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t’s time for our second Whatcha Reading of the month, which also means March is nearly over!
Sarah: I just started Burning Hope by Wendy Roberts, ( A | BN | K | AB ) a mystery about a psychic woman who lives in a camper van and oh heck, there’s a murder.
Shana: I’ve been on a SFF kick lately. I finished Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher which managed to feel very cozy despite the severed heads. I know I’m late to the party on that one, have you all read it? And my library hold of Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki just came in. The blurb compares it to Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet…YES, PLEASE.
AJ: This may not technically count but I had a dream last night that I was reading a superhero romance called The Rich Henchman, the Supervillain and the Spy. Then I woke up and it didn’t exist. I’m not over it.
Carrie: Well now I’m not over it either!
Susan: Time to create the superhero romance we want to see in the world?
Elyse: I’ve been way off my reading game. Between family stuff and world news stuff I can’t seem to focus. I’ve been playing Lego Jurassic World on the Switch instead.
EllenM: I just finished Well Met by Jen DeLuca and I really enjoyed it! I do so love a renaissance faire!
I also maybe talked about this one before because I started it a while ago and then took a break but I also just finished Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal—a MEDIEVAL FEMINIST NUN MYSTERY??? it was amazing and i already put more of the series on hold at the library.
Susan: My reading life got 100% derailed by a smutty gay gacha game so I’m still reading Boyish²! The best description I have for it so far is that it’s so comfortable. It’s the emotional equivalent of curling up with a blanket and my comfiest socks and revisiting a bunch of my favourite tropes, just with soft butch leads as far as the eye can see.
Claudia: I’m sort of struggling to get into books lately too. I’ve just started the newest Jeannie Lin — Red Blossom in the Snow. I’m happy to be back at the Lotus Palace once more!
Sneezy: I’ve only one brain cell struggling to keep the lights on right now, and webtoons continue to be the thing for me. One of the webtoons I’ve been following is Under the Oak Tree, and the story has been impressing me with the bait and switch. I came for the beautiful art and smut adjacent scenes (unfortunately there’s no 19+ version available), and stayed for the main character’s journey to self actualization. In the most recent chapter, she’s just been lured by the castle mage to learn healing magic so his work load would decrease. It’s another comic on Manta, and unfortunately it’s not one of their free webtoons. $4.99 a month gives you access to the entire platform though, so it could be worth it to some readers
Maya: I just finished listening to Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price. It was a great reminder and reinforcement of some stuff people have been telling me, like actually paying attention to when my body is signaling that I am tired and acting in a way that prioritizes my physical and mental health. I know a few other Bitches here mentioned it, so thank you all for the rec! I also just started listening to Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson because I’m loving the cover and blurb for the follow up that is coming out this summer.
Tara: So, I’m actually listening to a book that pairs very well with Laziness Does Not Exist, called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. It’s not really about time management as much as it’s about deciding how you want to spend your time, and therefore live your life, since you’ll only have 4000 weeks to work with, if you make it to 80.
On a wildly different note, I’m also reading Faux Queen by Monique Jenkinson. ( A | BN | K ) It’s a memoir by the first cisgender woman to win a major drag pageant. It’s fascinating reading and so far I’m loving it.
Carrie: I’m reading How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. ( A | BN | K ) It is intense, it is painful, and it is necessary. No huge surprises in it so far for me, but I did find the phrase, “a sense of discovered ignorance” which is spot on for a certain experience.
What are you reading? Let us know in the comments below!
I finished PALADIN’S GRACE last night. Kingfisher hits the right ratio of fantasy:romance for me, all the markers of a romance novel without reducing the fantasy to wallpaper, and not a fantasy with romantic filler that could be taken out without changing anything significant. And her characters, no matter how troubled and/or socially awkward they may be, have emotional intelligence and are KIND. I can’t recommend her enough—with the slight caveat that she writes in multiple genres under the same name and grabbing a book at random could get you a soft romance or skin-crawling horror, all of which are well done but may not be what you’re into, so pay attention to categories!
Claire Kingsley’s REWRITING THE STARS is the sixth and final book in her Bailey Brothers series. I do not recommend reading this book as a stand-alone, it works best when read after the previous five books. In REWRITING THE STARS, Levi—the remaining single Bailey brother—begins a secret relationship with Annika, a single mother and member of the Bailey family’s arch-rivals, the Havens (and, yes, the MCs refer to each other as “Romeo” and “Juliet” in their text messages—and the heroine even has a balcony outside her bedroom window). Although Levi & Annika are adults in their late twenties, because of their families’ feud (which has been escalating throughout the series), they have to sneak around and meet out-of-town. When their relationship is made public, both families are upset. Kingsley does a nice job of developing the relationship, resolving the conflict, and bringing peace to the town–although a Lysistrata-inspired decision by the Bailey wives to withhold sex until their husbands stop being so stubborn about the feud didn’t sit well with me (thankfully, that element of the book did not overstay its welcome). In addition, a mystery that has threaded its way through the preceding five Bailey Brothers books is finally resolved in REWRITING THE STARS. Although the villain is quite obvious, I thought the mystery was solved in a humorous and ingenious way. There are, however, a couple of times that the heroine’s child is in danger, as is the heroine herself at one point, so cw/tw for that. Overall, I thought REWRITING THE STARS was an engaging ending to an excellent series (the first two books, PROTECTING YOU and FIGHTING FOR US, made my favorite reads of 2021 list)—plus Kingsley fleshes out Annika’s two best friends and her many single brothers, so perhaps Kingsley intends to develop a series about the Haven Boys too. As a side note, Kingsley was midway through writing this book when her husband died unexpectedly—it’s a sign of her perseverence and commitment to the idea of love that she was able to write a touching love story while in the midst of her own grief (keep a kleenex handy when reading her Author’s Note). Recommended—after you read the rest of the series.
[CW/TW: all the triggers!!] Aleksandr Voinov’s m/m mafia romance, BURN THIS CITY, will not appeal to all tastes: it features an incredible amount of triggers (including, but not limited to, suicide ideation, dub-con, non-con, violence, mob hits, and various forms of physical and psychological torture); moreover, the term “enemies-to-lovers” has rarely been more valid, seeing as both MCs are high-ranking “made” men from rival mob families and one takes the other captive, planning to torture information out of him before killing him. Nonetheless, I liked the way Voinov told the story of Jack, a mob consigliere who has spent the last few years maintaining a difficult peace he brokered between three crime families, and Sal, the head of the smaller of the three families, who has been plotting for almost as long to exact revenge against those responsible for his wife’s death. Jack was in no way responsible, but Sal is convinced Jack has information that will allow him (Sal) to destroy those who were. What proceeds from this premise is an interesting game of cat-and-mouse between Jack (gay and deeply-closeted) and Sal (bi and more open, if not quite out, about his sexuality), even if Jack spends much of the first part of the story tied to a chair or otherwise restrained (“Do you figure there’s such a thing as reverse Stockholm Syndrome?” asks Sal of his lessening desire to hurt Jack). I really enjoyed the carefully-plotted story and the leisurely way Voinov introduces us to the main characters and supporting players, slowly feeding us details about their histories and how they became the people they are, with the MCs gradually moving from antagonism to respect to lust and finally to love. Key quote: “No plan survives enemy contact.” I know this is not a book for everyone, but it’s one of my favorite reads of 2022. Recommended—if you’re ok with all the previously-noted caveats.
Sybil Bartel writes to a template. Her various Florida-set romantic-suspense stories always feature former-military alpha heroes (all of whom seem to know each other), resourceful heroines in trouble through no fault of their own, leeringly psychotic bad guys, very high body counts, and plenty of D/s sex. As with BURN THIS CITY, Bartel’s latest book, ROMEO, will not be for all readers—but I like Bartel’s style and enjoyed this entry in her Alpha Elite series. The hero—a veteran, damaged physically and mentally from his various deployments—finds the heroine washed up on a beach in Key West. She’s a singer-songwriter who has escaped from the yacht of a high-profile mover-and-shaker known as a sex trafficker (Jeffrey Epstein parallels are unavoidable)—cw/tw for the heroine’s backstory that includes the death of a beloved sibling, suicide ideation, and being a “plaything” of a trafficker. The plot kicks into high gear when the hero rescues the heroine and, along with a trusted band of security specialists (the Alpha Elite squad) and his very good service dog, is determined to take down the trafficker and his ring. There is, of course, some enforced proximity as the h&h have to hide out from the people hunting them, not to mention de rigueur shoot-outs (for a Bond-level supervillain, the bad guy sure has some inept henchman). Interesting side note: the quote, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy,” also appears in this book. If you’re a Bartel newbie, I would not recommend starting out with ROMEO (go back to her Alpha Bodyguards series and move forward from there), but if you’re looking for romantic-suspense that leans toward the escapism side and have no problem with some of the features of the genre, Sybil Bartel’s books are not a bad way to while away a lazy afternoon.
The first thing I have to say about Riley Hart’s PUSHING THE LIMITS (the latest in her Secrets Kept series of m/m romances) is that one of the MCs is named Lane Ryan. Perhaps Hart and her team are too young to remember when Lane Bryant was the only place a “full-figured gal” could find decent business clothing, but every time the words “Lane Ryan” appeared on page, I had four-decades-old wardrobe flashbacks, lol. PUSHING THE LIMITS tells the story of pansexual artist Lane and gay businessman Isaac, stepbrothers since their early teens, who, as they enter their thirties, pursue a relationship that has been simmering (but never acted upon) for more than 15 years. Lane’s name aside, the bigger problem I had with PUSHING THE LIMITS is that Hart tries to create an angsty story while removing any of the circumstances that help create angst. The primary reason the guys feel they cannot be open about their relationship is that they don’t think their parents would ever understand, but we know the parents are loving and inclusive, totally accepting of their sons being pan/gay, so Hart has already undercut what she presents as the major impediment to the MCs being together. The Bitchery knows I’m an angsty-heartache queen, but I need angsty situations to develop organically from the characters’ backgrounds, upbringings, and circumstances. In PUSHING THE LIMITS, the needs of the plot drive the characters actions, regardless of whether they’re consistent with we know of the characters. Hart wants an angst-ridden situation, but she had not set up the conditions for it, so she reverts to melodrama to drive her plot and generate the requisite level of emotion turmoil. I’m not saying every stepbrother romance has to be STEPBROTHER DEAREST or WRATH (two of my all-time angsty favorites in the stebrother romance sub-genre), but I am saying a story needs consistent characters to keep the plot moving without creaking. Despite some nice detailed and interesting descriptions of Lane’s art, plus sexy slow-burn moments as the MCs gravitate toward each other, much of PUSHING THE LIMITS feels artificial and forced. A lukewarm recommendation at best.
I did *not* jinx myself last time for Whatcha’ Reading when I mentioned I’d just started something wonderful. It was PALADIN’S STRENGTH by T. Kingfisher. I had bought it a while ago and then saved it up, almost convincing myself I shouldn’t read it because it couldn’t possibly be as good as I hoped? But things were looking pretty dire reading-wise at the start of this month and I was trying to get something ready for Wendy the Super Librarian’s TBR Challenge. I didn’t make the deadline, but I did end up, finally, finally reading something I loved! Clara and Istvhan are exactly the characters I want more in romance and particularly in fantasy. They’re good, competent people, but are not grand heroes on a grand adventure. They’re also middle aged and have seen some things. I’m so sick of the Joseph Campbell fantasy mode where this young untried person manages to be the one person that absolutely has to save the entire world. Fate hangs in the balance! Really? Ugh, I’ll spare everyone my rant, but I’ll just say the whole trope has started to reek to me of ‘this is the chosen power fantasy for overly dramatic incel dudes.’ Give me ordinary people who just want to save their small corner of the world, every time. And then do the hard work of maintaining that corner of the world and taking care of each other. Another bonus, the characters are also more funny/witty than they are earnest (save me from overly earnest hero types), but they still take their responsibilities seriously. I particularly loved Clara. She gave me strong Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. She understands she’s different from other people but carries herself with dignity. Anyways, I loved this book, and could have eaten it up with a spoon. Saving the next one for another time when my reading has gone a bit stale. But probably not too long!
Reading that gave me some good momentum and I read two books back to back that weren’t great, but were still in the “good and readable” category. CHRISTMAS REUNION IN PARIS by Liz Fielding ‘does what it says on the tin’ as they say. I’ve always loved the OG Harlequin line Harlequin Tender/Harlequin Romance, but I wandered away from it a few years ago because a lot of my favorite writers (like Liz Fielding) seemed to be writing less for the line and I was getting sick of royalty and billionaires even in the tamer Romance settings (vs the dramatic and glitzy HPs). But I saw this and one-clicked impulsively. It was cute, but I wouldn’t rank it among the best of her works. I thought she made an interesting choice of having the couple get back to the physical part of their relationship early (on the page, but tame compared to the other lines) but really struggle with the communication aspect. The hero wasn’t what a I would term ‘a big ole alphahole’ in the classic mold, but he did have this constant idea of ‘oh, I’m going to surprise her/take care of her with this romantic thing’ and her to privately think ‘I wish he has asked me about this first.’ They finally, finally work it out by the end. It made sense for their story (they were teen lovers reunited, so they had been pretty immature the first time around) and it worked for a short category format, but I still felt a bit frustrated by it. There also was a plot thread left dangling that I suspect may be solved in a later book, but it’s not by one of my favorite authors of the line so I probably won’t be bothered to read it.
The last book was A MAN LAY DEAD by Ngaio Marsh. There’s been a lot of talk about classic mystery ala Agatha Christie lately and I’ve read a few of the Inspector Alleyn mysteries haphazardly as I’ve stumbled across old paperback copies. The first in the series was available on Kindle Unlimited so I thought I would try and start from the beginning. I will be honest the reveal at the end of how the murderer pulled it all off was a bit ridiculous to be, but it made a nice palate cleanser. I love me an old-fashioned murder in a country estate. I will probably read more, but no rush. Onward!
The good:
So I read this m/m fantasy trilogy a while ago when Rachel Reid mentioned it on her IG live, but I keep forgetting to give it a shout out – it’s very very good! It’s the KNIGHT AND THE NECROMANCER trilogy by AH Lee. Kind of grumpy/sunshine. The world building is great as is the romance.
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER by Tessa Bailey: I liked the first in the Bellinger Sister series and this was good, but not like mind blowing. I like that she didn’t do a super intense alpha hero for once (at least by her standards) but I did think I had a hard time believing the dilemma, i.e. the “I’m not good enough for her because of my playboy rep”)
UNFIT TO PRINT by KJ Charles: Novella, read while going through her backlist in search of something I knew I’d enjoy during a reading slump. So good. Two POC characters done right, engaging mystery, sweet romance, it’s KJ Charles, needs I say more
FOR REAL by Alexis Hall: Wow. I’m not an avid BDSM reader as such and I HATED his billionaire series but this was just so damn good. With a really unusual dom character as well. Just beautifully done and very emotional.
THE OKAY:
THE RAKE GETS RAVISHED by Sophie Jordan, I liked it in a non-committal skimming sort of way, m/f HR where the h steals from the H to save her estate, romance ensues. I liked the h a lot – I just have a tough time finding something new/fresh in M/F HR these days
MAKE ME by Tessa Bailey: Absolutely ridiculous, also very much the I’m not good enough for her trope, but it was hot and I was in the mood for something I wasn’t going to take too seriously
THE HAPPY LIST by Briar Prescott: M/M best friends to lovers, it was… fine? I don’t remember much about it except that it whiled away a couple of days and both the characters were just nice people.
DNF:
THE CHARM OFFENSIVE by Alison Cochrun, this has gotten really good reviews but I don’t think reality tv books are for me. M/M romance between the “bachelor” in question and a producer.
FALL GUY by Felice Stevens: This falls into a disappointing category of M/M books I like to call two dude bros who dude bro. I picked it up because sometimes I’m in the mood for a bodyguard romance but the writing was clunky, and the characters one dimensional.
Rereads: Boyfriend Material, the entire Cry Wolf series by Charlie Adhara, So Wild by Eve Dangerfield (my favorite by her). Love them all, they’re re-reads for a reason.
Looking forward to diving into the comments!
I’ve been going through a long spell of not being able to get into anything then I manage to read three books in one week, eh well, actually only one and it was novella length. The other I started a couple of weeks ago and the other I skim read after 50%.
We’re currently at the mercy of covid, which means being stuck indoors (although not a legal requirement in the uk) feeling awful while five year old watches too much Netflix because I haven’t the energy to do much besides stay in bed and make simple meals for daughter.
Ok first book: Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman: I’m fascinated by stories of people leaving fundamental sects so I was drawn to this. It’s different as most are about leaving Christian sects and cults. A bit hard going and sometimes I felt like lobbing my kindle at the wall for all the misogyny in the book.
Next book: Moon Touched by Elizabeth Briggs. You know when you keep getting fb ads and sponsored posts for one book? So much so that you end up getting the book on prime reading. Well I gave in and it sucked. A shame I did like some of the world building and mythology (there are twelve werewolf tribes based on the zodiac and a banned thirteenth one. Plus sun and moon witches). But heck, it reads like a cliched wattpad novel written by a teen! With a whiny heroine who is the packs punch bag (almost everyone) gets rejected by her mate and just happens to have magical powers (hello there, Mary Sue) when she’s initiated into the thirteenth tribe. I would have been more invested into why the tribe was rejected but couldn’t get past the terrible first person point of view. Story also ends in cliffhanger which annoys many readers. For me, it depends on the series. If it’s part of a natural trilogy with a conclusion with the final book it’s great. However, if it’s just going to go on without end then I’m not investing in the series. Looks like this series is the latter.
Final book: Ice planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon. Was free with Prime reading so I gave it another go. Once you get past the bit at the beginning (tw: abduction, rape) it’s an easy read. Have put the second book in my reading list should kindle unlimited ever do a free/cheap deal again. Note to kindle, it’s my birthday next month, give me a freebie please!
Alas, I really want to read wolf at my door but it’s never been reduced here in the UK, sigh.
I have ALL THE FEELS by Olivia Dade; WOLF GONE WILD by Juliette Cross; and THE TRAITOR QUEEN by Danielle L. Jensen waiting on my TBR pile.
I’m also bingeing out BRIDGERTON this season. I’m about halfway done. Not going to say/spoil anything about the plot/characters yet, but the costumes/scenery are just as gorgeous as in season 1. I’m looking forward to finishing the rest of the show this weekend.
Two recent book hangovers for me:
SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN by Shelley Parker-Chan. Not a romance, but has romantic elements (although it’s pretty violent later on and with a high body count if that’s the kind of thing that’s not for you). It’s set in 1300s China in an era of conflict between the Chinese and the Mongols which was an era I didn’t know I needed to visit but found immersive and fascinating. The main character is a monk, Zhu, who has taken on her brother’s identity and becomes a key player in the political and martial machinations of the time. The book is very queer (Zhu doesn’t identify as male or female, but Parker-Chan uses female pronouns for her) and has a great cast of supporting characters. Super excited for the sequels.
Speaking of being excited for sequels, Freya Marske’s A MARVELOUS LIGHT also blew me away. I’ve read a bunch of takes on magic in England in romances (AJ Lancaster’s Stariel series, Stephanie Burgis’s Snowspelled books, Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul, Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library, KJ Charles’s Magpie Lord and Jackdaw series, the list goes on), so I wasn’t expecting anything particularly novel, but this one pulled me in. Robin and Edwin make a great team—I’m a sucker for the “neither of us is perfect, but we make each other a better version of ourselves,” when it’s done well. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and the villain. My one complaint here is that magic is very gendered in this book: men’s form of magic is seen as dominant/better, but Edwin has a weak version of men’s magic/appears to have a woman’s version of magic which is generally understudied/poorly understood. It just irked me that there are all these powerful women and they’re all relegated to secondary roles (though they are excellent in their roles!). Here’s hoping they become more central in future books.
Also read WEATHER GIRL by Rachel Lynn Solomon which was okay. It’s one of those books in which the elements are all fine but it doesn’t quite hang together. (Ari is a meteorologist at a local tv station. Russ is a sports reporter who is fat and charming and a bit insecure about his body. Ari struggles with depression and her relationship with her mother. They start talking when they realize they’re two of the only Jews at the station’s “holiday” party. It could work!) It also has what is one of my least favorite romance things which—worse than a character not using their words—is a character willfully misunderstanding what the other person is trying to say. I get that Solomon was making a point about how Ari’s depression affected her, but it came really late in the book and I was just like, “Really?? We’re doing this NOW?” I also didn’t love that the premise is basically The Parent Trap but at work: Ari and Russ are trying to get their dysfunctional bosses back together. I dunno, I just have a low threshold for things that are inappropriate at work and interfering in your boss’s romantic relationship is on that list. (So would be firing someone who throws a heavy object into a glass window.)
Up next: BURNING BRIGHT by Melissa McShane about a woman with magical powers to start/stop fires who decides to join the British Navy during the Regency era to escape her abusive father and an unwanted marriage. This was in a recent post here and I was pleased to find it was still 99 cents on Kindle. I’m just going to have to suspend my disbelief about a gently-bred woman going off on warships.
I really enjoyed Seanan McGuire’s latest InCyrptid book, Spelunking through Hell. I was a bit hesitant to read it because I found the main character Alice annoying in the books where she’s a minor character, but I really enjoyed this one. And the bonus novella at the end made me want more (it’s backstory for the h/h).
I finally read TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door, and while I found the romance a bit unconvincing, I will happily re-read it for the cozy tea shop, the found family, and the very good dog.
I just finished Jeannie Lin’s latest Lotus Palace mystery, Red Blossom in Snow, and it made me want to re-read the others in the series. Another excellent historical mystery, with a strong romance (and a cinnamon roll of a hero).
I’m currently reading Celia Lake’s The Heir and The Oak, which is about the land magics. Both of the female male main characters are independent women, and there’s a cranky dowager as well.
Drat, it’s The Hare and the Oak.
Business first
@SBAJ: I feel you may have ruined me for every book currently piled next to my bed. This was an evil thing you’ve done.
@SBEllenM: all I can say is THANK YOU! Seriously. Medieval feminist nun is catnip I didn’t know I was looking for. Also, if you’re looking for the rebel feminist heart of the Catholic church, you need to hang out with nuns.
@Kit, thanks for the heads up. I have been getting that same ad, and I’ve been wavering as I have read books by her that I’ve enjoyed. I shall stay strong.
I did not dive into CROWBONES as previously advertised. Too much going on and up in the air to immerse myself the way it deserves. What have I read? A lot of middling/mediocre free on Kindle books, because I am susceptible to those Facebook ads. Every once in while one surprises me, but it was not this month. They were easy to set aside when needs must.
I did address a few books on the pile from the GBPL.
MEET ME IN THE MARGINS was a lovely, low angst rom com of a book that takes place in a small publishing house. It operates under the conceit that Savannah, an editor secretly working on a romance novel of her own, can’t figure out who has invaded the secret room she discovered and claimed for her own and marked up said manuscript with some not so flattering edits. The same day that the publisher’s son, who pretty much grew up in the building, joins the company. Of course, it’s him. We all know it’s him. Just go with it. And okay it went a little cutesy meta for a moment at the end, but ultimately it was a fun read.
AN IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSTER, the latest Veronica Speedwell, was a delight. I have to say there was a lot more relationship work in this one than previous books. Veronica and Stoker are asked to look into the miraculous reappearance of a long-lost heir whom everyone understood to have been killed when Krakatoa (east of Java {sorry, had to}) erupted. Does Veronica have a past with said resurrected heir? Yes, she does. Does she confide in Stoker? No, she does not. A chunk of Veronica’s past is revealed, Stoker makes another heartfelt and swoon-worthy declaration and we end on an uncertain note. I did think to myself that there’s a bit of a clever gender reversal going on in the relationship dynamic. Veronica is reticent with her emotions and reluctant to explore the depth and nature of their relationship, while Stoker is completely open about both his feelings and wants. And the blushing.
So, what’s up next? Things have settled a bit, so maybe CROWBONES, but probably JAK’s LIGHTNING IN A MIRROR. After several decades of her books, there’s a bit of soothing shorthand going on between me and her writing. I know where she’s going, I’m content to be along for the ride.
Whelp, your girl finally got the ‘Rona, and despite being triple vaxxed, I would not recommend it. Not that sick, just taking a long time to get back to normal. Feeling very thankful for scientists, TBH.
As such, reading has been heavy, but strange. I reread all the Hidden Legacy series as well as Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews. Thank you, thank you, thank you to them – I was too sick to focus, but not sick enough to be asleep, and I loved these books all over again.
I also read a bunch of Anna Carven’s books (any of the Dark Planet Warriors Series or Darkstar Mercenaries series I had not yet read). Definitely formulaic sci fi alien romances, but they were exactly what I needed. Gritty enough to keep my attention, but not too dark for my mood.
Enjoyed THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren (Contemporary, M/F) very much, but could picture it being very annoying if you are not in a romcom kind of mood.
Finally, dug deep into Lillian Lark’s back list, including THREE OF HEARTS, PAIR OF FOOLS, STALKED BY THE KRAKEN, AND DECEIVED BY THE GARGOYLES, all of which I really enjoyed. Paranormal romance, M/F or M/M/F or M/M/M/F, all with high heat levels. I find these kind of books often set up the world well, but neglect the romance and character development. Not so here – I believed in all of the relationships, characters were strong and unique, and found the plots of the harpy books esp. to be interesting. Also, lots of very sexy times. Even the kraken hero had moves, which I was frankly pretty skeptical about going into the book. Who knew?
Looking forward to reading all of your posts this weekend! Happy reading!
Barely been reading–I found the Pango Books app (buying/selling, social media) and I’ve been unhauling best I can, chatting with people, generally having a nice time. (Def needs more romance readers over there!)
But I did get RAYBEARER by Jordan Ifueko from the library and I’m about %75 this morning. So far quite worth the hype! I’m totally looking forward to the Netflix series now. It’s kind of a King Arthur retelling (not that I would have known if I hadn’t been told) but it feels very fresh and I really enjoy the characters.
Two days ago I (kind of) read Alexis Hall’s ROSALINE PALMER TAKES THE CAKE (RPTTC), a book that was discussed in yesterday’s SBTP podcast [503. Bread, Cozy Fantasy, Sex, and Romance with Jane Buehler]. I had the weirdest experience “reading” RPTTC, a library book with only 24 hours to go until it expired, so it was a rushed read. Far less than halfway in, I was totally upset (triggered by?) Rosaline’s interactions with her first beau from the baking competition, so much so that I put it down and went to bed. Five minutes after turning out the lights, haunted by the story, I got up, hunted down my reader and glasses, and then I did something (inspired by an earlier SBTB post) that I NEVER do: I skipped to one of the final chapters to see if things worked out. They did, so I jumped back to a chapter where the positive ending trajectory was apparent. I may have skipped four chapters in total, but I simply couldn’t go back to where I had quit earlier due to very personal triggers. At 2:30am, having read my way to the very satisfying HFN, I turned off my reader and the book was whisked back to the ethernet. Despite not having read an entire section of the book, I’d still give RPTTC an A/A-, in no small part for the reasons mentioned by Jane Beuler in podcast 503, which I’d give a solid A. (Great job Sarah and Jane!)
I had read many of Alexis Hall’s books before his earlier BOYFRIEND MATERIAL was published and have always appreciated Hall’s ability to tease out problematic or difficult mental or physical issues that the protagonists have to address to come to an HEA or HFN. The combination of the fictive British baking competition and Rosaline’s journey to recognizing her own strengths and desires worked so well. RPTTC touched on (pummeled?) many important social issues (e.g., realities of bi-ness, young parenthood, classism, parental and/or societal expectations, sexual assault by a cis-het woman), but they were simply part of life in the book. Rosaline’s precocious child (age 8) might easily have fallen into the plot moppet bucket, but she was often the catalyst for fascinating teaching moments, including why polyamory wasn’t an appropriate word to use for someone who loved everyone, despite its apparent etymological fit.
Now that I know the ending, I will definitely go back and read RPTTC from front to back. It always amazes me how much the thoughtful discussions in SBTB give me tools to thinking about both books and the world around me. I read RPTTC based on a SBTB recommendation, I skipped forward to see if I could handle reading it after the first trigger based on a commenter’s post on skipping ahead, and I was gratified to hear RPTTC singled out as a (good) outlier in the podcast’s discussion of the lack of individuality in what constitutes good or bad sex in most romance novels. Thank you again Bitchery for so many wonderful insights!
This month has been on a bit of a strange reading journey. I started the month working on The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I was a fan of her novel Circe and this one (while sadder) was also quite good.
I also read The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin for an upcoming bookclub read. I’m…I’m still not sure how I feel about that one. Clearly written in a time when there was no world plague, the author created a world that had suffered a horrible plague a well as crippling over population. I can’t say I enjoyed it, but at least I read it.
I also grabbed another bookclub pick <The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynn. It’s definitely the first part of a trilogy, that’s abundantly clear. Additionally, if anyone is looking for the love child that emerged from a romp between Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Vikings, and Game of Thrones, this book trilogy should have you covered. Me… well, at least I can go to bookclub and say that I won’t be reading the next two installments.
I then got bullied into a book by a friend when she mailed me the physical copy of Verity by Colleen Hoover. A wine-mom-lady-thriller in the vein of A Simple Favor and it’s sisters in genre. I read it in a couple days, if only to alleviate myself of the guilt of not reading a book sent to me by a friend. And also definitely not my cup of tea. Now I’m wondering how to tell my friend that without hurting any feelings. Suggestions?
And after all that cheeriness, finally my library holds turned up. Which are The Children of Monsters by Jay Nordlinger, which is a look at the lives of the children of dictators. The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn, a biography of the tragedy. And lastly Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montella, which is a critical look at the language and syntax used by groups (cults, MLMs, churches, workout groups, politicians, etc.) to draw you into their fold and keep you there.
Really, I swear I’m ok. The universe works in mysterious ways. And the books you put on hold at different times months ago are suddenly all ready and then the librarians are giving you the side-eye/blink twice if you need help face when you stop by to pick up. That said, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to a commercial, sponsorship spot, political speech, or religious talk the same way again. Then again, the book warned, once you know what to listen for, you can never unhear it. So, read at your peril.
Anyway, that’ll see me into next month. Happy reading ladies!!
March seems to have been the time for series reading. Also escapism – whether fantasy or science fiction. There is too much ‘real world’ going on right now to read about it.
Very Good
AURA SERIES by ANGEL MARTINEZ (M/M Urban Fantasy) Stories set in an alternate US with mythological creatures. Modern New York cop romances with magic. As the series goes on the characters become more nuanced and people actually have to work on their relationships (refreshing). The latest, RYLD’S SHADOWS has a neurodivergent main character.
DELPHI IN SPACE SERIES by BOB BLANTON (Science fiction) Man discovers a spaceship and decides how to help the world. An increasingly main character over the series is his 13 year old daughter. Quick reads with interesting situations – and I wish we could solve all the worlds problems with alien technology.
HAREM MASTER by MEGAN DERR (M/M F/F Fantasy Adventure) Re-Read about the harem master of the royal court when the crown prince returns with his harem. And the adventures of the crown princess and her harem. Lots of intrigue and derring do (and secret passages).
PATH OF TEMPTATION SERIES by AURYN HADLEY (F/M/M/M fantasy). This one is dark and very compelling, about people being brought up to serve in a Lust God’s temple. Lots of found family, very healthy attitudes toward sex, lots of angst. Devoured all the books and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Good
ALERON by MACY BLAKE (M/M Fantasy) Romance between a witch and a griffin. Nice addition to the series and a sweet couple. Does not stand alone.
UNWRAPPING HANK by ELI EASTON (M/M College contemporary). Two guys in a frat meeting and falling in love over Christmas vacation
OK
BETTER THAN SWEETS by LISA OLIVER (M/M Fantasy). Romance between a hellhound and a sweet shop owner in Athens. Not as much there as other Lisa Oliver books.
DID SOMEONE ORDER A PIZZA by L.A. WITT (M/M College contemporary). Not very memorable, but not bad.
I loved A Marvelous Light, too!
The two books I’ve just this week read and loved were John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society (which was just ridiculously fun and delightful and exactly what I needed to get through my third round of covid) and an ARC of Alix E. Harrow’s A Mirror Mended, which is the second in her duology of fantasy novellas (starting with A Spindle Splintered). Neither of them is a romance, but there’s a lovely bittersweet romantic subplot in A Mirror Mended that includes some really fantastic, top-notch banter (between the heroine and the hot wicked queen).
@DonnaMarie good to know I’m not the only one susceptible to those fb ads! Still, I wish they did more of those than the usual adverts for me usually about fertility, (no ta, I’m done on that front), weight loss or those dreadful clickbait ones (the ones that go “40 shocking facts about the royal family” that turn out to be full of ads). For some reason I get religious ones too.
Had to cancel my book bub emails because I was downloading too many mediocre novels as well.
I read Devils and Tigers because of a previous discussion about sports romance and quite enjoyed it. Turns out I had read it previously – and quite enjoyed it then also. Both times (presumably?) I spent a fair amount of time bemused by incomprehensible sports stuff. I would swear I had barely even heard of this particular game. One character works for a film festival, which I have done. The characters are real and convincing and distinctive. I really liked the first person narration even though I usually don’t. It’s not structured like a typical romance, honestly it’s all over the place it’s barely structured at all. It’s not at all the sort of book that would blur into everything else I read. I repeatedly thought (while rereading it!!!) that it was subtly, delightfully different than any romance I had ever read.
I mean I know I have a terrible memory but there was not even a glimmer of familiarity or recognition. I am not to be trusted as a source, clearly. Fwiw I definitely liked it. Twice.
I would have said since the last wayr it was the only memorable book I read, hilariously.
Also worth a mention, Wiggle and Sparkle. Idk how you could fuck up a kraken- unicorn shifter romance, I am here for it regardless, but… there were a lot of inexplicable choices. There’s a baffling amount of time spent on like, office work. Idk why you’d make your heroes cops, although people try, but notably incompetent and shitty cops is a particularly weird flex. I hope Hugo Boss was paying to be name dropped constantly in an attempt to rehabilitate their reputation. No sexxxing with unicorn form which I find intellectually irritating but an emotional relief. I am against babies in romance or hea but if one must have them this was about as cute a resolution as possible. Not the tentacle monster romance we have all been waiting for but it will do until the real thing comes along.
Books
Currently reading “Sorrowland” by Rivers Solomon, about 70 percent of the way through. I really loved Solomon’s first novel “An Unkindness of Ghosts” and for me their subsequent books have been a bit of a letdown, maybe just because my expectations are so high. Still a good read, though.
Romance:
“Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo: The romance wasn’t the strong point of this YA novel, but it was great as a historical coming-of-age journey. One quibble is that we see several flashback chapters from the eyes of the protagonist’s family members that don’t add much to the narrative or become relevant later on; I wasn’t sure why those were included. Lo’s next novel is a “companion” to this one which will revisit the characters years later, and I will probably pick it up.
“The Charm Offensive” by Alison Cochran: I love trashy reality TV dating shows and can’t resist reality TV romances. In this one, Dev is the producer of a fairy tale-themed Bachelor takeoff who’s just ended a long relationship with his coworker boyfriend. Charlie is a tech millionaire who was forced out of his company and wants to rebuild his reputation by starring as the show’s next lead. You might think “that doesn’t make any sense” and it truly doesn’t. The book does not sell me on the idea that this makes sense as a career move for Charlie — or that the producers didn’t realize his severe social anxiety would make him a poor fit for the role. Charlie and Dev’s romance is sweet, but there was a little too much suspension of disbelief in this one, and I too often felt like the narrative was grinding to a halt to explain what lessons I should take away from it. I’d give this one a solid C.
“The Queer Principles of Kitt Webb” by Cat Sebastian: Not much to say here that hasn’t been said several times on this site already, but it was great. Read this!
“A Masc for Purim” by Roz Alexander: The corniness of this title still makes me laugh, in a good way. Liza, who is perpetually single, promised herself and her friends she’d find someone to flirt with at the masquerade Purim party she organized at her synagogue. She’s shocked when the handsome masked stranger who asks her to dance turns out to be her long-ago ex-girlfriend Carrie. Ten years ago, Carrie was diagnosed with a vision loss disorder and abruptly broke up with Liza, only to rapidly start dating and move in with someone else. Can they work out what went wrong in their relationship and if there’s still a spark? Spoiler alert, yes. I like Alexander’s writing a lot and I felt like her previous novellas avoided a lot of the pacing issues with short romances. This… didn’t do that. Carrie and Liza literally have not spoken in ten years — even though they were in a serious relationship and Liza knew Carrie was going through something serious, she never tried to contact her! — and get back together in the course of one night. I had fun reading this, but they were exchanging “I still love you”s when they should have been on “let’s maybe get coffee sometime.” Not against a second chance romance, but I don’t understand why Alexander went for ten YEARS instead of ten months.
Non-romance of interest:
Read “Certain Dark Things” by Silva Moreno-Garcia for a book club. I think we all agreed that we were more compelled by the world building than the plot itself; the characters just fell flat. That’s arguably also true of “Mexican Gothic,” but the plot there was so much more original and compelling. This gets a “wouldn’t recommend” from me.
Also started a bit of a Poirot phase and have read “Death on the Nile,” “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” and “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.” Having so much fun with these. “Lord Edgware Dies” is next.
Hellspark by Janet Kagan – thanks to a books on sale post here that mentioned her first novel, Uhura’s Song. I love her short stories especially the Mirabile collection. Have tried to start Hellspark a few times before, it’s sci-fi with a lot of worldbuilding to keep track of. Finally ended up skimming through the infodump first chapters and was pulled in by the lovable characters. I can see a reread in my future.
The sample of Uhura’s Song was enjoyable so maybe I’ll go back to that when in the right mood.
The Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins – library hold finally came in. It’s fluffy, cute, not deep at all, does what it says on the tin. Needed more of the talking cat.
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (F/F and YA) – cute escapist trip to Scotland with funny banter, friendship, slow burn romance – they are roommates! she’s a princess! Best read in order – book 1 is Royals, re-released as Prince Charming.
Funny Fantasy anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. I keep trying anthologies and stumbling into dark dark stories. This one is less intense though quality varies. Contains a quite good Gail Carriger short story “Fairy Debt”.
Webtoon: The Four of Them seasons 1 & 2 – gentle, cozy story about queer high schoolers in Argentina figuring out their identities and their friendships. There is a complete season 3 and halfway season 4 to look forward to.
Middle grade graphic novels: Pilu of the Woods, Doodleville – similar themes of dealing with strong emotions rather than suppressing them.
Eurovision blogs, tweets and podcasts. Star Spangled Eurovision had a great reaction to Give That Wolf a Banana (spoiler, they loved it). The American Song Contest show started, I was lukewarm on the first episode, looking forward to next week’s episode with Macy Gray.
Until next time, happy reading everyone!
Since last time ~
— Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn for my local book group. This is definitely a book with many a surprise as well as some unlikable characters.
— Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson; I quite enjoyed this young adult novel. I confess that I have a weakness for books featuring time travel.
— a duo of books by a favorite author and quite enjoyed them though they are in a different genre (fantasy) than her other works that I’ve read…Medair: The Complete Medair Duology in One Volume by Andrea K Höst.
— a new experience, I read a LitRPG book, The Land of the Undying Lord (The Infinite World Book 1) by J.T. Wright. LitRPG is short for literary role playing game; the book brought back memories of playing Dungeons and Dragons in high school. I enjoyed the book but don’t expect to continue with the series.
— enjoyed reading the serial story, Deltan Escape by Janet Edwards, which is a prequel to the Earth Girl series I recently read. The story is available for free on the author’s website. I also read all the other free stories there.
— learned that a new book had been published in a favorite series and promptly bought and read it: Murder in Immunity: A Doyle & Acton Mystery by Anne Cleeland. This is the fourteenth book in the series and it is not the place to begin. I enjoyed revisiting these favorite characters; I don’t even bother trying to solve the mystery.
— In talking to my husband about the above book, he decided to read the first book in the series as his spring break had just begun. Naturally, I had to reread it … plus the next four books: Murder In Thrall, Murder in Retribution, Murder in Hindsight, Murder in Containment, and Murder in All Honour.
— read A Most Unusual Duke: A Steamy Shapeshifter Regency Romance by Susanna Allen. As you can see from the subtitle, this is a regency romance that includes shapeshifters; it was a fun read.
— the contemporary romance Shenanigans by Sarina Bowen; I enjoyed it but it is not amongst my favorites by the author.
At the moment I’m about finished with Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism by James Loewen (from 2005 but not in the least dated). This is an account of widespread racial exclusion in the West, Midwest, North (everywhere except the deep south) — did you ever wonder why, when Black migrants went north seeking jobs, they settled in overwhelmingly black neighborhoods in big cities? Not by choice; they weren’t allowed anywhere else. Exclusion continues in many suburbs. This is a most excellent book (I have been particularly interested in the analysis of the distorting effect segregation has on white society). The writing has that rarest quality, it’s quotable. I’ve marked a dozen striking incisive sentences.
In other reading… The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. A fantasy, about a guy from a remote corner of an empire who eventually becomes the emperor’s right-hand man and changes government profoundly. Very much the vibe of The Goblin Emperor though without quite the subtlety. Best part is how the main character Cliopher uses his native culture to think about governing, how he lives that culture and resists assimilation pressure. Relevant to this site, it’s an unusual sort of romance: although Cliopher and the Emperor are both only sexually attracted to women, they clearly over the course of the book fall in love with each other, platonically. Heck, if asexual people can experience romantic love without eros, why can’t allosexual people?
Nothing else I read this month was as good. Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue was a pleasant but unmemorable short romance, with OK character development but a lack of detailed realism. Not just scanty setting, but the hero’s an ER nurse, and at one point it’s stated that he just got off a double shift (!) and there’s no mention of him being crushingly exhausted when he shows up at the heroine’s house for athletic sex followed by a long conversation. Still, the central emotional conflict was well done enough, involving the hero’s isolation (partly self-imposed) as he tries to raise a young son alone with no family, and can’t figure out how talk to the child about the reasons for his mother’s absence.
I revisited a book from the 90s, Béton armé by Jean-Christophe Chauzy, a graphic novel where an unsuspecting bourgeois goes to a public housing project and gets caught up in a storm of racial violence, played for black comedy. Not sure what I think of the story but the visual style is quite remarkable.
Finally, I DNF’d The Butterfly Hunter by Julie Bozza — an m/m romance (where an Austrialian guide takes an English aristocrat into the outback and vaguely supernatural things happen) that just seemed slack to me, with uneven pacing, uninteresting character development, and lack of compelling plot. Too bad, as it had been highly recommended.
This is a hard time of year at my work – obligations piling up endlessly until we get to the end of April. I’m re-reading (for the umpteenth time) The Viscount Who Loved Me because of Bridgerton. Gosh, I love that book so much!
I’m also starting Jenny Holiday’s Duke, Actually which seems charming fun so far after getting current with Elizabeth Bailey’s fabulous Lady Fan historical mysteries.
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd – awesome!
@StarlightArcher: “Definitely not my cup of tea. Now I’m wondering how to tell my friend that without hurting any feelings.” I find that “Wow, you and I clearly have very different tastes in books” can lead to very good conversations as two people talk about what they love and react with “Interesting, I don’t see that trope the same way at all.”
I’ve been on a Sarina Bowen kick – reread a bunch of the Brooklyn Bruiser books in anticipation of Shenanigans, which didn’t disappoint. I liked the two leads – both professional hockey players, although the woman doesn’t get a million dollar salary and needs a day job to live in Brooklyn.
I also tried to feed my love of Jane Austen retellings, but I was disappointed in Rachel John’s Engaging Mr Darcy. The modern parallels to the Bennetts, Darcys and Binghams were mostly annoying.
I reread The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie. One of my favorite Christies. Even though Miss Marple is barely in it, the characters and plot are charming.
I just started Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths and am enjoying the mystery so far. I think I learned about it here on SBTB.
@StarlightArcher: “Because, as the old saying goes, no two people ever read the same book, we’re going to have to agree to disagree about this book.”
For some reason, probably stress, I have done a deep dive into Harlequin and it has been mostly good. Thanking my local Goodwill and Kindle Unlimited. And, of course, there were some other books, too.
The really good: The World’s Most Notorious Greek by Jackie Ashenden. All the Harlequin billionaire goodness. Trauma, temporary marriage, childhood trauma (ACES scores through the roof), and, in addition, a strong, fiery goddess of a heroine.
Queen by Royal Appointment by Lucy Monroe. She has been contracted to marry the prince for 10 years, starts publicly dating other men to get him to renege, his brother the king steps in. I like a woman who goes after things.
After the Billionaire’s Wedding Vows by Lucy Monroe. They’ve been married five years, she’s having the second. Bloom is off the marriage and she says so, though she is still planning to stay married. He tries to win her back. Nicely done and, yes, romantic to see them working on their marriage.
The Scandal that Made Her His Queen by Caitlin Crews. Brief encounter leads to pregnancy, leads to him insisting on marriage. We all know how this goes. Reliable and well done.
The good: The Wedding Bait by Adele Buck. Mature couple, retired sex worker, evil ex. I loved the first 2/3 of the book and then it crumbled. The chemistry was not compelling and the last bit seemed rushed.
What the Greek’s Wife Needs by Dani Collins. She’s in trouble in a war zone with a baby, husband from brief marriage rescues her, he has childhood trauma, she thinks he betrayed her (he kind of did), but they need to stay married long enough for her to adopt the baby. Unusual plot elements nicely done.
The Secrets of Cinderella’s Awakening by Sharon Kendrick. Meet cute, instant chemistry, then she finds out that he is much different social status. Lots of childhood trauma. I did think her sister was well done.
The Master of Ransome by Lucy Walker. A clean romance set in the 50s Australian Outback. Nice story of English girl who comes to Australia to be a secretary and ends up in the middle of the Outback and in the middle of family drama. Interesting look at a time and place and nice story. Some trigger warning for some of the sexist stuff that I had to put up with when I was a secretary only much milder in the book.
The OK: The Greek’s Unknown Bride by Abby Green. Amnesia! I’m your husband! I don’t remember you! Or anything else! Are you faking? You seem different. (I saw the plot twist coming a mile away.)
Did Somebody Order a Pizza by LA Witt. College age m/m with frat boy drama. It was OK but probably more aimed at my grandchild. (I knew he was getting ready to come out when I noticed that he was reading my m/m romances on the family sharing.)
The others: Mr. Hudson by Mary Jennings. This was a disappointment because I really liked the second book, Dr Clark, in this series. But there were too many things that I just read them and said no way that would ever happen.
I tried Spirit Legacy by EE Holmes. It wasn’t bad but seemed too YA for me which is strange because I normally love YA. May try it later.
I’ll start by suggesting you not type “what is harlequin OG line” into Google search unless you’re interested in the botanical origins of Harlequin marijuana.
I caught up with the two most recent entries in Lynn Messina’s Beatrice Hyde-Clare mystery series. I enjoy the characters, the mysteries, the through-the-series arc of romance, and the way the author conveys the love and physical passion the main characters have for one another without graphic sex scenes. I have no issue with such, but I don’t write, and it fascinates me how this author conveys so much, so lightly.
Following a recommendation here, I found myself reading Erin Nicholas’ charming Otterly Irresistible and followed with the second and third. Set in the Louisiana Bayou, the personalities of the characters and family relationships add as much to the story as the story itself. I didn’t care for the heroine of the third, her single-minded, work-induced helplessness was beyond believable (to me) but as soon as I finish rolling my eyes I’ll continue the series. As I’ve learned from reading reviews, it is correct to mention that the heroine does grow through the book. A little.
Another SBTB recommendation, Vienna Waltz, is set in Vienna during the Vienna Congress. Good story, characters, unusual and interesting setting. I was sorry when the series concluded after three books.
Lastly, I read Elizabeth Cadell’s three book series about the Wayne siblings which begins with The Lark Shall Sing. Long an Elizabeth Cadell fan, an event in the second book distressed me; in the third I was disappointed by what I consider a deterioration of the character of the oldest brother. I suggest reading The Lark Shall Sing, appreciating the characters and the author’s amazing ability to pull so many strings together for a satisfying conclusion, and stop right there.
Currently a quarter to a third of the way through Spock’s World by Diane Duane. I love some of the old classic trek novels from the seventies and eighties, they got a lot of really good sci fi authors from the period (for a few of them, they were the only books of those authors that stayed in print when the rest of their works disappeared, although a few of them, like Janet Kagan and John M. Ford, finally received recent reprints) and gave them seemingly a LOT of leeway to explore and expand the world.
… The downside is that I wind up with ships that NO ONE is writing fanfic for because the novels aren’t “canon” and are less widely known and I am DYING for someone to write me Scotty/K’s’t’lk the crystalline space spider physicist. WHY IS EVERYONE SLEEPING ON THIS. Oh god am I going to have to write space spider romance all by myself, I am aren’t I. Crud.
Anyway this is one of the big beloved well known Trek novels and it has taken me too long to get around to it and WAY to long to finish it or any other book these days because my brain is mush and time has no meaning. But progress is being made!
@Jill Q – my mom loved the Ngaio Marsh mysteries. They’re rather under the radar in the US.
@Elizabeth – The Cartographers in on my library hold list and the estimated wait is 19 weeks! 🙁
Spurred by last week’s podcast I am reading ICE PLANET BARBARIANS by Ruby Dixon, and whoa. Only through the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd because a trade show this week had me falling into a coma as soon as my head hit the pillow, but besides all the raunchy sex it’s very suspenseful with interesting world building.
I haven’t been able to read much since the pandemic started and have tried to make a conscious effort to escape into books in the last couple of weeks. I’m also trying to downsize my TBR pile and library for space reasons, because while I may not have wanted to read much lately, it didn’t stop me from buying more books.
I found my copy of Abby Jimenez’s The Friend Zone and re-read it in less than a day. I love the banter in this one, but the ending is brutally difficult for me. It was a cathartic re-read and I dove into the sequel…and immediately remembered why I didn’t finish it years ago. Not a huge fan of the rockstar/artist trope. I ended up skimming a chunk of it before I gave up and read the last chapter and put it in the bookstore bag. I had ordered Life’s Too Short last year and never picked it up (thank you Covid) and finally started it. Not my jam either. I just couldn’t suspend reality and get lost in the story. There’s just something about social media jobs being fantastically wealthy and health drama that drag me out of the escapism of reading a romance and dunked me into WTF Land.
I’ve been into more of a non-fiction kick lately about WWII, science, and some really dark crime stuff. I’m about to dive into Ina Park’s Strange Bedfellows and hope that it’s just as amazing as the back cover made it sound. When I ordered it from my local indie it made the cashier blush, so that’s gotta mean I’ll enjoy it. I hope. 🙂
@DejaDrew: care to share titles of your favorite Star Trek books?
Some of mine: Yesterday’s Son and Time for Yesterday both by A.C. Crispin; Uhura’s Song by Janet Kagan; Ishmael by Barbara Hambly; The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar; and Doctor’s Orders by Diane Duane. These last two are a bit gory ~ Dreams of the Raven by Carmen Carter and The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes.
@Kareni and DejaDrew: Some of my favorite Trek novels are “The Vulcan Academy Murders” and “Sarek” (Sarek’s relationship with Amanda is wonderful), “The Price of the Phoenix”, “The Entropy Effect”, “Killing Time” (because that one had two printings, one of which was decidedly more slash than the other – which was still pretty slashy), and the TNG classic “Imzadi”. I read so many Trek books in the 90s – lots of then-current TNG novels, and a ton of TOS novels from the 80s that I picked up at secondhand stores. It’s very easy to find the old books in used bookstores, but the ebooks rarely go on sale, and even then it’s usually just the movie novelizations.
We got a new puppy which stressed out our older dog. Since Zelda is not fond of the new interloper, she’s been more snuggly so I can only read with one hand as the other is petting her. It’s a tad stressful for all of us so I’ve read nothing but Lisa Kleypas this week. Finished Cold Hearted Rake and then started Marrying Winterborne. I’m due for a full Wallflowers/Ravenel reread so I got them all either through my library or through Amazon.
I just donated two boxes of my old Star Trek books, just keeping the Spock-focused books (my first and longest lasting TV boyfriend). SPOCK’S WORLD is one of my favorites.
Had a slow reading spell, although I enjoyed our Book Club’s recommendation, THE MAID (as a former trial paralegal, though, the trial scenes had me gnashing and growling –there is a reason I don’t read legal thrillers).
THE PESHAWAR LANCERS by S. M. Stirling was a reread. An alternative history story, comet pieces strike the Victorian Era earth with interesting consequences for the 2025-set story, I read it way back in the 90s; I didn’t enjoy it this time (although much respect to the worlds building choices the author made) — problematic but some actions I noticed for the first time helped with that. Now that I think about it, hmmm . . . .
Moving on. Started LEGENDS & LATTES by Travis Baldree today. Love the world-building and how our Orc Heroine got interested in selling coffee. Just getting to the romance part and I almost didn’t write this post because I wanted to keep reading.
Thanks as always to the Bitchery! I’m indebted to you for so many marvelous recommendations and warnings. Now back to making my list of books to add to Mount TBR.
I’m having a pretty good reading month.
Snowed In with Benefits by Misha Horne, 4.5 stars / A-, mm
OMFG – so good and smoking hot
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly, 4 stars / B, f/nb
Enjoyable queer romance between contestants on a Top Chef-like reality tv cooking competition.
Grumpy Bear (Bear Camp #1) by Slade James, mm contemp, 4 stars
Unexpectedly warm and fuzzy erotic romance set at a clothing-optional men’s campground called Bear Camp. I really wasn’t expecting to find such good demi rep – that was a nice bonus.
I discovered this through Riley Hart’s #OwnVoices series and the author is clearly writing about a sub-culture he’s familiar with – it’s one I’m not part of but have heard a little about from queer men I’ve known over the years.
Probably not for everyone – while the h/h don’t participate in the public sex going on at Bear Camp, some readers may be put off by the descriptions in passing. It is also very white and cis – probably an honest depiction of the sub culture but want to mention it.
@HeatherS and @ReneeG, thank you for the Star Trek titles; I read them all back in the day and several still live on my bookshelf.
@AJ, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who dreams books that don’t exist and then feels bereft that I can’t read them. Recently, I dreamed I was reading an anthology of historical novellas, all of which were excellent; my favorite was by Tessa Dare. A week or so after that I dreamed that Cat Sebastian had written a dual timeline story.
The actual book I’m reading right now is This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart.
I am finally getting back into reading after a long break. Some good, some bad.
GOOD
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. Not a romance, but an interesting look at true crime investigation.
A Dangerous Madness by Michelle Diener. A well-done historical with a very sweet romance and a good mystery. I am waiting for the others in the series to be available as e-books.
Red Blossom in Snow by Jeannie Lin. A nice addition to the Lotus Palace series and a good romance and mystery. You can read it as a standalone, but I recommend the whole series.
DNF
A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman. Too many anachronisms made this historical not work for me.