are still really figuring themselves out makes it more plausible to me that a heroine could be pulled between two choices. That being said, I had a clear favorite I was rooting for. I stayed up way too late one night finishing this and am already halfway through the second in the series.
Very Good:
Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi: The third and final book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy, this YA is set in a dystopian future where most the planet has become uninhabitable. I thought this was the strongest book in the series, there were tough choices to be made and some of the characters had to do a lot of learning and growing.
Good, Meh, and The Bad:
None
@Deborah, I’m another Acton and Doyle fan. With which of Cleeland’s other books do you suggest I begin?
@Kareni, I read Cleeland’s historicals before I ever heard of the Acton & Doyle books. They are all kind of similar, with fast-moving, twisty spy plots and the heroes are a black box. Everything is from the heroine’s POV, and she doesn’t know what the hero is up to. I recommend “A Death in Sheffield” and “The Bengal Bridegift”. I thought the plot of “Daughter of the God-King” was a bit of a hot mess.
@Karin, I see that I own A Death In Sheffield, so I’ll begin with that. Thank you for the advice!
@Kareni – I also would have recommended The Bengal Bridegift (my first of her historicals, read via Kindle Unlimited), but I’m glad you’re starting with A Death in Sheffield because that’s one I haven’t read and I’m curious to hear more about it.
@Deborah, I’m not sure when I’ll get to A Death in Sheffield, but I’ll definitely mention it here when I do!
Online school started for my kid, so I’ve been busier than a one-eyed cat watching nine rat holes, and reading more than usual too. Needed the escape.
Thanks to everyone who recommended these:
Ilona Andrews, first Innkeeper book Clean Sweep. It was entertaining and I finished it quickly, but couldn’t get into the next book just yet. Need to mix it up before returning to the series.
Donna Andrews, first Meg Langslow book Murder with Peacocks – DNF for personal reasons. It’s funny and engaging, I just can’t handle the family dynamics, emotional labor and other things hitting too close to home.
KJ Charles, Slippery Creatures – Wow! pulled a Bad Decisions Book Club, on a school night, twice.
Jackie Lau, Her Big City Neighbor – just started this one, it’s great so far.
Rereads from my kindle archives:
The Blackmail Blend novella by Livia Day – technically part of a series but I enjoyed it as a standalone. Cozy mystery with tea, baked goodies, Scottish banter, murderous romance novelists, all set in the author’s hometown in Tasmania. Tried to get into the series but my brain is not letting me binge series at the moment.
Toad Words and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher, contains my favorite Snow White retelling ever.
Jackie Lau, Ultimate Pi Day Party. Mmmm pie.
Audiobooks of comfort rereads, as always:
Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series, and a bunch of funny non-romance – Terry Pratchett, P.G. Wodehouse, middle grade mysteries by Sheila Turnage.
Trying to get back into fall schedules, but I find work from home leads to bad decisions book nights.
Great
Alcott, Emma – AFTER THE CRASH (M/M Contemporary) – A reunion romance with main characters that I just liked.
Andrews, Ilona – EMERALD BLAZE (M/F Fantasy) Awesome – very very awesome.
Rice, Lisa Marie – MURPHY’S LAW (M/F Romantic Suspense) – A romance with a true sense of place. It happens in Sienna, Italy, during the Pallo (horse race), between a Mathematician and a Hockey player. A re-read.
Very Good
Charles, KJ – SLIPPERY CREATURES (M/M Historical) – This has been reviewed by many others, and I liked it, especially the use of language.
Hogarth, MCA – (Space Opera) I’ve been gobbling these books. So many bad decisions book nights. Each of the series are in the same universe, but read completely differently. The HER INSTRUMENT’S series is an adventure in space. The DREAMHEALER’S series is a sweet asexual alien/elves in med school (my favorite so far). The PRINCE’S GAME is dark, really really dark with lots of CW.
Thornton, Aurora – ALL OR NONE – (M/M? Fantasy)- This was unique, very unique. Its YA, somewhat and very very dark in parts (CW for lots of things). Othertimes it reads like a classic assassin demon/healer mage fantasy.
Lindsay, E. M. – LOVE HIM STEADY ; LOVE HIM WILD (M/M Contemporary) – I’ve enjoyed this entire series set in small town Colorado and am awaiting the next!
Good / OK
Austin, Bates – THE COMPLETE KNITTING CLUB BUNDLE – (MPREG, contemporary). These were ok, but they didn’t grab my attention the way I expected them to.
Derr, Megan – WICK (M/M Fantasy) – Set of novellas about a magical fantasy world.
Jensen, Kelly – LET’S CONNECT (M/M Contemporary) A sweet novella with mature characters and everyday life (and online dating). A lovely light read.
Shiloh, Hollis – WIZARD’S SHELTER – (M/M Fantasy) A novella about a wizard who retreats to a lighthouse.
@ Kareni
Heated Rivalry was SOOOO good that once I finished it, I went back to the beginning and reread it. I’ve even read it a third time since then. I figured out it’s the kind of read I need right now, it’s my kind of comfort read.
@JuliaF: Yes! My favorite book of 2019. I’m looking forward to September 21 when Reid releases COMMON GOAL, her latest Game Changers book.
@Julia F and @DDD, I’ll certainly be looking with interest at Rachel Reid’s forthcoming books!
I finally caught up with all of the Sebastian St. Cyr books and now await the new release in April 2021, but in the meantime I’ve been searching for a new historical mystery series and finally settled on Anne Cleeland’s Acton & Doyle books. I’m happy to read here some endorsements for it.
@Blackjack, the Acton and Doyle series is actually contemporary. I’ve found it a divisive series; some really like it (including me), others find the hero’s actions unacceptable.
Hi from North Carolina! I just finished two books. (1) Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, which came up in a workshop I took, so I wanted to see what everyone had been talking about. The first half was really snappy, with the characters sparring back and forth in unexpected ways, and I was able to get past the less-desirable old-fashioned aspects of the hero. But about halfway through, it kind of fell apart for me. The conflict became repetitive and I lost patience with the characters. (2) Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven. The first half was somewhat slow for me, but then it really picked up and I kept noticing what a good story it was. Plus I just love the cover on this book.
Since the last WR, I randomly picked up BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews at the library. People keep recommending this book to me and it has been on my TBR forever, but I just never got around to it. Huge mistake on my part! This book is ALLLLL of my catnip. High stakes mystery, competent heroine, awesome banter, sexual tension like whoa, hero is hot and tortured, world-building is interesting without a huge info dump. Yes. Give it to me. I immediately read the next one, WHITE HOT, and have WILDFIRE downloaded but need to make my way through a couple other library holds before I can get to it, so I’m just looking longingly at it on my Kindle home screen. Last night I started A ROGUE OF ONE’S OWN by Evie Dunmore. After reading the SBTB review of this I was ready to just return it to the library and move on, but I enjoyed BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE so much that I thought I should at least check it out. But I’m reading it with a healthy amount of side-eye at this point. Also this month I read ROMANCING THE DUKE by Tessa Dare which was entertaining. At one point I thought the hero’s eyesight was going to be magically healed (he is mostly blind) and I was all OMG no please don’t do that, but it ended up being fine. And I read an old-school Harlequin Presents, THE PRICE OF A BRIDE by Michelle Reid. She’s one of my old favorite HP authors but I had missed this one somehow. It was typical 80’s/90’s HP, very angsty with brooding hero, but in this one I felt like she failed to show me any of the couple’s progression from enemies to lovers, so the ending seemed a bit abrupt. On my way to work today I was listening to Heaving Bosoms as they are discussing ACT LIKE IT by Lucy Parker, and it’s so lovely just to listen to them describe the plot that I may need to abandon my reading schedule entirely and do a comfort reread of that one tonight.
KB – I get what you mean about BURN FOR ME; I just got on the Hidden Legacy train in July and just finished Wildfire last week (I’ve been trying to space them out to give myself a break from all that catnip). I need to dive into Sapphire Flames as I finished the Diamond Fire novella last night! UGH, so good and ALL my catnip. I wish I’d gotten onto the Ilona Andrews train earlier; I’ve had the first Kate Daniels book forever and only got a few pages into it (I finished that earlier this year too, but wanted to finish IAD before I dove into another big series).
That said, one POV is not my favorite style of book, but for some authors, I can do it and don’t resent it too much, and that’s Ilona Andrews!