Welcome back! We’re wrapping up July with our second Whatcha Reading of the month!
Shana: I’m reading Jasmine Guillory’s latest, While We Were Dating. ( A | BN | K ) So far, it might be my favorite of hers. The mental help rep seems strong and I adore the cinnamon roll meets playboy hero. I hope I love the ending as much as I’m enjoying the beginning!
I also just finished the ebook of the AI Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole, ( A ) which was fucking fabulous. So it’s been a solid reading week so far.
Carrie: I’m reading Outlawed by Anna North because of Tara’s review. Loving it. feminist Westerns with some kind of speculative fiction angle seem to be my new jam.
:raised_hands:
Shana: Yay, book twins!
Claudia: I had a string of bad ones and decided to go for one of my “break glass” books, one I had been saving: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles. It’s working great so far and I’m enjoying it.
Susan: I’m up to volume nine of The Water Dragon’s Bride, ( A | BN | K ) and I don’t think I was ready for the emotional roller coaster this series has taken me on!
AJ: I just broke my phone, which broke my reading slump sort of by default because this brain does not like to sit still! I picked up a whole stack of books and immediately devoured Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s contemporary fantasy set in Malaysia and I loved it, there are so many layers of meaning. Definitely re-readable.
Catherine: I am currently reading all of Lucy Parker’s books one after another, because I was recommending comfort reads to someone and realised I hadn’t reread Act Like It in ages. Loving them as much as ever.
I also just finished So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park, ( A | BN | K ) which was a fun childhood-nemeses-to-lovers read and will make you hungry specifically for Korean food. Highly recommended.
Lara: After a few really awful ARCs, I needed a palate cleanser, so I’ve returned to my old faithful: the Kate Shugak series. I’m reading Dana Stabenow’s Play with Fire ( A | BN | K ) and it is everything I need right now: a female investigator who takes no BS.
Sneezy: I’ve started listening to the audiobook What’s Your Pronoun by Dennis Baron, ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I like how he notes the importance of familiarity and what ‘feels’ right, and what grammar people argue over. Right now I’m slightly iffy on how race being handled, but I’ve just started, so let’s see what happens
Romance wise, I’m reading Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau and HNNNNNNG!! The tender and honest showing of grief! The food! A woman taking pride in her work! I’m only in the beginning and I love it I love it I love it! It’s coming out in October, everyone go get your preorders on!
Tara: Unfortunately, I had to bail on the latest romance I’ve been reading because it was boring and had a stalker side plot, which I always hate.
I’ve had better luck in audio books, because I just finished Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is excellent. I thought it would have advice on how to create better boundaries with work, but it actually goes into the various histories and conditions that have led to overwork in different fields like teaching, retail, tech, and sports. Very interesting, often angering.
Kiki: I’ve had a whole bunch of false starts with my romance reading lately, so I’m listening to How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith which is so, so excellent and beautifully researched and beautifully written. Smith travelled around the US to historical and cultural sites and explored how places like Monticello and the Whitney Plantation and Angola Prison are teaching and sharing history, or willfully misremembering it. (As an aside: Clint Smith was also super nice when I met him briefly like four years ago! I asked him advice as someone who was finishing undergrad and maybe thinking about getting a PhD and he recommended doing/exploring other things first and I honor that advice everyday by continuing to not go to grad school.
Sarah: You want me to forward you a mind-blowing first part to a series on predatory Masters programs as moneymakers for unis?
Claudia: Oh goodness some of those programs are boondoggles at best… the WSJ struck a nerve recently writing about the Columbia film school and its multi-year MFA program that costs hundreds of thousands and usually takes you nowhere.
Kiki: Oof yes Sarah, I would love it.
Sarah: The Master’s Trap
That’s the first of three she is writing about predatory programs.
What have you read this month? Tell us all about it!
Continuing mother son book club with summer reading bingo, so I am rereading a lot, but I really liked THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT (YA about ugly side of ballet and recovery from career ending injury) and LADYSITTING (memoir about providing in home care for a beloved and difficult grandmother).
I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately. The thing is, the books I’ve been reading have been mostly okay but I just lose interest in them halfway through. So I guess that’s a me problem
NELL SWEENEY MYSTERIES (1 – 3) by Patricia Ryan – Set in 19th century Boston, Nell works as a governess for a rich Brahmin family and solves murders on the side and has a romance with the family’s black sheep son. The first two books were good and Nell uses knowledge from her past to aid her investigations. The son, opium addiction aside (something they deal with in the first two books), is a bit too perfect, I think.
LITTLE SIBERIA by Antti Tuomainen – Apparently the Finnish media has called the author the “king of Helsinki noir” and I am disappointed. There must be better Finnish crime writers out there. This book is not set in Helsinki though but in a small village in eastern Finland. A small meteorite has fallen on Hurmevaara and the rock, worth millions, is stored in the village museum before it can be transferred to Helsinki for analysis. The village pastor Joel volunteers for meteorite guard duty while trying to find out if his wife is cheating on him. This started out fun at first with that typical dry Finnish wit but fizzles out towards the middle. We’re in Joel’s head the entire time and, unfortunately, he is kind of boring.
DANGEROUS WOMEN by Hope Adams – I read this after Carrie S’s wonderful review. It is a fictionalised story of the women who made the Rajah quilt (of which I am now staring at pictures) while on the convict ship bound for Tasmania. It’s a moving a story of how these very different women came together and created something wonderful in harsh circumstances. The murder mystery framing was a bit unnecessary I think and it would have worked if the book focused on the women and their past without the pressure of trying to figure out which of them is a murderer.
It’s been a good month in books for me:
I’ve been enjoying some celebrity romances (not usually my cup of tea), but I finished XOXO by Axie Oh (cute K-Pop romance about a cellist who falls for a K-Pop idol) which was very adorable and good fun.
I also finished The STAND-IN (a bi-racial Canadian girl is mistaken by a paparazzo for a Chinese celebrity) on audible, which I absolutely adored, a surprise for me because I don’t particularly enjoy audiobooks.
Short list this time around for me. I had thought dropping my kid off at sleepaway camp would increase my reading time but work has been bananas.
A HEART SO FIERCE AND BROKEN—I really liked the first book in this series (a Beauty and the Beast retelling), but I’m pretty tepid about this one. They’re both romances but the characters are clearly on a collision course and I dunno, is she just going to totally undermine the HEAs in the third book? Color me skeptical.
Currently reading DIAL A FOR AUNTIES which I need to get back to before the library reclaims it and THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS which is funny and silly but not quite pulling me in (I think because of aforementioned work bananas stuff.)
Oh, I do want to thank all the members of the Bitchery who recommended TED LASSO. I was uncertain about the premise, but your comments convinced me. My husband and I watched the first four episodes last night and I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. It’s an absolute delight.
Big Old Nope:
A couple of Rebecca Zanettis. I read FATED by her a while ago and found it so objectionable I didn’t go any further, then wondered if I’d given her a fair go and tried a couple more. Still a nope because once again it’s Toxic Masculinity Ahoy!
The first one, CLAIMED, was OK-ish. The H is still a controlling arsehole, but the h is at least less of a wet blanket than the h of Fated. Still, though. Marking a ‘mate’, whether she likes it or not. Using sex to control their partner. And then in Hunted, two female characters discuss how if a man isn’t built like a brick privy with a habit of routinely trampling over their partner’s boundaries (more or less), this somehow makes him less manly and trustworthy and, in fact, a bit creepy.
Also, I kept getting thrown off because the H would say things like, ‘come here, mate’ to his life partner. However, when I hear someone saying ‘mate’ it’s usually being used to mean something like ‘buddy’. So, in my head the character’s voice would suddenly change from a growly US accent, to that of an Aussie geezer shouting across a pub.
So no more Rebecca Zanetti for me!
Cormac by Jane Henry. Dark Romance. I’ve decided that I’m not really into the properly dark stuff. Slightly overcast is probably more my level, and this one didn’t work for me. and The h comes from a criminal family and has been promised in marriage to another (better?) criminal family. She doesn’t have much consistency, flipping between ‘how can I live with this criminal who once beat me, and bring a child into this life?’ and ‘well, he’s hot and protective. Let’s embarrass him by going shopping!’ I’m also not comfortable with the organised crime aspect (I don’t mind so much if they’re trying to escape it). And she’s always having to watch what she says or risk being ‘punished’ – even if it’s punishment she enjoys, I disliked how little equality there was between the h & H. Not an author I’d read again.
Disappointing:
LOVE BITES by Lynsay Sands. After a woman is attacked at her workplace (the city morgue), she’s turned into a vampire to save her life. I really liked the humour – eg when the heroine is panicking about having what this is going to mean for her, one of her minus points is that she’ll have no reflection and won’t be able to put makeup on, which is the sort of peripheral nonsense I’d fixate on. And when told that, yes, she can actually go into a church and the thing about crosses is a myth, she’s a bit deflated because she was hoping for an excuse to get out of going to mass every week.
But while there were moments where the writing was evocative or funny, on the whole it was stilted and repetitive, everything was spelt out for the reader, and the ramifications of the h’s new life weren’t explored in any particular depth. This one actually annoyed me, because there was a good book in there, somewhere.
Slightly disappointing:
THE CHOCOLATE KISS by Laura Florand. A woman who has spent her life spent shuttling between France and the US hopes she’s found a permanent home working at her aunts’ Parisian tea shop. However, it might be under threat when a famous chef opens a patisserie a few doors down. I found this hard going at the beginning – it’s like the author had watched Amelie and decided it wasn’t twee and sugary enough (and I enjoyed the film). I did get into the story and liked it well enough. But then the initial conflict that kicked things off kind of fizzled out because it turns out it didn’t actually matter, and I felt like references to various myths were trying to make a rather fluffy story carry a bit more weight than it merited. When the h & H got together at the end I was pretty much, ‘well, that’s nice,’ and then I forgot it existed. Trying to be good dark chocolate, basically candyfloss.
A PRINCESS IN THEORY by Alyssa Cole. I really, really wanted to like this book, and the first two thirds or so were great. Naledi is a put-upon student struggling to pay the bills, who doesn’t know she was promised to a prince when a child. She’s spiky, but also has a deep sense of kindness and understanding. Thabiso, said prince who’s come to the US to find her, is kind of arrogant, but doesn’t hesitate to do what he thinks is best for the country, and doesn’t go blustering on when its pointed out that his behaviour has been less than optimum. But the plot about the mines and the disease doesn’t feel very well integrated. When she goes to Thabiso’s kingdom, the momentum seems to fall away, I didn’t get much of a sense of Naledi’s relationship to her new-found family. The whole conspiracy theory gets wrapped up in a page and a half. Also, the queen who’s been really, really horrible is all ‘welp, sorry I was a bitch, but your mum was my friend and I was really hurt when she ran away.’ Which of course makes it OK to take it out on a woman orphaned aged four who didn’t know any of this backstory. Everyone seems weirdly angry at her for this, and it is very unearned. And the reason Naledi’s parents ran and caused this terrible rift between the families is also kind of mentioned briefly but not really explored.
Good:
WILD AT WHISKEY CREEK and HOT AT HELLCAT CANYON by Julie Anne Long. So good! Characters are drawn in shades of grey, whether protagonist or antagonist – even the horrible ex-girlfriend in HOT… has a moment where she’s allowed a little more depth than just the usual horrible ex, and the writing is funny and heartfelt (graffiti as a love language!) And the background has the right amount of detail to feel real. In Wild… the indie group The Baby Owls felt spot on and I honked out loud when I read the name of the hit inspired by being arrested in the middle of nowhere (‘One Night in Bumfuck’)
My summer reading so far consists of a black hole of M/M romance in wuxia setting. This means online translated novels. While GRANDMASTER OF DEMONIC CULTIVATION by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is still as good and intricate and heartbreaking and funny and well translated as in my memory, HEAVENLY BLESSING by the same author was a bit less satisfying, the story didn’t hold as well together. But it’s still miles ahead of what I’m slugging through right now, THE LEGENDARY MASTER WIFE by Yin Ya, which is more a litRPG with an M/M couple ; it’s awful, but I can’t stop reading, it’s like watching a train wreck. By the time I’m done with it, I expect I’ll be satisfied with this particular genre for a while.
I enjoyed Kylie Scott’s PAUSE, about a woman who, after a terrible automobile accident, awakens from a seven-month-long coma to discover her world has crumbled (most specifically, her husband and her best friend have “moved on”—together). She reconnects with the tattoo artist who was also injured in the same accident and they become friends, then roommates, then lovers. I liked PAUSE even more than Scott’s earlier REPEAT (the heroes of the two books are brothers)—which, while I liked the romance, I felt suffered from a rather weak mystery subplot; whereas PAUSE keeps its focus on the heroine’s recovery from the coma, breaking away from her toxic/gaslighting husband, and then on her developing relationship with the hero. I liked PAUSE’s heroine (the story is told from her POV) well enough—she’s a worrier, an over-thinker, somewhat OCD, she spends a lot of time on the phone with her friends analyzing each aspect of her relationship with the hero, and she freely admits to being judgmental with understandable trust issues—but I really liked the hero: laid-back personality, self-aware, totally connected to his feelings, but not casual at all when it comes to taking care of the heroine (emotionally and sexually). Recommended.
After liking PAUSE, I pulled an older Kylie Scott book from Mount TBR: IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME, published in 2018. I think I added the book to my tbr when it was recommended by Sarah MacLean in the “Read More Romance” section of her blog. IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME is an age-gap story about a 25-year-old woman who has been in love with her father’s 40-year-old business partner since she was in her teens. When she turned 18, she tried to seduce him—with disastrous results—and when the book begins they haven’t seen each other for seven years. Despite being well-written, with some beautiful descriptions of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and featuring the sort of melancholy undertone that I love in a romance novel, IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME had a very problematic premise that was hard for me to get past: from the age of 15 until she turned 18, the heroine was “friends” with the hero—that is, he would take her places, do things with her (like go to the beach or watch movies), and have long conversations with her. And all the time, according to this premise, his feelings for the heroine were completely platonic, almost paternal, and he was totally blindsided by her clumsy attempt at seduction once she became an adult. Are we buying that? Speaking as a mother, I would have been very concerned had any of my children, while underaged teens, been “friends” with someone twice their age. If you can move beyond the setup, IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME, is a pretty good age-gap/slow-burn romance. But that premise is a real elephant in the room—read at your own risk.
Sarina Bowen’s WAYLAID, the latest book in her True North series, could easily be labeled as Romantic Suspense because both the hero and heroine have scary, unresolved incidents in their pasts and are trying to get to the bottom of them. In fact, I found the dramatic tension in the story so strong in places, it detracted from the sexual tension between the MCs: I was less invested in their romantic relationship than I was in the resolution of their (non-romantic) troubles. WAYLAID’s heroine is Daphne Shipley—the youngest daughter from the Shipley Family around which Bowen’s True North series is built; the hero is Rickie Ralls, a young man who is working as a summer farm hand for the Shipleys. Rickie (who describes himself as “pansexual but heteroromantic”) is attracted to Daphne, but she constantly gives him the cold shoulder. He doesn’t remember that he’s met her before, but Daphne doesn’t know that. Daphne has transferred to the local state college (“Moo U”—tying in with another series from Bowen’s Heart Eyes Press) after leaving her previous, far more prestigious, university, because of an abusive ex (cw/tw: physical and verbal abuse, workplace manipulation). Her ex is the son of a senator and Daphne is terrified of repercussions from her brief relationship with him. Meanwhile, Rickie experienced a trauma that wiped out about six months of his memories while attending a military academy; he’s still looking for answers about what actually happened. Is it possible both Daphne’s and Rickie’s past experiences are connected in some way? As the two got deeper into the mystery, I found myself getting anxious, waiting for the next shoe to drop; then suddenly Daphne & Rickie would be making out and I’d be like, “Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a romance!” I recommend WAYLAID—but more as a suspense novel than a romance.
Amelia Wilde’s Wounded Hearts series (BEFORE SHE WAS MINE, AFTER I WAS HIS, and WHEN HE SAW ME) are three standalone books (all published in 2018) with interconnecting storylines and characters. The heroes of the three books are military veterans, each of whom carries physical and/or emotional scars from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. (Despite the seriousness of the heroes’ situations, the Wounded Hearts books are actually somewhat “lighter” in tone and outlook than Wilde’s recent darker work.) BEFORE SHE WAS MINE features the “little sister is forbidden” and unplanned pregnancy tropes, with a hero who has lost a limb in combat. AFTER I WAS HIS has opposites-attract (she’s spontaneous, he likes to plan things to the nth degree) in a forced roommates situation, with a hero who has PTSD. Wilde does a great job in showing the hero’s PTSD: he knows his triggers and he knows when they’re bringing on a episode—it’s like he’s standing outside himself watching what’s happening—but he can’t stop how he behaves during one. This was my favorite book of the trilogy and I was really rooting for this couple to find their HEA. Key quote: “They say opposites attract. Nobody ever talks about what happens when they collide.” In WHEN HE SAW ME, the heroine is an anxious writer with many secrets and a severe case of writer’s block. The hero, a man with secrets of his own, is the first person to recognize the burden of her anxiety without attempting to minimize or amplify it. The couple spend a week at a cabin by the lake where the hero devices sexy ways to unlock the heroine’s writer’s block. Key quote: “To have secrets is…to be human, and to fear them is only to cloak them in darkness.” After I finished the trilogy, I read Wilde’s associated novella, KISS THE BRIDE (published in 2019 and part of a different series, but the hero is a friend of the three heroes from Wounded Hearts). KISS THE BRIDE is a short & sexy book about a woman abandoned at the altar and her brother’s best friend who steps in at the last minute. Turns out, the h&h have been pining for each other for years! I recommend all four of these Amelia Wilde books.
Norah Belle’s THE BEAUTY AND THE BRO is an m/m romance between Riley, out and femme, and Dylan, very much a straight “bro” in his late twenties who goes through a bi-awakening after Riley becomes his roommate. I really liked Riley and his sweet, cynical, generous, self-accepting voice: he thinks of himself as “the reason straight people thought they had a functioning gaydar.” But it took me a while to warm up to Dylan—especially when it seemed as if he was not going to acknowledge his relationship with Riley and continue to retreat behind his straight appearance and think things like, “Yeah. Riley would have made the perfect girlfriend. But he wasn’t a girl, and [I] wasn’t gay.” (Riley later comments to Dylan, “Maybe you’re just attracted to femininity, regardless of gender.”) In addition, there are certain scenes where Dylan prevents Riley’s awful ex from physically or emotionally attacking Riley—and these seemed uncomfortably like “straight savior” moments. Eventually, however, there is a nice grovel/grand gesture and HEA—plus the promise of at least one future book featuring another couple where one partner is gay and the other has previously identified as straight. My overall assessment of THE BEAUTY AND THE BRO: one very sympathetic and relatable main character allied with a second main character who takes just a bit too long to see the light.
E.M. Lindsey’s m/m standalone, ABSOLUTION, is a newly-revised and expanded edition of a book they previously published in 2016. One night, returning from a fast food run, Alexei is mugged by starving, homeless August—well, a mugging is attempted, but Alexei gets away. Later, Alexei (who experienced homelessness himself in his teens) tracks down his would-be attacker and offers him food, a place to stay, a job in Alexei’s book store, and a chance to get back on his feet. And so begins the setup for this lovely, melancholy m/m romance between two people who have been buffeted by life. Despite their growing feelings for each other, things do not always go smoothly. Both men have grief and loss in their pasts: Alexei lost his parents as a teenager and no other family members stepped up to help him because of his sexual orientation; August had a complicated childhood and served time for a crime he did not commit. Both men also exhibit some internalized homophobia, perhaps in part because of the ongoing influences of their religions (Alexei was raised as an Orthodox Jew and still continues some observances even while he is basically an atheist; August is a practicing Catholic). Don’t be surprised at how obvious the “big mis” is—I think it’s completely intentional on Lindsey’s part, eventually showing how both heroes have been hedging their bets when it comes to openness and trust. Key quote: “We were both afraid of what vulnerability could bring, and it ate away at us. We loved without trusting.” Recommended.
I continued my stroll through E.M. Lindsey’s Iron & Works series with BLANK CANVAS, featuring tattoo artist Sam, who has been in a wheelchair since an accident in his teens. Sam is trying to adopt his cousin’s daughter, a girl he has been fostering for three years—but, due to what social services perceives as his limitations, he is having a hard time. When he meets former hockey player and aspiring restauranteur Niko, both feel they are not in the right place to get involved with anyone—but their hearts have other ideas. Lindsey’s Iron & Works books have become comfort reads for me: while there is always plenty of angst—and Lindsey’s not afraid to have her characters react to stressful situations by behaving badly, albeit with a later apology and pledge to do better—there’s always a group of understanding and supportive found-family/friends to help smooth the bumpy path. Recommended—but I do think you need to read the series in order.
I don’t usually mention rereads, but I recently did back-to-back rereads of my two favorite m/m hockey books: Rachel Reid’s HEATED RIVALRY and Taylor Fitzpatrick’s THROWN OFF THE ICE. Although both books detail the long (mostly secret) relationships between two professional hockey players, they are very different (although equally good) in tone and style. Reid’s ROLE MODEL, the next book in her Game Changer series, arrives August 10, so—even though the new book does not focus on Shane & Ilya—I thought it was a good time to reread the story of their ten-year evolution from hook-ups to love (apparently, Reid’s final book of the series, THE LONG GAME, due in 2022, will give them their HEA). Every time I reread HEATED RIVALRY, I see something new—this time it was how Shane, despite professional rivalry with Ilya, helped him navigate early press conferences because he realized Ilya’s English was still limited. Meanwhile, THROWN OFF THE ICE covers the 17 years in a relationship between Mike, who starts the book as a 30-year-old hockey “enforcer” just a few years from retirement, and Liam, an 18-year-old whiz kid player—a newbie in all ways (including sex). The thing I noticed this time through is how strong and sure and committed Liam is—although Mike is ostensibly the bigger, stronger one. Despite the ending (warning: no HEA or even HFN), THROWN OFF THE ICE is one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. As usual, I ugly-cried when I got to the end, but the book still remains, paradoxically, a “reliable comfort reread” for me. Both books highly recommended.
Happy Saturday! Missed the last Whatcha Reading, so a few more books to cover (in spite of feeling like I was in a slump at the end of June / beginning of July).
Romance:
A DELICATE DECEPTION by Cat Sebastian: very charming, Sebastian did wonderful things with the story structure, though I feel like the conflict just sort of loosened to resolution at the end–not necessarily a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting it. Also, would not have minded if this had been 15% longer!
DESIRE LINES by Elizabeth Kingston: I had read THE KING’S MAN but not the second one, and now I kind of want to go read the second one. Loved Nan & Gryff together, loved their animal companions and the discussions of colonialism. I think Kingston is working on another book in this series and I will probably read it.
STONE COLD HEART by Laura Griffin: back in the day (~2015-16), I read many of the TRACERS books, and I’d been on a weird “Bones” kick recently so I figured I’d pick up this later installment featuring a forensic anthropologist. I liked Sara & Nolan together, the investigatory work was fun, didn’t love that Sara is the one who keeps putting herself into physical danger, and the supposed twist of the serial killer’s identity was not a surprise to me. I’m also much more ambivalent-to-negative about policing than I was back in ’15-16, yet I still enjoy a procedural.
WHILE WE WERE DATING by Jasmine Guillory: squee, maybe tied with THE PROPOSAL as my favorite Guillory, most robust mental health representation I have seen in a romance, plus fun celebrity & celebrity-adjacent shenanigans.
NEON GODS by Katee Robert: this was a step out of my comfort zone (I, uh, don’t really read BDSM/exhibitionism romances) but I was drawn in by the world-building. I also love a grumpy/sunshine-y pairing and Robert got that down. The consent discussions for the kink seemed fairly robust to me but I can’t really speak to whether that’s typical. Might read the next one, Persephone’s sisters were intriguing.
A GIRL LIKE HER by Talia Hibbert: loved Hibbert’s Brown Sisters trilogy and finally decided to start on her back catalog. There are some recurring motifs from her Brown sisters trilogy (and the recent Christmas novella, which I did read) but I’m never mad at a cinnamon roll hero nor a prickly heroine. Ruth & Evan were lovely together and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series at some point.
Non-Romance:
THE YEARS OF RICE AND SALT by Kim Stanley Robinson: thanks to those who cheered on my reading, I did in fact finish and *wow* what a book. Dense, detailed, richly textured, I’ll be randomly thinking about this one for a while. Strongly recommend starting only if you’re going to have some time for several days in a row and brain space for it.
THE DAYS OF ABANDONMENT by Elena Ferrante, trans. Ann Goldstein: I had not yet read Ferrante and this was easier than dipping into the much longer Neapolitan series. Content warnings: dirtbag husband, dead dog, also said husband grooms a teen girl?, psychological horror generally. This was very gripping and it put me in mind of all the AITA & Reddit Relationships posts that come off like creative writing exercises–they wish they had this level of a narrator becoming unmoored and wrathful. I’m not sure if I’d categorize this as a pleasant reading experience but it was certainly well-executed.
FUGITIVE TELEMETRY by Martha Wells: loved this! Murderbot helps with a murder investigation, it’s a good time. You could probably read this before NETWORK EFFECT, although I read it after. Glad we will one day have more MURDERBOT DIARIES books.
I recently finished ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells, after seeing so many mentions/good reviews for the series online, including here on SBTB. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the other books.
I’m also looking forward to reading SIX CRIMSON CRANES by Elizabeth Lim and THESE HOLLOW VOWS by Lexi Ryan. I also have ONCE UPON A ROYAL SUMMER by Teri Wilson waiting on the TBR pile.
Happy weekend, everyone! 🙂
I need a break from people-are-garbage fictional “realism,” so last night I broke out the Tessa Dare I’ve been saving for such an emergency (The Duchess Deal). I meant to read one chapter before bedtime and ended up inhaling a third of it.
Simone St. James – The Sun Down Motel
This was a dual timeline narrative (sidenote: is it just me or does it really seem like dual timeline narratives are very much A Thing these days?) about a young woman who works as a night clerk in a small-town motel in the 80s who disappears, and her niece, 35 years later, who decides to investigate, since no one else really has. It’s grim, of course, with lots of young women murdered in this town, and I think it does a good job of capturing how and why true crime becomes a fascination for many women. There was a supernatural horror element that I wasn’t expecting–perhaps I didn’t read the blurb closely enough–but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought. There’s a rather interesting twist re: what happened to the aunt that, once I figured it out, hooked me in.
For some mysterious reason, I was in the mood for Bertrice Small and curious as to how well her books held up. I read Skye O’Malley, All the Sweet Tomorrows and This Heart of Mine back-to-back. Now, I used to love, love, love Bertrice Small. There is a picture of me, on my way to the hospital, in labour, with one of her books tucked under my arm, but, as time passed, I broke up with her. Did they hold up? To a certain extent – I love food and costume porn and she always delivered those, as well as scorching sex scenes. I love huge sagas with dozens of characters and plots! revenge! villains! But… I don’t think I’ll be re-reading her anytime soon.
I also read Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. I was excited for this one – I love fanfiction and nerdy conventions, but my reaction was pretty meh. Maybe her writing style just doesn’t gel with my taste.
Happy Weekend, Bitchery! I am going to chip away at some chores (we have a free stuff FB group in my town, so I’m getting rid of the tiny fridge, the Karaoke player, and baby gates and other assorted detritus in my basement – you post a picture, put it on the curb, and away it goes!) but otherwise I am going to get my READ ON.
That being said, I am the saddest of bitches, because everything I read seems stale to me right now. Even some of the stuff that I have been saving for an emotional rainy day (Looking at you, Lois McMaster Bujold and Mary Balogh) is not landing. So, please, please, post today – WAYR is always a source of excellent leads and new reads. Shout out to @DiscoDollyDeb, @RenBenton, @EmpressofBlandings, @JenniferEstep, @Darlyanne, and all the other regular posters – I appreciate your service. Especially Triple D – you are a fountain of twisted recs, milady, and I love it!
The Blackhaven Manor books by Arden Steele were solid (M/M paranormal). I especially liked the hotel setting. Weirdly, I wanted more of how the hotel ran, and the connections between the staff. The romances were a little flat, fated mate, but the hotel made it all more vivid somehow.
The only other books that I could fix my attention on were alien romances. Alaska Jones’ Warrior Bound (M/F fated mate) and Hattie Jacks’ Havoc (M/M/F fated mate). Both were solid and what I was in the mood for, but there weren’t really any in either authors’ backlog that are calling to me now.
I’ll take another hopeful run at my enormous TBR pile, but in the meantime, looking forward to today’s recommendations. Hope everyone is happy, safe, and healthy!
It looks like I haven’t read any romance in the last two weeks. 🙁 I’m not sure how that is possible.
Today I’m starting Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
@Francesca: I was reading George Eliot’s MIDDLEMARCH when my first child was born (1992). All of the photos of me in the labor room have that thick green book somewhere in the frame. Then all of the pictures taken in the den from the first few weeks of my oldest daughter’s life show the same book on the coffee table or an end table. It took me a little while to figure out that having a new baby in the house would not be conducive to reading massive tomes! Lol
@Big K: Thank you!
I’ve been waiting for this WAYR because I wanted to give a shout-out to whoever mentioned AJ Lancaster in these comments! I finally read their books—inhaled them, and purchased the last in the series today!
Before I talk more about the Stariel series, I have to say that I LOVE the STBT comment sections—the land of self-pub books is vast and I don’t have the wherewithal to wade through it all but the bitchery has always steered me in the right direction. From Kareni’s Linsemen recommendation to the recent Celia Lake glom to AJ Lancaster—I have loved them all. Each of them satisfies my unique reading preferences! thank you to everyone who comments and shares what is working for them!
NOW! AJ Lancaster’s writing is really, really good. The world-building is amazing—in fact even more than the romance I got sucked in because of the exemplary world-building. The secondary characters are so, so good. I truly am a part of the fabric of someone’s life when reading these books—not just the protagonists but the people around them who make up their lives. I’d highly recommend this series for fantasy, romance, family dynamics and interesting magic. (I love the whole land magic thing)
I also adored On the Charm by Celia Lake. It features working-class Edwardian era hero and heroine in an alternate magical England of course. I do love how the work they do is such a part and parcel of the story—the story would not happen if it weren’t for this aspect of their lives. Lovely romance, and great overall story.
Jennifer Ashley’s Death in Kew Gardens evokes Victorian London so strongly and so perfectly, that it’s just sheer fun to lose myself in the world of the story. The found family theme amongst all the various characters continues to evolve and grow and the main mystery itself was interesting. I’m looking forward to discovering more about the “hero,” Daniel, in the next in series!
I’m currently reading Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Man mountain, bagpipe playing, cinnamon roll Scottish hero (complete with accent) for the win!
I Married a Lizardman by Regine Abel was another recent read that was on the gentle side with a hero that wasn’t a cinnamon roll but was strong, kind and respectful. It had a similar vibe to Strange Love by Ann Aguirre (which I also loved) and featured a farmer heroine and hunter/gatherer hero whose appearances and cultures are very different but who navigate those differences with real respect. SF romance tends to feature alien abduction, dub con, fated mates, etc. and while I quite enjoy those tropes, it’s refreshing to read something different once in awhile.
On the last WATCHA READING someone recommended Nathan Lowell. Thank you, thank you, I am hooked! It’s hard to describe his books but go on Amazon or Good reads for a good description. Am also reading the new Daniel Silva, The Cellist and also I Alone Can Fix It by Carol Leoning and Phillip Rucker. WOW! I have also re read Jayne Castle’s Harmony series. Light and fun! I also enjoyed Malibu arising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.starting 1984 to read with my grandson. Looking forward to that discussion! Happy reading everyone!
Apologies, tl;dr: lots of good books because I missed the last post.
@Big K: Thank you so much. This is the best place with the best readers.
I’d been limiting my library borrowings in a misguided plan to read what I already own, but then gave up and opened the floodgates. I am much happier now, thanks.
THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen: Contemporary Copenhagen-set crime novels featuring an acerbic, cranky detective put in charge of cold cases. I felt certain this would be formulaic, until it wasn’t. Multiple past/present timelines and while our hero Carl could have been a stereotype, he’s surrounded with a community of people who care about him. Great crime solving, violent, dark, sharp and surprisingly funny.
FALLING by T. J. Newman: The summer’s buzz book about a skyjacked airliner flying from LA to NY. Well. I appreciated the author’s experience as a flight attendant because how the crew of three coped and kept the passengers in line was fascinating. So much else was OTT and improbable; a less-excited editor may have reined in some of the breathlessness. Still an enjoyable read.
WHAT THE DEVIL KNOWS by C. S. Harris: How I love thee both, Simon and Hero. This book may be the best yet as it delves into connections between a true unsolved crime from 1811 and a current crime spree against politicians and businessmen. Good book noise.
A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT by Becky Chambers: OMG, how does Chambers do it? I feel refreshed, cared for, understood and longing to travel to unknown places with Monk and Robot. What do humans want? I know, pick me! Big squee.
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano: A struggling, divorced romance-writer/mother of two is one step from losing everything. Until a stranger overhears her describing a murder plot to her editor in a local Panera and promises Finlay $50,000 for killing the stranger’s criminal husband. Financial problems solved (of course not). This was so much fun, completely unbelievable, but what a ride. The best part is Fin figures out what she wants, what matters and who. The ending is rather explosive and, I hope, a set up for book two.
THE CONDUCTORS by Nicole Glover: The Underground Railroad, magic through constellations (very exciting), and murder in post-Civil War Philadelphia. Former conductors Hetty and Benjy still have their ears and eyes open to mundane and strange activities in the Seventh Ward. Their investigation into the murder of a friend stirs up all kinds of bad things, and while the many characters were hard to track at first, this was a very satisfying look at community and the people in our lives. Recommended.
Will this list never end?
ROSALINE PALMER TAKES THE CAKE by Alexis Hall: She certainly did and I wanted to wipe away the frosting that was clouding her vision and commonsense. Of course the story is thoroughly enjoyable, but Hall makes it so clear to us who the villain is that we’re almost in TSTL territory. Still, loads of personal growth and understanding, great food and I am here for both.
THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU by Tom Lin: A Chinese-American assassin races to rescue his kidnapped wife after being conscripted to the Central Pacific Railroad himself. He is joined by a blind Chinese prophet and the members of a traveling magic show in a mutual-benefit pact over mountains and desert. “A story of one man’s quest for redemption in the face of a distinctly American brutality” pretty much covers it. And yet, there are those fascinating characters, the arc of growth/change, and some gruesome-yet-satisfying revenge.
SPARK by Devon Monk: Book 2 in the West Hell Magic series. Shifter hockey players in the freak league is just the thing to escape for a while. Book 1, HAZARD, has to be read first, and there’s a lot of soul-searching/coming to terms with magic abilities, found family and teammates. I love all of Monk’s series-es and, afaict, she knows hockey.
A LONG COLD WINTER (THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, Season 1, Episode 1) by Max Gladstone and Lindsay Smith: A different Cold War set in Prague, with CIA, KGB, fire and ice operatives, elemental magic, and a Czech student sought by all parties. This was my catnip rolled into one, the first of six episodes. Give me that old spy religion.
JOINT CUSTODY by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Jackie Logsted: A rescued dog tries to keep his owners together, an enjoyable, certainly not credible, rom com told from the dog’s POV. The big problem I had was our man Gatz was smart enough to know everything about people, literature, the world, depressive episodes and commerce, and still referred to his people as The Man and The Woman. I’m sure there’s a convention or handy-wavy thing to explain why, but it did bring me up short.
Kelly Papyrus’s The Unmatchable Bachelor follows a divorced Indian-Canadian matchmaker trying to find a woman to get the titular bachelor to seal the deal. Oh, and he has an appealing brother…
This is a novella, and elements of the plot will be pretty obvious early on, but I enjoyed the setting. This feels like early work, but it’s a quick read and I’ll probably read more from the author if it comes my way.
I’ve powered through all of Andrea Penrose’s Regency-era Wrexford & Sloane mysteries. Her heroine really pays off over the long haul and the scientific interests of the hero are always fascinating.
Right now I’m working through The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorett and it’s fun with a good range of characters but the heroine’s conflict between the man who clearly is falling for her and the jerk she’s assumed since childhood that she’s going to marry makes her seem TSTL at times.
Loved, loved, loved Christina Lauren’s The Soulmate Equation: may sit down and reread it.
:::sweeps in:::
I did indeed look in the cave. We went to Mammoth Cave National Park last week and it was great. I also got a lot of reading done, because I was vacation and had left my Switch at home.
Let’s see, I read yet another Sebastian St. Cyr, this one called What Remains of Heaven, by C.S. Harris. It was, as usual, twisty and fun, with some very creative murders, and some very interesting forwarding of the characters’ stories. Then I read The Taking of Jake Livingston, which was an interesting, if unnerving, book. It is about a young medium that gets to deal with racism and homophobia at school, and see and communicate with ghosts all the time. These things take a toll on his physical and mental health, and that’s before he starts being hunted by the angry spirit of a school shooter. The POV of the shooter is especially unsettling. I’m not easy to unsettle, either. Then, because apparently I was just reading weird shit, I read Piranesi by Susannah Clarke. I remember really enjoying Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, though my favorite Clarke work is probably The Ladies of Grace Adieu. This was beautifully written, but it didn’t make any sense for so long (which I know was a creative choice, but still) that it was a bit frustrating, especially for such a short book. After that, I decided to put away weird shit for just a little while, and I read Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle. I liked the portrayal of anxiety disorder in the hero, but my God did the heroine need to grow a spine a lot earlier than she did. She was SUCH a doormat at the beginning, and while I know that was part of her journey, it was still a bit irritating, at least for me. Which brings us to now, in which I’m reading Legacy by Nora Roberts. I like the found family that both main characters have surrounded themselves with, and the focusing on the job aspects of the fitness industry. I also think the still unrevealed serial killer in the book has some definite incel vibes, which gives a sense of relevance to current day. I’m enjoying it thus far, which is to be expected, Roberts’s yearly big romantic suspense books are definitely one of her sweet spots. So until next time, stay inside, it is STUPID HOT out.
@Darlynne: Love, love, love The Witch Who Came In From the Cold!
I am reading Nicholas, featured in a sales post earlier this week. I’m annoyed that I’m interested enough in the overarching plot of the sisters and brothers that I’m considering buying further books. I think I’ll hold off on that and a cooler head will prevail. I’m always a little baffled when I see unsexy sex scenes in romance but then I remember the old fanfic adage YKINMKATO aka kinktomato.
In better book news, I also read May Peterson’s Lord of the Last Heartbeat, book 1 in the Sacred Dark series. I found the magic and supernatural aspects unique but a little hard to grasp at times. The world building worked for me, the romance was a little less convincing. I have the other 2 books waiting for me to return from Satyr nonsense.
I also devoured books 2, 2.5 and 3 of Jackie Lau’s Cider Bar Sisters series. Gotta mention the food – I want it all. The Professor Next Door was sooooo good, definitely my favorite in the series.
@Crystal I enjoyed Twice Shy, loved Wesley, but definitely at the beginning I was exasperated with Maybell.
I started a new job at the end of June so my reading’s been a bit scattered.
I loved Subtle Blood by KJ Charles and what’s interesting is that of the three books, this one felt like it was doing the most calling back to Lord Peter Wimsey. Since this series started they had always felt in conversation with Wimsey but this one in particular seemed like it had more direct moments and so I went and reread Murder Must Advertise, my personal favorite.
Aloha Rodeo was a fascinating nonfiction about three Hawaiian riders who won at the Cheyenne Round Up in 1908 as well as the history of cattle ranching in Hawaii. Well written and interesting that intersected with a few of my interests.
The Tangleroot Palace, a collection of short stories by Marjorie Liu was a nice collection of short stories and one novella. All the stories were originally published in other anthologies, they all seem to be takes on fairy tales and romances. Well written but all fairly dark, an okay read for me, someone who likes Liu’s writing would probably get more out of it.
The Doctors Blackwell by Janie Nimura who wrote Daughters of the Samurai, an amazing piece of non-fiction. I didn’t find this book as strong, but part of that is the women she’s writing about and their stories don’t have the same dramatic sweeps. I would recommend this to anyone who’s curious about early women doctors.
At the moment, I’m reading Someone to Cherish and liking it more than some other Westcott books. I think because the set-up reminds me more of the Survivor books. Sometimes there’s simply too much Westcott family and for me that can take away from the romance. I like Balogh when she focuses.
A mixed bag as far as genre this time.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is an homage to the cozy mysteries of times past. An editor for a small publishing house is reading/editing the latest in a popular series and gets hints of impending murder. The book she’s editing is included and is a decent cozy. Her story wraps around it. Interesting device, enjoyed the book.
Slouch Witch by Helen Harper. Not a romance but there is romance along the lines of “I hate him but nice butt!” The heroine, in a case of mistaken identity is magically bound to an investigator at the magical university and required to work with him for a period of time. She was expelled from said university. They dislike and annoy each other from first meeting. Despite that, they do manage to treat each other with some respect and to work together. Interesting world building, fun sparring dialogue. Parts of it a little over the top but it pulled me along and I enjoyed it. First in a series but not a cliffhanger.
Re-read Nalini Singh’s Rock Kiss series for comfort and continue to enjoy them. Strong rock star men with some background trauma (and one rugby star) and stand-up women.
Poison Flower by Thomas Perry. I adored the first four in Perry’s Jane Whitefield series then just stopped reading. This is book 7 and was on sale. Strong First Nations heroine who helps people who have nowhere else to go. Smart and deadly. This was a good addition to the series. Not a romance; her husband is having issues with what she does and she is trying to save her marriage while saving other people.
The Dragon Tattoo by Roxie Ray. Dragon shifter, fated romance, second chance, many of the tropes. As a teen, our shifter hero realized that the human girl next door was his fated mate. His parents disagreed and dragged him away to go to school, university, med school, etc. Fifteen years later (and finally an author who knows how long that would take), he returns to work in her town and woo her back. She’s pissed at being abandoned. I liked this one better than many dragon shifter books though still a few issues. Having a witch who will shorten your labor and get you back to pre-pregnancy in a week or two is definite wish fulfillment and I didn’t buy it. Still a fun read.
Always Only You by Chloe Liese is an Own Voices. Lots of catnip here, too: hockey, semi-forbidden romance, grumpy heroine. The heroine is autistic and has RA. She works with a hockey team and is always grumpy with them. The hero plays for the team, with a non-fraternization thing. He is always cheerful. He is also waiting for her to find another job so he can make a move on her.I did enjoy this one a lot. My BFF from med school has been dealing with RA for 30 years and,based on her experiences, the author got that right, too. Appealing H/h, well drawn supporting characters. I liked it a lot and will be looking at the others in this series.
The House of Vandekar by Evelyn Anthony. Much younger Vicki read and loved a number of her books, They tend to be mystery or spy sorts of things with romance thrown in. This book was new to me, found as I am unpacking from times past. Three generations of women. The story is basically the granddaughter who remembers the night her mother was murdered but has suppressed memory of who did it. It was OK, held my interest, but was not the best of Anthony’s books.
HA! @DiscoDollyDeb and @Francesca: I vividly remember what book I was reading while in labor for each of my three children, and I never finished any of them!
Since last time I was lucky to get my hands (eyes and ears, actually!) on books I’ve been waiting for: Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s WHEN STARS COLLIDE and Kristan Higgins’s PACK UP THE MOON. I was totally caught up with the first half of WHEN STARS COLLIDE, feeling it was more the old SEP than I’ve found in her more recent books. In all honesty, though, my interest and delight sort of petered out as the book progressed, and by the end, I just kind of shrugged. I like a strong vibrant romance that I can bring to mind when I’m having trouble sleeping and am distracted by the real world, and WHEN STARS COLLIDE just didn’t deliver in that department.
PACK UP THE MOON was another head scratcher for me. If I had to choose between the two options, I’d give it a thumbs up, but I remain a little perplexed. I think Higgins is maybe a few years younger than I am, (yup, just checked, and I was right), but she’s definitely old enough to have experienced LOVE STORY—either the book or the movie—sometime in her youth. I’m not hinting at anything like plagiarism, but if you could plagiarize a wallop, that leaves the reader sobbing uncontrollably , then she’s done just that. Granted, PACK UP THE MOON has a more uplifting ending than LOVE STORY, and it’s definitely longer, more amusing, and allows for more diversity than Segal’s white bread New England tome, but it’s still just a well-written tear-jerker. Will I add it to my keeper file? Yes. But my copy of LOVE STORY is still there as well.
In a completely different genre but still excellent at bringing forth tears: THE SWEETNESS OF WATER by Nathan Harris. The story takes place in Georgia in 1865 and concerns two Black newly-emancipated brothers, a hardscrabble White family willing to give them a chance in their new world, and the rest of the community out to show them all what’s what. The author is young, incredibly talented, and I’m hopeful he’ll have more to offer in the future.
I was unshaken and unstirred by three contemporaries that I whizzed through: WELL MET by Jen DeLuca, PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA by Jenn McKinlay, and LAST KISS UNDER THE MISTLETOE by Melanie A. Smith. Meh, all around. I hate it when you can see the entire book’s outline in the first chapter.
On the bright side, I finished an ARC of the absolutely delightful A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY coming this week from Darynda Jones. I liked the first book in this series, A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE, but I really loved this one. Replete with mystery, humor, and the best mother-daughter relationship I’ve ever come across, it had my attention from the very first line. But beware: it ends on a cliff hanger of sorts. Ms. Jones has some groveling to do!
One more interesting ARC: ONCE THERE WERE WOVES, by Charlotte McConaghy, coming out in August. Not for the faint of heart, it is the emotionally wrenching story of a troubled woman helping to return once-eliminated wolves to the wilds of Scotland. The locals don’t want the wolves, and their defender is battling her own demons. The writing itself is exquisite, and I expect the story will stay with me for a while.
And now I’m back to Julia Spencer-Fleming: book five (ALL MORTAL FLESH). I think there are nine, so I’m going to be irked when I get to the end and have to wait. If you like a good small -town mystery and a very S-L-O-W burn romance, she’s definitely a good investment.
I also read Waylaid by Sarina Bowen and loved it. I didn’t think the suspense outweighed the romance, tbh. I found Rickie to be fascinating and perceptive, but I liked that Daphne would give him a hard time.
I need to talk about Totally Folked, by Penny Reid. I am a huge fan of Beard Science and the Winston Brothers (though I hated hated hated Billy/Claire’s novel) and this one was more Billy/Claire than Cletus/Jenn for me. I like a good redemption romance, and I will basically follow Cletus’s lead anywhere, so if Cletus likes Jackson now, then I do too. But I found Jackson to be SO unappealing. Rae was very cool and I liked her, and I just adored spending time with Sienna again. But I never ended up liking Jackson at all. He was too rigid (unfortunately, no pun intended). And I was skeeved by his unusual body part (deliberately being vague). Anyone else?
I’m still reading the Chapel Cove series. Right now I’m on book 7 of 11 Belong With Me by Alexa Verde. I joined KU through Amazon I got the 6 month deal fror 30 dollars. So many of the indie authors I read are included in the sweet romance sub genre but we will see. Of course if Amazon. Ever has 65 historical romances a in one day all bets are off about me saving money. That being said I wish all Tessa Dare’s books would go on sale. And that Harlequin would take part in the KU program. Ah a reader can dream on.
I read the 3rd Bainbridge & Sparks mystery, “A Rogue’s Company”. The premise for the kidnapping plot seemed a bit unlikely, but I continue to love spending time with all the characters in this series. I’m still scarfing down Harlequin Historicals, especially by Louise Allen. The last few were “A Proposal To Risk Their Friendship”,(friends to lovers, very charming couple), “The Earl’s Marriage Bargain(road trip romance), and “A Marquis In Want Of A Wife”(beauty and the beast). All good and quick comfort reads.
I’m now reading “The Devil and the Heiress” by Harper St. George. It’s her second book featuring Gilded Age American heroines and British heroes. I don’t think I like it quite as well as her first book, but still pretty good, and it should appeal to fans of Joanna Shupe and Evie Dunmore.
I read two books by Tahereh Mafi – “A Very Large Expanse of Sea” and “An Emotion of Great Delight”. I read them both in one night, even though I honestly didn’t like either one.
In the first, the main character is mean to just about everyone ALL the time, wears hijab but curses constantly and dismisses just about everything else related to Islam as “dogma”. While we’re at the point where we can have flawed/unlikable LGBTQ+ characters because there are so many books with such characters, we can’t really have the same for Muslim characters. Too few of the Muslims I find in fiction are reasonable approximations of practicing Muslims and it frustrates me.
The second, it jumped back and forth in time constantly and it was confusing. Also, the main character was miserable almost the entire book and I just can’t. Girl, get help. You need it.
Don’t think I will be reading any more by this author. I hate depressing books and I hate poor representation of Muslims.
Also read “Quiver” by Julia Watts, which was about a girl in a Quiverful family and the genderqueer teen and their family who moves in across the way. It devolved into a not-unexpected-but-still-disappointing “spiritual abuse” plot. Refreshingly, there was no “religious girl discovers she is queer by falling for queer neighbor, has crisis, comes out, and gets kicked out of family” storyline, which I was half expecting from the way the story was developing at some points. Another book that was well written, even if the outcome wasn’t a surprise.
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE by Suzanne Brockmann – originally published as a Loveswept category romance in 1997. A genius inventor travels back from 7 years in the future to persuade the freelance writer heroine to convince his current self not to invent a time travel device. (Things went bad in the future because of his device. Terrorists-overthrowing-the-government bad.) A Goodreads review captured my attention with “It was like ‘The Terminator’ but with 2 Kyle Reeses.” (Also, no cyborgs.) Hello! My only complaints are about the name of the evil organization (Wizard 9, really? I couldn’t stop seeing the bad guys as a bunch of adorably nerdy D&D players) and…oh, drat my second complaint would be a spoiler. Anyway, this one lets me indulge my love of pondering time paradoxes from the safety of an HEA with all the nostalgic goodness of teen me sitting in a multiplex theater in the mid-80s. It’s meta time travel!! [B+]
THE REHEARSALS by Annette Christie – an unhappy couple are trapped in a Groundhog Day-style time loop on the day of their (destination wedding’s) rehearsal dinner. Based on the premise, I was expecting something funny with a touch of pathos, but I couldn’t find any humor or sweetness in the story. Their disagreements are dead serious and that’s the way they’re handled. [C]
* * *
Mostly, though, I’ve spent the past two weeks poking myself in the eye with UNWRAPPING THE CASTELLI SECRET, a Harlequin Presents by Caitlin Crews in which…good grief, the only way I can recap this plot is chronologically. A pair of stepsiblings engage in a secret, toxic affair behind their family’s back, with the male protagonist openly dating and sleeping with D-list/reality TV celebs while hooking up on the sly with his stepsister. They argue constantly about his infidelity until one day the heroine takes one of his father’s too-powerful cars along a treacherous Northern California coastal road and gets in an accident. She walks away before emergency services arrives, but the car is a fireball and everyone assumes she’s dead. She starts a new life clear across the country with her surprise!baby until 5 years later when the hero — finalizing a business deal in her new community — happens to spot her on the city’s market street. He’s been a tormented man for 5 years, and now he’s angry. She decides to fake amnesia.
One of the things I love so much about HP is that all of that is simply backstory and none of it is a spoiler. While this is a little more tawdry than the typical HP bad behavior backstory (more like indie-published new adult melodrama), it still fits in with a line that shamelessly tries to sell readers on second-chance scenarios in which heroes who behave very very badly are repackaged and redeemed by the end.
My problem is: Crews isn’t playing that game. There are references to the hero having changed completely while mourning the loss of the great love of his life for the past five years, but that’s just hearsay evidence. What I needed was a matured hero dripping with remorse for getting a sadistic sexual thrill out of emotionally torturing his six-years-younger stepsister with his infidelities. What I got was an entitled angry hero who initially taunts the heroine to try to crack through her amnesia pretense and then threatens to use her backstory — whether amnesia or deliberate abandonment — to take custody of her child from her. (Because nothing says “loving father” like taking a healthy, well-adjusted 5-year-old from the only parent he has ever known.)
I assume Crews is lampshading all of this when she has the heroine point out how delusional the hero is with his pretense of their great love and how toxic it actually was. It’s as if, having written a backstory that can’t be redeemed, Crews just shrugs and tacks on an HEA based on ongoing sexual attraction and coparenting needs while the myth of their big love, shredded by the heroine’s own words, hangs in tatters around them. And I’m left asking myself if Crews meant to skewer the imprint or the readers, because I feel vaguely ashamed for sticking with the story, trusting that an attempt at redemption was required by the HP rules.
Since last time ~
— continued the science fiction series I’d been reading and finished Captain’s Share and Owner’s Share by Nathan Lowell; I enjoyed both. I hope to read more by this author.
— State of Wonder: A Novel by Ann Patchett for my local book group. What an interesting story that led to a good discussion.
— Upside Down by N.R. Walker. I enjoyed this contemporary romance featuring two asexual men, but I don’t think I’ll be quick to reread it.
— My summer reading program challenged me to read a book about art, so I reread Making Art from Maps by Jill K. Berry; it’s a fascinating book to read or browse.
— For the final challenge of my summer reading program, I read the graphic novel ~ No Ivy League by Hazel Newlevant. It was interesting but felt as though it was trying a bit too hard.
— The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. The book is just over 900 pages, so it was quite a time commitment! I’d seen this title on lists comparing it to (and for fans of) The Goblin Emperor; there are some commonalities. I quite enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by the author.
— Edge of Nowhere by Felicia Davin. It was an enjoyable m/m science fiction romance, but the story felt incomplete and I don’t feel like buying the sequel.
— and a boatload of samples.
The Olympics are on, so my reading is going to be suffering. Actually, I’ll just sleep a lot less…
Great
UNBOXED by Amy Crook (M/M Alternate Magical-kinda London). Just a lovely book with nice characters. Amy Crook is certainly become a favorite as I’m working my way through her backlog.
WITH ME series by Kris Jacen (M/M Contemporary Military). An enjoyable reread of this series. They are filled with people that I’d like to meet at my neighborhood bar-b-que.
Very Good
FARVIEW and TREASURE, Greynox to the Sea by Kim Fielding (M/M Fantasy alternate Victorian age). While there is action, the strength of these are the characters. I’d read more with these men.
JSOC OPERATORS series by A. E. Moler (M/M Contemporary Military). The series is really one short story and one book and was a refreshing break from the fantasy I’ve been reading.
TRIAD OF MAGIC series by Poppy Dennison (M/M Mages and Shapeshifters). I shouldn’t like this series as much as I do, but something about the mage protagonist just makes me root for him.
Good
FAMILIAR MAGIC SERIES by Taki Drake (Fantasy). The protagonist in this is a cat – who is not sure they want to be a familiar. After book 3, it appears to be dependent on having read other books by the same author – so I’m having to take a pause to catch up on the other books.
SPACE JANITOR by Julia Hunt (Science Fiction). An action adventure on a space station. Interesting enough to read the next one.
FEDERAL WITCH SERIES by TS Paul (Urban Fantasy). Begins really strong and interesting, about a witch going to the FBI academy in an alternate Quantico. However, there isn’t a lot of character development or emotions.
OK
DATE OF OUR LIVES series by Lorelei Hart (M/M Shapeshifters MPreg). No angst, just stories about people coming together with somewhat insta-love. Nice enough I read the whole series.
OWL LOVE YOU by Lorelei Hart (M/M Fated Mates). Low angst nice addition to the River’s Edge series.
BADGER HOLE BAR series by Taki Drake (Fantasy). The world building is interesting, but I’m not feeling the characters. It is more of a story about backgrounds, rather than having a plot moving forward.
@Deborah: I often think that Caitlin Crews (one of my favorite Harlequin Presents Queens of Angsty Heartache) is determined to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in an HP to their absolute limit. Her most recent HP, HER DEAL WITH THE GREEK DEVIL, had a plot and a hero appropriated wholesale from dark/mafia romance: a man spends years plotting revenge against the woman who was briefly his stepsister and her mother. He manipulates their finances until the stepsister has no option but to become his mistress. I thought Crews managed to redeem the hero (no small feat) in the end and I liked how subversive she made the storyline—almost like she was playing chicken with the HP template. I haven’t read a lot of Crews’s Cowboy romances or (beyond the Viking dystopian “Edge of” series) not a lot of what she has published under the Megan Crane name—but I don’t recall any of that work being quite as subversive as what she publishes for HP. I think she knows exactly what she’s doing, but I’m not sure how far readers are willing to go with her. Her most recent HPs have been pretty damn dark.
I haven’t gotten much read this time around partially because I have been designated the person to help a family friend through a crisis with her disabled child, because guess who is the only one in our circle who is disabled. And it’s not even the disability I have. During this upheaval though, I did manage to escape by reading Isn’t it Bromantic which is the fourth in the Bromance Book Club Series, a series while not without it’s faults, I suspect I like it more than our reviewers at the bitchery do which is fine with me. It’s been nice to finally read the story of the resident Russian member of the book club and his heroine. I’m still making my way through it, so final verdict is pending. The only book of note I finished is the memoir by Lamont Dosier which functions unofficially as a companion to the one written by the Holland brothers I mentioned in my last comment on Whatcha reading from the last time. I think I like the previous book better, but this one helps fill in some gaps.
@Jeannette, I read UNBOXED by Amy Crook a couple of years ago and quite enjoyed it. The author stands out in my memory as someone who includes a LOT of eating and drinking (tea not liquor) in her stories. I don’t object to that, but I think the books would be 30% shorter if those scenes were not included.
I devoured an e-copy of Nalini Singh’s Last Guard and loved it. I can’t wait to reread it once a paper copy comes in.
I also read Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which is like reading a hug. Highly recommended if you want something soothing. But make sure you have a cup of something hot next to you.
@DDD – I have read Her Deal with the Greek Devil, and I agree with you that Crews managed to redeem the hero in that one. But — and this is presumptuous, because I don’t really read “dark romance” — I would characterize both Her Deal and Unwrapping the Castelli Secret as bully romances, not mafia romances. With mafia and MC romances, the author has the excuse of external forces driving the male protagonist’s toxic behavior. With a bully romance, it all comes from the protagonist. Yes, the Castelli protag has a tragic childhood with a father who marries beautiful broken women and fails to fix them, but the protagonist can still succeed in his privileged world without demeaning women. He just chooses not to. Not that I mean to sound moralistic about the backstory. My complaint isn’t that he was awful, just that he was awful and I saw no effort on Crews’s part to redeem him. If that’s the boundary Crews was pushing, I’ll thank Harlequin to keep it in place in the future. I don’t always buy an HP redemption arc, but not getting one at all leaves me with a fair amount of self-loathing for reading these melodramas in the first place.