Winter’s Orbit
RECOMMENDED: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell is $2.99! Ellen read this one and gave it an A-:
If you enjoy sci-fi, arranged marriage/marriage of convenience stories, courtly intrigues, and/or slow-burn romance, I think Winter’s Orbit is a great choice.
Ancillary Justice meets Red, White & Royal Blue in Everina Maxwell’s exciting debut.
While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat’s rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.
But when it comes to light that Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war… all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.
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Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater is 99c! This is book one in the Regency Faerie Tales series and the upcoming book three was listed in the latest Hide Your Wallet. There’s another YA vs. Adult debate for this one as well. I do know there is no sexual content in this one.
“Whimsical, witty, and brimming over with charm” (India Holton), Olivia Atwater’s delightful debut will transport you to a magical version of Regency England, where the only thing more meddlesome than a fairy is a marriage-minded mother!
It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment—an unfortunate condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season—but when Elias Wilder, the strange, handsome, and utterly ill-mannered Lord Sorcier, discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into peculiar and dangerous faerie affairs.
If her reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all high society, then she and her family may yet reclaim their normal place in the world. But the longer Dora spends with Elias, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love even with only half a soul.
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Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne is $1.99! I’ve seen this one mentioned in the comments here, so if you’ve read it, do chime in with your thoughts. This is an opposites attract, enemies to lovers contemporary romance. It has a 3.9-star rating on Goodreads.
Sparks fly between a misunderstood New York socialite and a cynical divorce lawyer in this lively standalone rom-com from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Love Story.
Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.
Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.
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RECOMMENDED: Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann is $2.99! It has an asexual heroine and Carrie gave the book a B+:
This book does a great job of discussing asexuality and different forms it can take, as well as other common problems that students have. There is an appropriate amount of ramen. The romance is very sweet.
Striking a perfect balance between heartfelt emotions and spot-on humor, this debut features a pop-culture enthusiast protagonist with an unforgettable voice sure to resonate with readers.
Alice had her whole summer planned. Nonstop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting—working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating—no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.
But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).
When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library-employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.
Claire Kann’s debut novel Let’s Talk About Love, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, gracefully explores the struggle with emerging adulthood and the complicated line between friendship and what it might mean to be something more.
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How am I supposed to catch up on my reading when you keep tempting me with new titles? For shame!
Winter’s Orbit was my most hated read last year. I would urge caution for anyone who is sensitive to the depiction of intimate partner violence. I found it to be incredibly problematic.
LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS by Anita Kelly, basically a new release, is on sale for $3.99. It was reviewed here: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/love-and-other-disasters-by-anita-kelly/ and I put it on my to buy list for next month (gotta budget yeah). But it popped up on sale! I am looking forward to reading it!
Let’s Talk About Love is my pick here; I need to find a Lauren Layne that I love and don’t just like.
I LOVED Winter’s Orbit. I think it was a beautiful story of overcoming an abusive relationship and a fantastic space opera.
@Penny – thanks for the heads up. I’m #24 on my library waitlist for Love & Other Disasters – that sale price is pretty dang tempting.
@Leigh – can you say a little more about what didn’t work for you? Was it the specific way the intimate partner violence was portrayed or was it just that it was part of the story that didn’t work for you? I’m trying to decide if this book is for me or not.
@cleo: I really liked WINTER’S ORBIT, but completely agree that the intimate partner violence, gaslighting and bullying are difficult to read. Watching a character slowly emerge from years of torment is easier and, ultimately, rewarding. Not gonna lie, though, my heart hurt.
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall is $2.99 for kindle. It’s about contestants on a GBBO-like reality baking show and would make a fun paired read with Love and Other Disasters.
I absolutely adored both of them, although Rosaline has the edge because Hall’s humor really works for me. $7 total for both is a deal!
I enjoyed Winter’s Orbit on audio. I thought the author handled Jainan’s PTSD really well. It was an emotional but compassionate look at intimate partner violence. As a victim of IPV in my first marriage, I found those parts of the book tough to listen to, but ultimately well done. The repercussions were not glossed over, but healing was shown.
Of course, everyone will have their own reactions and that’s valid. I just wanted to share that I felt it was an important look at IPV, as well as a great sci-fi story.
My only quibble with the book is the story bogged down in details at times. I gave the story a B and the excellent narration an A-.
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase is 1.99 on Amazon.
I am ambivalent about the IPV aspect of Winter’s Orbit (which is unquestionably a fine science fiction novel in many respects and a fine romance in many respects). As CarrieG said, Jainan’s slow recovery is well portrayed; and (HERE BE SPOILERS) he was justifiably pissed off when, before he was ready to tell Kiem about it, Kiem blunderingly confronted him having seen a surveillance video of a bad moment. That being so, if he felt like Kiem had been spying, do we the readers need to spy? There seems like way too much of that in the book.
Last sentence cut off (SPOILERS): The long sequence where Jainan is forced to relive his memories and Kiem and the readers witness them is what troubles me.
I read Winter’s Orbit earlier this year and absolutely loved it.
Half a Soul sounds delightful, just grabbed it 🙂
WINTER’S ORBIT was just fine for me. It really felt like the author was trying very hard to do a really careful, sensitive exploration of the character’s past trauma and the growth of the current romance. (Maybe the fact that I was noticing that instead of just getting into the story is an issue.) I just didn’t really care enough about the characters to care very much about any of it. I’d forgotten their names until I read these comments; they never did anything to grab my interest. (But it was one of those hyped books that I grabbed from the library and I rarely end up liking those, so consider my opinion with an extra few grains of just-my-tastes salt.)