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Hot and Badgered
Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston is 99c! This is the first book in the Honey Badger Chronicles. Sarah read this one and gave it a B grade:
Among my favorite things about Laurenston’s writing is how very affirming and inspiring and a whole lot of fun it is, because angry, fearless women make room for themselves, they get shit done, and they’re the heroines. More honey badgers, please.
It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.
Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .
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Buck Wild
Buck Wild by Lauren Landish is $1.99 at Amazon! This is the first book in the Bennett Boys Ranch series and a book I’m really curious about. I’m always iffy on cowboys. Have you read this series?
From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Landish comes a hard-riding romance of cowboys who run wild—and the women who tame them…
Bull rider James Bennett lives for those eight seconds of exhilaration. A rodeo cowboy in his prime, all he wants out of life is something to straddle. That’s why James is feeling a little restless, spending his summer off working his family’s ranch. That is, until a spirited and gorgeous veterinarian-in-training shows up and puts the cocky wild boy—and his ego—in place. Though she’s a feisty one, James is always up for a challenge.
Sophie Stone has to admit it: James Bennett is a checklist of cowboy hotness—ruggedly handsome with piercing blue eyes, a hard-muscled body, and just enough swagger to make her toes curl. She thought she was done with her bad-boy phase, but exceptions must be made.
How can Sophie possibly say no to a man who makes her heart buck like a bronco? And when their summer fling comes to an end, how can she possibly say goodbye?
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Goddess Born
Goddess Born by Karie Edgren is $1.49 or $2.99 depending on the retailer! This is the first book in the Goddess Born series and seems to have an interesting premise. Some readers mentioned that the writing took a while to get used to, though others found the original plot really delivered in execution.
Pennsylvania, 1730
Selah Kilbrid keeps a dangerous secret: she has the power to heal.
A direct descendent of the Celtic goddess Brigid, it’s Selah’s sacred duty to help those in need. But as the last of the Goddess Born living in the New World, she learned from an early age to keep her supernatural abilities hidden. The Quaker community of Hopewell has always been welcoming, but there’s no doubt they would see her hanged if her gift was revealed.
When a prominent minister threatens to try her with witchcraft unless she becomes his wife, Selah has only one hope–that her betrothed, a distant cousin from Ireland, arrives as planned. Marrying Samuel would keep her secret safe, preserve her sacred bloodline, and protect her from being charged as a witch.
But when news of Samuel’s death reaches the Colonies, Selah is truly on her own. Terrified, she faces an impossible choice–forfeit her powers and marry the loathsome Nathan? Or find an imposter to pose as her husband and preserve her birthright?
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You Never Forget Your First Earl
You Never Forget Your First Earl by Ella Quinn is $1.99! This is a historical romance and part of The Worthingtons series. RHG gave this a C+ in a Lightning Review. She wished there were more conflict in the book, but recommends this if you’re in the mood for a fluffy, uncomplicated read.
Within the Worthingtons’ extended family circle, laughter and romance rule, and a young lady never settles for less than true love…
With her three good friends all recently married, Elizabeth Turley is ready for some husband-hunting of her own. One gentleman in particular sparks her interest. Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington is tall, handsome, and dashing. He’s also just a bit too sure of himself. But Elizabeth has observed enough about the rules of attraction to pique the earl’s attention. Yet once she has it, the discovery of a troubling secret taints her future happiness.
Lord Harrington must marry or lose a prestigious position in Brussels, and pretty, well-connected Elizabeth fits his needs admirably. But could it be that he has underestimated his bride? She doesn’t bat an eye in the face of the danger they encounter overseas. She’s strong-willed, intelligent, and more enticing each day—yet also more indifferent to him. Now Geoffrey faces his greatest challenge: to woo and win his own wife, or risk losing her for good.
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The Ella Quinn was fine, although it had more than its fair share of, “OMG, USE YOUR WORDS!” moments. (Fortunately, there are usually other characters telling them that.) As long as you know going in that it’s a bit slow and leisurely, you’re good.
Quaker here (yes, we still exist!). Considering the frequency with which Quakers were persecuted, tortured, and hanged for practicing their religion, which was often rolled into accusations of witchcraft, the summary of Goddess Born is pissing me off. Hell, one of the best-known critics of the Salem witch trials was a Quaker, who was then charged with blasphemy and imprisoned for speaking out. It’s pretty gross to take something that was used to persecute a religious group and then turn that group into the persecutors.
Also, while we have “ministers” it has nothing to do with the mainstream Christian definition of “minister”–we’re a religion without clergy or hierarchy, which is one of the most fundamental aspects of Quaker theology. That summary very much makes me doubt this author could accurately explain Quaker ministry to me, or even knows much about my religion at all beyond window dressing.
Like, I would prefer to hear another oatmeal joke, and I promise, I have heard every oatmeal joke.
@Annie Kate I’m not a Quaker, but I know Puritan history fairly well (while unfortunately part of a very conservative Christian church) and was thinking the same thing you said. The Puritans persecuted the Quakers in horrible ways, including accusing them of witchcraft.
Because I was interested, I’ve been looking up the history of Quakers and witchcraft and persecution, and I can’t find any examples of the Quaker church persecuting witches,but I found examples of their persecution by the Puritans. I can’t imagine this author did her homework at all.
@Annie Kate & @CarrieG I’m not Quaker either, but growing up mormon, it’s own unique flavor of christianity, I understand the frustration and jokes! (Ask me if I have a sister-wife). While I don’t identify with the LDS faith (being a queer light skinned biracial woman of color) I think from a perspective outside of the predominant christian faith(s) I can observe how a person who grew up in mainstream christianity, or in the wider culture influenced by it, when writing they might just lump all religions nominally in the same “category” with what they know. It’s not even a thought, that the Quakers might have handled things differently than the Puritans. That’s not in feminism 101!
To add to the convo, I’ve jumped between a few denominations of Christianity before finally settling into being a polytheist. So many authors (and people) lump all types of belief/s together, when they’re often *very* different. Things such as doubt and disbelief are handled very differently. Yet they all get lumped together like everything is Evangelical Christianity.
Annoys me to no end.
The new Badger book came recently, I was able to read an ebook from my library, this one’s Max’s story. Good to know its out there if someone’s interested in the series as a whole. The last one was solid, as always all the other shifters end up involved and I stayed up too late reading it. They’re such good potato chip books for me as once I start hard to stop reading.
Also another Quaker chiming into say that author really didn’t do her research. And its not hard research, the Society of Friends has a lot of good explanatory stuff online that’s easy to find.
@Penny I think you’re spot-on, and it’s doubly funny to me, because Quakerism and Puritanism hold virtually no *spiritual* similarity–it’s exclusively an aesthetic thing. Quakers took religious freedom so seriously they wrote it into the Pennsylvania colonial charter, and foundational principles of Quakerism are nonviolence and equality. The Puritans, uh, had some different opinions. But they both wore boring clothes and funny hats*, so obviously they’re the same!
*Once upon a time. I wear lipstick and sequins now, which I’m sure would horrify your average Quaker from 1730.
If it’s worth anything, here in southern Illinois there are plenty of Quakers around and what they are known for historically here is helping operate the Underground Railroad.
@Varian: So, so true. I’m a “cradle Episcopalian” and (at least before covid) a regular churchgoer. I loathe how the right-wing has hijacked Evangelical Christianity for political purposes and how the biblical message of grace, forgiveness, service, and joy has been perverted into justification for the worst of behaviors (by and, frankly, for the worst of people). And I agree the author of GODDESS BORN should have done at least some rudimentary research into the history of Quakers. It makes me think very little else in the book was researched either.
@Penny: I have always been interested in the Mormon faith since visiting Salt Lake City as a preteen. I was raised a Lutheran and now attend a wonderfully progressive church that is inclusive and loves us to question concepts constantly. Because you mentioned that you are a queer POC, I am curious if there is racism and homophobia in the Mormon church?
@Annie Kate: one of my favourite childhood books was Witch of Blackbird Pond where the ‘witch’ was actually a Quaker woman who was ostracized by the nearby Puritans.
There have been a number of FREE Carla Kelly romances on Kindle of late. Right now:
In Love and War: A Collection of Love Stories
Doing No Harm
and
Marian’s Christmas Wish
@Annie Kate – yes! Theres a lot of conflation between, I wonder if possibly because of storybooks & such? Also lipstick & sequins, love!!
@Christy oh yes, tons. So my ancestry & the weirdness of being raised in a primarily white church includes a sort of complicated mythology around indigenous peoples of the americas being descended from the lost tribes of israel, and so converting people like my grandmother was a major thing. Whiteness is explicitly holy, as the brown skin of indigenous peoples of the americas has its origin story in their scripture as punishment for sin when a small contingent of lost tribes came to south america and then split into 2 factions – the “good” (white) nephites and the “bad” (brown) lamanites who were cursed. And there is absolutely just terrible homophobia. There was a decent doc a few years ago… oh, nope, just looked it up and it was 2010 (I’m old & time goes by too quick!) called 8: The Mormon Proposition but it doesn’t look like its streaming anywhere anymore (I originally saw it on netflix). And BYU still apparently tells women who have been assaulted they are in violation of the “Honor Code” not to engage in sex.
So, yeah, mormons are not at all progressive.
@Penny: that sounds dreadful. Talk about revisionist history! It sounds like Mormons just made things up. It must cause incredible pain and suffering to anyone who does not fit the ‘white’ mold or anyone who dares to question their mythology. And the baggage that may persist even after someone leaves the fold must be daunting. Thanks so much for sharing. I really hope that you have found a caring, compassionate community to replace the Mormon church.