Welcome to Whatcha Reading! This is where we talk about what we’ve been reading lately, both the good and the bad.
Shana: Yay! I just finished the last Murderbot book this week. Want moar!
Right now I’m reading Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, and snarky main character has thoroughly sucked me in.
Sarah: Gosh I love both of those.
Currently I am reading Unmasking Autism by Dr. Devon Price and I just inhaled Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. It’s out this fall (I’m sorry) but holy crap it’s got rage, subversion, revenge, travel and location p0rn, a tense plot and it was a freaking ride.
Preorder or request from your library so you get high on the list. It’s So fun
Susan: I missed that you were talking about two books so I had a genuine moment of “Wait, why does a book about autism need location porn?”
No, the rage and revenge was not a clue.
Sarah: LOL sorry!!
I mean, Dr. Price justifiably goes OFF about the ableist history of Autistic diagnosis and the full on eugenics history of the entire Asperger’s diagnosis (Asperger was a eugenicist and Nazi sympathizer) so there is rage and and subversion for sure.
There’s a whole interesting section about how Autistic people self identify (Autistic/people with Autism, etc) when the terminology has changed so much, and the origins of diagnosis come from deeply, deeply shitty human beings.
It’s a really interesting book. Dr. Price is extremely skilled at having strong opinions and refusing to tolerate false or disingenuous narratives, while also having incredible compassion for anyone trying to understand themselves.
This book, btw, is terrific.
There’s a lot of discussion about neurodivergent community overlaps, between Autistic people and people with ADHD, and another overlap with genderqueer and trans people who are one or both – it’s really, really thoughtful and interesting.
Sneezy: I’ve recently restarted the webtoon Her Tale of Shim Chong by seri and biwan. It’s a f/f retelling of a Korean folktale. I really like the art, and totally peeked at the end so I know there’s an HEA!!!!
I think it’s only on Pocket Comic right now, and the platform is only available on Android and iOS.
I’d stopped reading before because I couldn’t handle the feels stabbing then. I’m totally ready now!!!!
Narrator: And that was the last time anyone ever heard from Sneezy.
Shana: This is making me really want to read Unmasking Autism. So, I just finished Hench, loved it to pieces, and why isn’t there more?
Sarah: I did an interview with the author, and asked if there would be more. A sequel wasn’t contracted at that time but I was informed that MANY tabs were open on a nearby browser about how insects have sex.
Shana: OMG. It’s going to be Strange Love all over again. I will just hold that hope close to my chest.
Sarah: I hope so!
What are you reading? Let us know below!
Happy Saturday! Finally finding more ways to carve out reading time (and it might be correlated to the current case spike allowing for more remote work than a month or two ago, which unfortunately did not get implemented until after me and a few others got direct workplace exposures to a positive case…I got lucky and don’t seem to have caught it, for now).
Romance:
MIDNIGHT by Beverly Jenkins: Obviously Bev Jenkins doesn’t miss, but I’m sad Faith’s spy shit wrapped up by the halfway point. She’s good!!! Faith and Nicholas work well together as a couple, and it was fun to get a Dom LeVeq cameo! The subplot with Faith’s dad was kind of sad, and also CW for parental neglect there.
THE A.I. WHO LOVED ME by Alyssa Cole: I read this rather than listening to the Audible; it was a really cute yet slightly dystopic sci-fi romance…novella? It was a pretty quick read, and there was a little twist that was partly seeded but not entirely revealed by foreshadowing, so that was fun. Hoping Cole gets around to writing more books in this series!
Non-romance:
THE GRACE OF KINGS by Ken Liu: The first in a series I believe Liu is calling “silkpunk” and has a strong focus on both technologies that might have formed in fantasy worlds deriving from East Asian inspirations (not so heavily influenced by medieval Europe) as well as political ideologies and empire-building. As a big fan of Liu’s short stories (I think THE PAPER MENAGERIE is one of the most outstanding collections I’ve ever read—every story was moving and memorable) but not a huge fan of THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM (which he translated into English), I wasn’t sure how I would like this, and I found it generally worked for me. There are some points where Liu gets into more technical explanations that were sometimes additive and other times I didn’t care as much, but it is NOT like the fantasy version of the hard science of THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM. (I will never forgive that book for making me read ten pages on unfolding atoms as something that had no real impact on the plot.). Overall, I liked it and need to go pick up my copy of the sequel to get started on that before I forget absolutely everything that happened in this one. (It’s a series of chonkers.)
UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED by Sarah Gailey: This was tender yet not fluffy, and while the scenery was very evocative and the characters felt well-considered, the plot is a little less developed–more like a slice of a larger plot. I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been a sequel or prequel or something yet from Gailey, this seems like a world that could be further fleshed out.
DYING OF WHITENESS by Jonathan M. Metzl: (CW: suicides discussed) A thoughtful and data-driven—qualitative AND quantitative—look at how in the aggregate, certain policies (such as not expanding Medicaid under the ACA) would appear not to be in the self-interest of certain white voters (poorer health outcomes from being uninsured) but actually hold up “whiteness” as a category. Metzl has a lot of compassion for the people he interviewed while at the same time making clear his distaste for the policymakers who are negatively impacting their constituents’ lives. The first section deals with gun violence (specifically, white male suicides) in Missouri after many regulations were rolled back, and I think is worth reading in the context of the ongoing conversation about guns. (Side note, Pat Blanchfield and his conception of “gunpower” really changed my thinking after mass shootings.)
Up next:
I think I’m going to start Harper St. George’s THE LADY TEMPTS AN HEIR today. I’ve enjoyed this series so far, definitely agree with Amanda’s review of the first that it has Big Kleypas Energy.
I might have let out an excited gasp at the library last week when I saw T. Kingfisher’s NETTLE AND BONE on the shelf. I adore Kingfisher’s work in general and this one is no exception–Marra is an almost-nun who is trying to rescue her sister who is married to an evil prince. Along the way, she finds a bonedog, a dust wife, a fairy godmother, and a lost knight: “Five of us,” said Fenris…”Five is a fist. Five is a hand on the enemy’s throat.” I love how Kingfisher inverts fairy tales and leans into their darker aspects and this one is no exception. Loved it.
Also really enjoyed Joanna Bourn’s THE SPYMASTER’S LADY. Lots going on in this book (who is really double crossing who??) but I enjoyed all of the aforementioned spying, languages, and the strong sense of place.
On the less good front, THE WITCH’S HEART by Genevieve Gornichech which is a retelling of the story of Loki and Angrboda from Norse mythology. The first 150 pages or so are basically dialogue between Loki and Angrboda and it’s like reading a screenplay. Even the bits that aren’t dialogue feel like stage direction (Loki crosses the room, Angrboda goes outside, etc.) The second half of the book is better, but my main complaint is that Angrboda is BORING. She’s a hugely powerful witch who gives birth to the children who both destroy and rebuild the entire world! And she basically sits in a cave and things happen to her. Hel has a larger role at the end of the story and the contrast between her and Angrboda just makes Angrboda look even more boring. I felt like there was a lot of missed potential with this one.
HOW TO DECEIVE A DUKE by Samara Parish also didn’t really work for me. The titular duke, Edward, is big on Family and Duty and Honor in a way that alienates his siblings and the heroine, Fiona. I also felt like the stakes in this book were way too high–Fiona is a chemist who is inventing a new kind of match, but she’s also dressing like a man, has been involved in two political rallies (one where someone ended up getting killed), attempts at one point to break into Westminster, and is (perhaps unsurprisingly) seen as at least dabbling in explosives due to her research on matches. People were hanged for a lot less at this stage in history! A LOT less. And yeah, whatever, the duke’s around, but c’mon. I also felt like, I dunno, Fiona could have given a fake name when she was arrested and dressed like a man? Or given up dressing like a man and developed a new plan for selling her matches? Just didn’t work for me.
Also read the compilation of Bridgerton novellas and epilogues and I have to say, I know they’re all romances, but I really can’t believe that with 8 children and 33 grandchildren born in the late 1700s and early 1800s that all of those mothers survived giving birth and that all of those children lived to adulthood. It just starts getting implausible. Also, I was a bit frustrated that Violet’s novella is the story of her and Edward. Violet lives another 40+ years after Edward dies! She deserves to find love again! I was annoyed that Quinn copped out on that one.
Up next: I’M ONLY WICKED WITH YOU by Julie Anne Long from her Palace of Rogues series.
Oh, and a huge shoutout to the bookseller at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA (whose name I didn’t get, but who is a delightful young man with red hair) who handsold me five graphic novels for my 9 year old that she loves. Here’s to cultivating the next generation of readers!
Best things I’ve read recently are Strong Wine by AJ Demas, which I didn’t like as well as the previous books in the series but that’s an unreasonably high bar, and The Raven King which… I had intended to space out my consumption of that series and couldn’t. I have a dislike of most YA but if the author tosses a little queer magic boarding school to the rabble, I quiet right down every time.
Everything else was…fine. Nothing worth mentioning except I would have rated The Love Study by Kris Ripper higher, there was great banter and it was adorbs but. Blerg. I personally do not care for no sex in a romance novel (or generally, I suppose). Plus I got really tired of the “left at the altar” talk, which I am pretty sure objectively was belabored, but I have a low tolerance for anything to do with weddings. No date to the wedding, seeing an ex at the wedding, family expectations at wedding, wedding planners in lurve etc -it’s catnip to some but edging into tstl territory for me.
Just starting Peter Darling by Austin Chant I have high hopes but I am trying to temper my expectations so I don’t ruin my own experience. Also looking forward to the second Rath and Ruin, and trying not to prejudge (but so help me god if there’s no tentacle sex…).
@ Fashionably Evil I did actually do the math during season 1 – the chance of all 8 Bridgerton kids surviving to straight adulthood is 1.68, which means we could *more* realistically have, for example, killed off Daphne in a tragic childhood accident before she grew up to be a rapist, AND have Eloise wind up with a charming female companion (Pen in the show, whoever in the books).
Happy weekend, Smart Bitches! Not much reading this past couple of weeks, but I bought a ton of books based on recommendations from you all, so hopefully I can turn that around (not because I should, but because I want to – I’d really like to be locked in my room to nap and read for a week or two).
I really enjoyed TANGLED WIRES by Lillian Lark. Woman falls in love with an AI. Good exploration of what makes a person, as you might expect.
HER VIGILANTE by LL was not as strong. FBI agent falls in love with a serial killer. Feel like it’s been done better, though it was readable and not ridiculous, which is the issue with this kind of set up. I saw one comment that said it would have been improved if it were longer, and I think that’s right.
WAYLON: ANGEL AND THE RUTHLESS REAPER by Theodora Taylor was what it said on the tin, but I just can’t quite buy a relatively well-adjusted nurse practitioner falling in love with a violent MC president. YMMV. He would have to be reformed/reforming, or she would have to be in much more dire straits for this to make sense. The sexy times were sexy, however, no question about that.
Looking forward to reading about what you’ve read! Hope you all have a great weekend and a great couple of weeks!
Hey hey, it’s Whatcha reading day! Got some good ones to report this time.
Keep Calm and Kill the Chef by Livia Day – the third and final book in the Cafe La Femme cozy mysteries. I’ve been saving this one. The mystery is twisty and fun, red herrings galore, I did not figure out whodunit. The food descriptions are delectable, if a bit out of season as it’s winter in Tasmania. (See book 2 for summer and ice cream.) In terms of romance there’s a subplot that runs through the series with a will they won’t they that doesn’t quite get resolved, if that’s a deal breaker for anyone. The whole series plus bonus novella is firmly on my comfort rereads keeper shelf. Come for the food and mystery plots, stay for the lovable characters, supportive friendships, queer rep, quirky artsy people, snark and banter.
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep – with excellent audiobook narration by Lauren Fortgang – I grabbed both the ebook and audio from hoopla. There’s violence and a high body count but it’s not too gory and very much tropey fantasy. Reluctant heroine comes into her power, kicks much ass, saves the day. There are lovely friendships and kickass older women. The romance is a subplot that’s mostly setup for next books – but the entire trilogy is out by now. Looks like there’s a spinoff trilogy as well. The first two books were reviewed here. Trilogy has been out long enough for libraries to have them without a wait.
currently reading:
How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole. I was obsessed with her Reluctant Royals series, didn’t really click with the first Runaway Royals book, but this one is fun so far (about a quarter of the way in.)
up next:
Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher, this has been reviewed and discussed on here fairly recently. I’m still scared of the horror elements but gotta trust that it all pays off. Content warnings for miscarriages, spousal abuse, death of family member. I’ll be treading carefully in small doses.
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers, technically book 4 of Wayfarers but they are all standalone with some recurring characters. I loved book 1 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, couldn’t get into 2 or 3. I like the premise of this one – strangers of different species stranded together at a space B&B. Cozy sci fi. Not sure if there is any romance in this one.
Happy reading everyone! May you find a story that carries you away.
ALMOST AMERICAN GIRL by Robin Ha. I forgot this one for the last Whatcha Reading. I read it for Book Riot read harder challenge. Specifically, read a nonfiction YA comic. I really enjoyed it and blew through it in a day. It was the artist reflecting back on having to move suddenly from Seoul, Korea to the US where she knew no one when she was in middle school. Like by suddenly, I mean her mother surprised her with a trip to Alabama and then when they got there she said “oh, yeah, we live here now.” I think it hit all the right notes of taking the emotions and feelings of that age and writing about them in a way that felt both specific to her experience but also that anyone could understand. As someone who moved to the US at that age after spending years abroad, it brought back a lot of memories. Obviously, being a white American who speaks English fluently and is experiencing reentry issues is *NOT* the same as being from a completely different country with a different culture and dealing with racism and learning a new language. But some things really rung true for me and I appreciated reflecting back on that time (without having to relive it firsthand)
BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA by Katie Catugano. I liked this a lot but was glad I was warned about the ending in Elyse’s review. I’ve become sick of contemporary romances that revolve around actors and celebrities. I feel like they often rehash a lot of the same ground and go into detail about social media which I want to escape from whenever I can. But something about the plot description for this grabbed me and made me feel like I would like it and I wasn’t wrong. I appreciated that the heroine is a bit of a has-been (and happy to be so for the most part!) and the hero is up and coming, but neither one is “the biggest star in the world right now” or somehow fabulously wealthy. The voice it was written was really appealing, clever and funny with a nice chemistry between the characters. It gave me a bit of Kate Clayborn/Emily Henry vibe. The ending was rushed, but since I was forewarned, it didn’t upset me. I think I just chalked it up as a more “new adult” or “young adult” ending. The characters are older than that, but I believe this is the author’s first adult romance book. I wouldn’t say the characters come off as terribly immature (there are some communication issues and secrets), but it’s very much a YMMV situation. I would read Elyse’s review if you’re curious and proceed accordingly.
MURDER AT ROSAMUND’S GATE – Susanna Calkins. Disappointing book. I’ve been doing a lot of deep dive research into the English Restoration for reasons that are too complex and/or boring to go into here. I thought a historical mystery in that period with a female protagonist would be interesting. It was decent and readable enough to finish, but there was a lot of “perils of Pauline” type plotting where the heroine would get into danger and either someone would swoop into her rescue or she would be rescued completely by chance. I also didn’t find the romance that was being set up as very plausible. I may still push on with the series, but that’s more b/c I’m interested in the time period than anything else.
I have DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan waiting on my TBR pile, along with SHIPPED by Angie Hockman. I also want to check out THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentill.
I also watched THE HATING GAME movie. It was a lot of fun, and it seemed to match/follow the book pretty well (from what I remember of the book). The movie also looked great. Lucy Hale’s clothes were gorgeous, as were the set pieces, especially that scene in the snow.
In a prior post, I recommended THE UNTAMED HEART by Gudrun Frerichs as an alternative to the Rant-ed FLIRTING WITH FIFTY. But after having done that, I realized that I did not include a caveat that just kept sending shards of glass through my thoughts after my post: the circus owner made a terrible distinction between their group of “elite athletes” who traveled in a caravan and lived, much of the year, in tents and campers and another cultural and ethnic group. Take out the two paragraphs with those utterly horrible presumptions that the other group were thieves or at least thief adjacent (and you, too, Cher) and it would have been a really good book. But I grew up hearing Roma on an almost daily basis and also grew up with elite athletes, and I know which group made me more comfortable. All I can say is that more [truly] adult romances would be great. And I apologize for not recognizing the awfulness of the references earlier.
I did not pass go or think about it for more than a moment: I on-clicked UNMASKING AUTISM.
I often refer to Julie Kriss as one of Romancelandia’s most underrated writers. Every time she publishes a new book, I lament that she is not better known. Her books (well-written in a smooth, comfortable style) feature mature, thoughtful characters who spend time with their dreams and desires before acting on them. Kriss’s latest, RIFF, is no exception: it’s the second book of Kriss’s Road Kings series about a long-disbanded rock group that reunites for a tour. RIFF’s hero is the band’s bassist; the heroine is the mother of his teenage daughter. The story is technically a second-chance romance, but the h&h have never actually been together as a couple: their daughter is the result of a post-concert one-night-stand; nonetheless, they have always co-parented together, giving their daughter a strong, loving foundation. The heroine was married to another man for the past few years, but has recently divorced, and her being single again reignites interest between the MCs. Although RIFF is most definitely a romance, it is also the story of how four former (and now current) bandmates, with their different personalities and idiosyncrasies, must work together to make their tour financially and musically successful. The split focus (partly on the couple, party on the band) means that RIFF should be read after DUET, the first book in the series. It also means (in what I thought was an interesting stylistic decision on Kriss’s part) that a few chapters of RIFF are told from the POVs of the MCs from DUET. Now I’m really looking forward to the next book which will feature the band’s drummer and the woman hired to help him maintain his sobriety. Recommended—but read DUET first.
I’m not sure “retcon-ing” is quite the word for what Skye Warren does to the MCs in ONE FOR THE MONEY, but she does change the initial meeting of the couple she introduced in her short story “Hallelujah” (found in the MEET ME UNDER THE MISTLETOE anthology). In that story, heroine Eva Morelli and hero Finn Hughes have a (third-base-ish) “encounter” at the Morelli family’s Christmas party. In ONE FOR THE MONEY, the couple meet at a big charity gala—and their first physical encounter takes place elsewhere. Rewriting of their origin story aside, Eva and Finn both have their secrets and their family-related reasons for deciding to enter into a fake relationship (that ends up with very real sex). Eva is a few years older than Finn; she’s the rock to which everyone in her very large family gravitates, but a shattering heartbreak from her teenage years has left her wary of love. Finn, meanwhile, shoulders many burdens for his own fractured family. It wasn’t until the recent Rec League about caretaking scenes that I realized the entire story in ONE FOR THE MONEY centers on the need to balance giving care and being cared for: Eva and Finn are the “caretakers” in their family; neither one of them feels that they can let down their guard and relax for a moment. When they get closer to each other, each takes a turn being cared for by the other. It’s interesting that both MCs can see the dysfunctional dynamics in the other one’s family (Finn even tells Eva that she is “the emotional regulator for every person” in her family) but, before getting involved, had never applied the same criteria to their own situation. Once her eyes have been opened, Eva notes, “Both of us tend to our families like they’re terrariums, ecosystems that only exist because we’re keeping them together.” ONE FOR THE MONEY is not as dark as much of Warren’s work, but it is also not as deep or as textured. It’s an enjoyable read, especially for fans of the Midnight Dynasty series, but it lacks the ooomph and arts-related leitmotifs of many of Warren’s books, especially the ones she sets in the fictional town of Tanglewood. At this point, I can give a muted recommendation to ONE FOR THE MONEY, with the proviso that the book ends on a cliffhanger and I have to wait until the next book to see how situations are resolved.
Sarina Bowen’s BOMBSHELLS had been languishing on my kindle for a while, so I finally read it. BOMBSHELLS is part of Bowen’s Brooklyn Hockey series (which itself is an offshoot of her earlier Brooklyn Bruisers series) and the heroine is one of the athletes on the Brooklyn Bombshells women’s hockey team (the Bruisers and the Bombshells have the same owner). The heroine has been pining for years for one of the Bruiser’s players, but it’s obvious his feelings toward her are more connected to their friendship and long family history. There is another player who sees the heroine in a very different light, but his friendship with the heroine’s crush makes him hesitant to make a move. Cue the angsty romance! I liked BOMBSHELLS, especially the ways Bowen addresses the financial inequities between men’s and women’s professional sports (there’s a telling scene where the men discover there are tampon dispensers and mango-scented bodywash in their locker rooms because the owner can’t show any “favoritism” toward the female team, so whatever the women have in their locker rooms, the men have to have in theirs). The romance in BOMBSHELLS is fine, but the hero’s constant use of “girl” as opposed to “woman” in his interior monologues about the heroine became irritating after a while. There’s only so many times I can deal with a hero saying to himself, “That’s my girl,” when he’s talking about a grown-ass women and professional athlete. Recommended for Bowen/Brooklyn Hockey completists.
A few weeks ago, the first two books in Sherlee Gray’s Rocktown Ink series—BEG FOR YOU and SIN FOR YOU—were free in the Kindle Store. I’ve enjoyed some of Grey’s romances in the past, so I grabbed these two books, which feature heroes who are cousins and both connected to the tattoo studio in the series name. I found the premises of the books to be interesting (especially the backgrounds of the heroes), although Gray leans towards “tell not show” in her writing style. In BEG FOR YOU, the hero (a tattoo artist) has TBI as a result of a long-ago automobile accident and he sometimes has trouble speaking his thoughts; Gray does a good job of letting us see the hero’s speech difficulties without overdoing their presentation on page. He seeks revenge against the man he holds responsible for destroying his family many years before. Then guess who shows up at the hero’s studio, unaware of their connection and wanting a tattoo? If you guessed that man’s daughter, you must have read a revenge romance before! Naturally, things don’t go according to plan. In SIN FOR YOU, the hero (an ex-con who owns a local bar) hires his best friend’s younger sister. In a reversal of the usual way the “little sister” trope is implemented, in SIN FOR YOU, it’s the heroine who is only interested in a no-strings hook-up while it’s the hero who wants something more meaningful. These are serviceable romances, not particularly memorable, but not a waste of time either. Not everything we read can be a Keeper Shelf candidate.
Addison Cain writes dark, triggery books often set in the Omegaverse. SWALLOW IT DOWN (2020) is not an Omegaverse book, but it is set in a post-nuclear world where the same alpha/omega (male/female) gender dynamics have asserted themselves. In the current political/cultural/reproductive-rights climate, I can’t in all good conscience recommend SWALLOW IT DOWN, but I did like the strong, scrappy heroine, a med student before the bombs fell, determined to find “a good place” when all around her is violence and ruin. There’s a “Snow Piercer” vibe to the story as the heroine—after wandering through the post-apocalyptic hellscape for several years—finds herself on board a repurposed cruise ship where the “hero” (I use the term advisedly) is determined to repopulate the world by using fertile women (of which there are few) as prizes for the men (of which there are many). As the heroine tells the hero: “Even after the world ended, men have learned nothing. And thanks to you, on this save the human race ship, you created a system that reduced us down to nothing but a commodity.” One of the reasons the book baffled me is because I really couldn’t tell if Cain was attempting to present the hero as sympathetic because he was trying to “protect” the women, even while sacrificing them for the “greater good.” All-in-all, a puzzling book and probably not one to be read right now—although the heroine’s rage and sense of purpose are certainly welcome.
NON-ROMANCE
A while back, linguist Gretchen McCulloch appeared on the Smart Bitches podcast discussing her book, BECAUSE INTERNET, and linguistics in general. I finally got around to reading BECAUSE INTERNET where McCulloch discusses how language (written & spoken) is changing in the online era. McCulloch’s style is both informative and accessible, even for a non-linguists. I think anyone who is interested in the evolution of language would enjoy BECAUSE INTERNET. After I finished the book, I binge-listened to a bunch of McCulloch’s Lingthusiasm podcasts which she co-hosts with fellow linguist Lauren Gawne. I highly recommend both the book and the podcast.
All Coming Up Soon:
By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley, about the woman who designed Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.
Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake by Alexis Hall, I am on a queer cooking show/baking show romcom binge
The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray, because it sounds delightful and I do love fictional house parties where someone is murdered.
The Kill by Émile Zola. The first book in the series was fantastic. This one is supposed to be even better. I can’t wait!!!!
Currently reading Never Seduce a Scot, by Maya Banks.
I’m enjoying it, but perhaps not as much as In Bed with a Highlander. A lot of the book is focused on the hero’s clan bullying/being cruel to the heroine, and she is trying so hard to be accepted by them. I do really like Banks’s writing style, though.
I’ll be reading Seduction of a Highland Lass (McCabe # 2) next.
I was scrolling through the backlog of RITA reviews looking for I can’t even remember what and came across the squeal review of NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE as well as Sarah MacLean’s sweet response. I had an overwhelming urge to revisit Calpurnia, one of my favorite historical romance heroines in the book that turned Sarah MacLean into required reading. Callie was as wonderful as I remember. It’s not often that I suffer from Bad Decisions Book Club with a reread, but it happened. Such a wonderful book.
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/rita-reader-challenge-review-nine-rules-to-break-when-romancing-a-rake-by-s/
Went in a completely different direction after that with Nalini Singh’s QUIET IN HER BONES. I love an unreliable narrator, and they don’t get much more unreliable than this one. There’s also the creepiness that is the cul-de-sac where everyone knows everyone, or at least they think they do.
Caught up with the fine folks in Rockton with Kelley Armstrong’s A STRANGER IN TOWN. All signs point to the powers that control the remote Yukon town are getting ready to shut them down. New residents are decreasing, extensions on residency are being denied. The refuge in the Yukon is at risk as the directors are finding Casey and Eric aren’t going to tolerate the shift from sanctuary and respite for those in need to avarice based decisions. Drop in a group of hikers, slaughtered, presumably, by the feral group whose history has Casey turning over rocks others would prefer left alone. So good.
Read my first steampunk in a while. BEAUTY AND THE CLOCKWORK BEAST by Nancy Campbell Allen was fairly entertaining. Few writers can reach the steampunk nirvana that was Meljean Brooks abandoned Iron Seas series. I live hope for the Blacksmith’s story, but I get that if it’s not working, it’s not working. Anyway, this was a good story, although not too mysterious when it comes to the villian. The worldbuilding is a bit thin, but maybe I just missed another book somewhere. And it’s obviously a rife on the fairytale: scarred surly recluse meets intrepid scientist heroine who braves his bad moods to find out why her recently married cousin isn’t thriving in his home. Oh, married to the younger brother not the scarred surly hero. This sounds like faint praise, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Kindle read is HATE F*@K which was in a sale post earlier this month. Not my usual cuppa, but I’m enjoying it enough that I’m reading it on the patio instead of before bed. I need to be able to disengage enough to fall asleep in five or ten minutes. I stayed up way too late the night I started it. Rich girl trying to live apart from her mostly terrible family keeps getting dragged (almost literally) back into the family drama usually with the hand of the PR “fixer” employed to spin their bad and/or criminal behavior wrapped around her arm. He and his business partners are playing a deeper game. There’s a lot of “you need to stay away from me”, “I’m not good enough”, “I can’t let you see what I do; you need to stay innocent” crap that usually gets pretty wearing, but still… I guess the writing just works form me.
Currently reading “The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish” after reading the other Joanna Chambers shorts in the Winterbourne series (“Introducing Mr. Winterbourne,” “Mr. Winterbourne’s Christmas, and “The First Snow of Winter”). These are short novellas, nothing too deep but fun. I’m intimidated by Chambers’ series of longer historicals, which I think has three or four books about the same couple.
“A Marvellous Light” by Freya Marske: I was a bit disappointed that this book didn’t have as much focus on magical bureaucracy as the description implied, which I thought sounded quite fun. Still ended up really liking it; fun fantasy plot and enjoyable romance. Looking forward to the sequels.
“Proper Scoundrels” by Allie Therin: This is a spin-off from Therin’s previous fantasy historical trilogy featuring Sebastian (who is recovering from several years of being controlled by blood magic) and Wesley (a misanthropic war veteran) who are brought together to help solve a series of magical murders. It seems like this premise would come with a lot of angst and drama, but it ended up feeling pretty lighthearted and low-stakes — which was pretty disappointing to me. I had trouble engaging with the characters and never felt like they were in real peril. Would probably be a better read if you had read Therin’s other books ahead of this.
“Annihilation” by Jeff VanderMeer: Read this for the first time and absolutely loved it, one of my favorite books of the year so far. If you like horror/sci fi and haven’t tried this yet for whatever reason, can’t recommend it enough. I’m curious whether the rest of the series will live up to it, though I think each book is pretty self-contained.
“A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie: A very good Miss Marple mystery with a classically Christie setup (a group of local busybodies show up at their neighbor’s house after a strange ad in the local newspaper announces the time a murder will take place there).
“The Stepford Wives” by Ira Levin: Read this after enjoying “Rosemary’s Baby,” again without having seen any adaptations. Loved it. Levin is great at slowing building uncanny atmospheres and, surprisingly for a male writer at the time, at writing women’s perspectives.
Currently reading The Love Hypothesis and
I can’t believe I let this book languish unread on my shelf. I wish I would have read the original Reylo fanfiction before TLH was published. Anyway TLH is utterly delightful and is perfect for the heat wave we are in the midst of.
Also read Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood and I am sp glad that this author got a publishing contract. I’m not hugely into contemporary romances but Ali just hits all the right buttons for me.
Bedtime reading is the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. I’ve read the first 5 plus the novellas but never got around to books 6&7. There’s a lot I’ve forgotten in these early books so starting with book 2 I’m annotating my thoughts into the kindle app.
Elder God Dance Squad was featured on an earlier book beat. Skip it. The story would have worked as a graphic novel, but not as a book. The author just doesn’t build the characters and the plot dragged. I made it 40 pages before throwing in the towel. Good idea. Bad execution.
When the review of Truth and Measure appeared earlier this week, I wasn’t able to comment, because I was just in the middle of reading the novel. But now I can say that I thoroughly agree with the squeeing; not often I encounter a romance with enough complexity of conflict that, without being repetitious, it can develop over 700 pages. What do I love? Competence porn: I have about zero interest in high fashion, but give me characters who love it, the details they live, and the problems they solve, and I’m all in. POV character: Jules had a narrative voice that was great to read and felt totally real to me, so many details like her conversations with her parents or her favorite furniture (providing, also, one of the book’s most heartwarming moments, concerning Vivian and an ottoman). Suspense: at one point I was sure that Vivian couldn’t change the disastrous pattern of her love life (three divorces so far) but she had more faith in herself than I did, and the author in fact did convince me that this time was different. Etc. (I could go on.)
Before that? I tried something few people do, namely reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s great unfinished novel Kidnapped together with his attempt at a conclusion, Catriona. I was hoping that, since I’m now old and paying attention to more than the adventure plot in Kidnapped (it’s a coming-of-age story and has an interesting position toward the Highland/Lowland conflict in Scottish culture), I would find the same virtues in Catriona, although it doesn’t have the unified plot of its predecessor. Nope; the main character was not as interesting in this version of him, the writing was diffuse, the attempts at comedy of manners were overly drawn-out, and above all there was a disastrously Victorian love story with lots of protestations of honor, the calf-eyed hero going on about how “clean” (morally) his beloved was and thinking, when the author has her break off with him and refuse to say why, that it’s no wonder he can’t get any sensible explanation out of her because women are like children; and in short, although this love-story didn’t really go on for more than 100 pages, it felt absolutely interminable. Oh well.
And before that, again, I read N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, which felt all too uncomfortably relevant to our present day at times. In this paragraph, unlike the ones above, I won’t say much because I’m really not sure what I think.
@Jess, Joanna Chambers’ Enlightenment series is definitely worth it! The first three books (Provoked, Beguiled, Enlightened) are about the same couple (Murdo and David) and definitely only make sense when read in order. But soooo worth it! The other two books in the series so far, Unnatural and Restored, can easily be read on their own. There’s a few cameos of previous characters, but it’s not like you wont “get” these two books without the other ones. But they are all so good, they are all worth reading and very high on my personal comfort read list!
Anyway, to my reading – too much work, so less time for reading.
THE MOVIE-TOWN MURDERS, Josh Lanyon. M/M mystery/romance with two FBI agents. This one took forever to come out, it should have been published earlier, then it disappeared from Amazon and my preorder was cancelled… but anyway, it’s out now. It’s the next book in Lanyon’s Art of Murder series, and these books should be read in order (plus Winter Kill, though appearing as a standalone, also has strong ties to this series). I had to go back to the end of the last book to catch up again. Sam and Jason’s relationship had hit a rocky bit, but thankfully they both decided at the beginning of this book that they can’t do without one another, despite all sorts of bumps and challenges. And they’re starting to realise that they should talk more… On the love story side, the book was good, the mystery bit was interesting too. BUT it ends on a rather large cliffhanger concerning, by the look of it, more than one of their cases (romance-wise they seem to be ok though). So don’t read this now if you hate cliffhangers. Plus the fact that we have three unresolved cases at the end that sort of span the series (the roadside killer which harks back to Winter Kill), the mad, stalkerish professor and the art dealer muderer whom they couldn’t convict so far). It sounds a little crazy, but I like this series. It feels relatively realistic, despite some crazy perps, and the mysteries are satisfying.
Another m/m FBI agents romance/mystery – but otherwise very different than the above: DEAD DRAW by Layla Reyne. This is part one of a duology featuring Emmitt Marshall as one of the MCs, who has been a side character previously in What We May Be (which I liked a lot). Her FBI agent romances tend to be a bit more crazy and less realistic (but YMMV). Too many very rich people when you need someone to provide a private jet and the like… So why did I get this anyway? Because romance-wise, I do like her stories and I wanted to see what’s in store for Marsh who’s “always the groomsman, never the groom”. So he gets into a fake marriage. Well, it is a legal marriage, but they only do it for the sake of their cases they’re working on, which are connected. Let’s just say it’s a veeeeeery thin reason in my view, but whatever, it’s the premise for this romance to kick off. And it was lovely, no quibbling there. But there’s also a HFN/cliffhanger ending – as in they solved one case but now the baddies have hit back and… we’ll have to wait for the next book to resolve this.
Currently reading: THE PERFECT CRIMES OF MARIAN HAYES, Cat Sebastian. This is the sort of sequel to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb, featuring Marian and Rob, and giving more insight to what Rob was doing while he was “dead” and what was in those blackmail letters. The story starts with those, which expaneded into quite the correspondence, which is a delight to read! So far I like the book – will have more to say about it next time!
Reading Kylie Scott. Finished Lick and am in the middle of It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time which is not as good as Lick. I like her writing. Lick had a lot of grovel p0rn. Read VC Lancaster’s Contamination and Contagion. Contamination was better. Sometimes a secondary character doesn’t need his own story methinks. Also reread all of Murderbots for the 4th time. I heard Wells is writing more fantasy now and might go back to Murderbots in a couple of years. For some reason it’s been difficult to find new romancers lately.
Also reading Andrew Roberts’ bio of Napoleon, Middlemarch, and Lucan’s Selected Dialogues….for months now. Finished the Bookseller of Florence about the change over from manuscripts to printing. Picked it up when I visited NYC briefly and browsed in an actual bookstore for the first time in over 3 years. I also got the Sixth Extinction which is free on Kindle Unlimited. Oops. Happy reading and thanks for all the book recommendations, everyone!
Sorry. Contagion and Contamination by Amanda Milo
I’m in the middle of more books than I usually juggle at one time, but I have actually managed to finish some things. All a single author, as it happens.
The Jade Temptress – Jeannie Lin
I enjoyed this one more than book one of the series (book one was fine as I was reading it but started to pale a bit in comparison to its sequels). It’s about a glamorous courtesan and a stern magistrate, who encountered each other over one murder in book one and are now trying to solve the murder of the courtesan’s richest patron. I thought Lin captured longing here really well; I was struck by how deeply these characters feel versus the staid way they each present themselves to the world, as a coping mechanism, as a way to move safely through their surroundings. I bought the HEA more readily than book one.
The Liar’s Dice – Jannie Lin
This is a novella setting up the scene for book 3 (sidenote, my ebook copy styles this as book 3 and the subsequent sequel as book 4, but this is clearly a novella, and that numbering system rather irks me.) Anyway, it works well enough for what it is but wasn’t a standout to me.
The Hidden Moon – Jeannie Lin
So, I’ve enjoyed the Lotus Palace books, but this one I truly loved. The heroine is a sheltered young woman who is rather reckless in her attempts to escape her confining (yet incredibly secure) life. The hero is a rough, hard-living street tough. Honestly the HEA in this one should not work at all, but somehow it does, and how they get there was I thought wonderfully well done. I inhaled this book, something about it just clicked all my buttons.
One negative is that the copyediting was distractingly bad. Half the time Wei-wei is called Wei-we. Once, Gao is called Gas. Just one sloppy thing after another. I hope subsequent editions fix it.
Alas, now I have run out of Lin books on my ereader and new books are not in my budget for several more months.
So that’s all for this month. Happy reading to all!
@pear:
I have said several times on here that when I finally read the first book of the Blessings series I loved the mentions of the characters ancestors, who were main characters in her historical romances.
I’ve read a few books by Brianna Hale on the KU thing over the last couple of weeks. She tends towards the darker end of the spectrum – expect age gaps* and a certain amount of kink – and while I’ve not liked all her books, they’re all at the very least well written and I get the impression quite a lot of research has gone into them without feeling like I’m being lectured.
*When I say age gap, I mean age gap. The biggest I found had a difference of over thirty years (twenty-one to fifty something), which didn’t so much blow the half-his-age-plus-seven right out of the water as nuke it from orbit.
COME TO DADDY and LAP OF LUXURY, tell the parallel stories of a pair of brothers and the women they fall for. The brother who’s the ‘hero’ of LAP is owed money by a young woman’s deceased parents, and comes after her for vengeance. The brother in DADDY tries to help her by setting himself up as her sugar daddy (she doesn’t know the two are related), he falls for her, and kidnaps her to keep her safe, destroying Mr Lap’s reputation and finances in an attempt to keep him off their trail (Although any goodness he has is very relative – the H of DADDY has done brutal and shady things, yes, but he’s not quite as brutal and shady as the H of LAP who is Very Bad Indeed). They’re pursued by Mr Lap, who does a little light kidnapping of his own, this time of the secretary who helped the first couple. I found myself appreciating each character’s viewpoint, even if I didn’t think I’d like them. They’re well-paced, and gory at times just so you know, but aren’t completely bleak – I laughed at the point in LAP where the very bad brother gets upset on his hostage’s behalf, because nobody’s notified the police about her absence. So he files a missing person report himself, and naming himself as being connected to her disappearance.
CONTROL FREAK of Hale’s was quite different. It felt more sombre and serious despite an entire lack of murder. It also needs a CW as the h is in recovery from an eating disorder. Again with the age gap, this time a gallery owner who enters into a BDSM (mostly just the BD bit) relationship with a young woman who’s working for him as an intern. I don’t know how accurate or sensitive this is on the subject, but the story had a great deal of compassion for the h, without ever suggesting that love would magically cure her. I know it stayed with me for a while after finishing.
THE MOST POWERFUL OF KINGS Jackie Ashenden. Story sat between The Sound of Music and The King & I: soon-to-be nun is sent to help king with his slightly wayward daughter. Usual parent issues for both H & h. Found this one disappointing. It felt like Ashenden was dashing between plot points without fleshing out either the characters or the events. A shame because she’s an author I usually enjoy.
NAKED IN DEATH. By JD Robb aka Nora Roberts I liked this better than her romances which I tend to find annoying, twee, or annoyingly twee. The future setting was fun, but felt like she was trying a bit hard to make it sound thusly futuristic. Eg, she gets a chilled bottle of wine out of her ‘cold cell’. It’s OK to call it a refrigerator, Nora, really it is. You’ve got flying cars, I can figure out it’s not 2022. Overall I enjoyed it. But… it never really got better than very OK. Roarke was fine, but not actually all that mysterious. From other reviews I’d read, I thought he was going to be super moody and dark, but he’s disarmingly pleasant, apart from his habit of popping up at every opportunity and being kind of overbearing when it comes to driving the relationship, but that seems to be a Roberts thing. Nor is his attraction to Eve explained or explored in any depth. Like I said, a good but not outstanding read – I think I’m just not the NR target audience.
THE CHRISTMAS SHE MARRIED THE PLAYBOY by Louise Fuller. An enjoyable category romance – Fuller seems to have a little bit more going on in her books and this was a fun and zippy read.
Also listening to THE BROTHERS CABAL by Jonathan L Howard on audiobook, narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith. Dry and funny and thoughtful, as expected.
Over the past two weeks ~
— The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz which I quite enjoyed even though it surprised me with how it dealt with the issues facing the main characters who are attracted to one another but are in slightly different worlds. I found it a gripping read, and my husband got to hear a lot about this book as I was reading it (whether he wanted to or not!)
— my (100th my husband opined!) reread of Linesman by S. K. Dunstall.
— Long Shadows (Elizabeth Cage, Book 3) by Jodi Taylor. This book was one surprise after another but was enjoyable overall. This series definitely needs to be read in order. Begin with White Silence (Elizabeth Cage, Book 1).
— enjoyed two stories by Patricia Briggs: “Underappreciated Gifts” from the anthology A Fantastic Holiday Season
and “Asil and the Not-Date” in the anthology – Fantastic Hope. Both of these stories feature Asil, a werewolf whose pack members have set him up on five blind dates.
— For my distant book group: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This was not a difficult book, but nor is it a book I’d recommend. The heroine seemed so young and clueless; given that she was seventeen, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised.
— South Coast (Shaman’s Tales From The Golden Age Of The Solar Clipper Book 1) by Nathan Lowell which I enjoyed. All of Nathan Lowell’s books (save for the Wizard’s Butler) are set in the same large universe; I enjoyed reading this land (rather than space) centered science fiction book.
— a very enjoyable historical romance with a unique premise: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. The leads were best friends growing up and went to Eton, college, and war together. Both were wounded in battle. One returned home grieving his believed dead friend; the other returned a year later as a woman with a new identity.
— the contemporary paranormal romance, The Heir Apparent’s Rejected Mate (The Five Packs Book 2) by Cate C. Wells. I enjoyed it, but I liked the first in the series more.
A LADY FOR A DUKE by Alexis Hall was delicious, heartbreaking and so enjoyable. Viola is the most tenacious, determined character I’ve encountered, possibly the bravest and most hopeful; she simply would not give up on Gracewood, no matter the outcome for herself. The dialog is Hall’s trademark witty banter and I really hope we get to see/hear more of Lady Marleigh and Miranda.
CAMINO ISLAND by John Grisham was a bookclub choice. It read like a retelling of a caper to steal priceless manuscripts from Princeton. *Almost* made me think of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but not as good or atmospheric.
BAD ACTORS by Mick Herron proved my eternal love for the Slow Horses is not misplaced. Also the series on AppleTV is really well done. You can get a free one-week trial or even one month for $4.99. Absolutely worth it (and I generally hate adaptations, looking at you, producers of Daniel O’Malley’s Rook).
I listened to John Scalzi’s novella THE DISPATCHER, narrated by Zachary Quinto. People who are murdered began coming back to life, naked and in their own home, no one knows why. Dispatchers were created to legally “murder” someone who wouldn’t survive surgery or an accident; if they’re murdered before they die, they come back to life one second later. It’s a weird and compelling world, which Scalzi also makes really interesting.
I’ve been on an extended vacation, my first in over 2 years, and it was so lovely to finally get away, but surprisingly, I didn’t do anywhere near as much reading as usual. Too busy enjoying being out of my now very familiar home environment I guess. Highlights:
– A Marriage of Equals by Elizabeth Rolls featured heroine who was a Jamaican born, former slave who owns a coffee shop in London. Her father was English upper class, her uncle took her into his family after her father’s death, and provided the capital for her enterprise. The book doesn’t flinch from showing the awfulness of slavery and racism in Regency England, but also has a lovely romance between the heroine and an Earl’s secretary who helps her hide a young woman being pressured into a horrible marriage.
– Tanked by Mia Hopkins finally concludes her wonderful Eastside Brewery series following three Latinx brothers who had brushes with gangs, prison etc. in the past, but who start a craft brewery in their rough, East LA neighborhood and meet their perfect partners along the way. This book in particular was notable, not only for the romance, but also for unflinchingly including the devastating effects of Covid on the neighborhood and the local businesses. Most romance authors I’ve read have only awkwardly integrated the past few years into their romances (either ignoring it completely, or just mentioning it in passing), but Mia Hopkins did an outstanding job of depicting our current reality.
– Accidentally Family by Sasha Summers featured two mature characters, who’d lost touch when she divorced (her ex was his former business partner). but who reconnect and discover a powerful attraction to each other. If you like mature characters who actually act like adults while dealing with life’s big and little surprises, this is a good one.
– Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews. I’ve been waiting to read this series until the last book was released. Cue major happy dance when I snagged an ARC of Ruby Fever, the last book in this series, releasing in August, and finally freeing me to read the first book. It did not disappoint.
Currently reading two ARCs releasing in June, Big Wild Love Adventure by Julianna Keyes, and You Were Made to be Mine by Julie Anne Long. So far, thumbs way up on both of them.
@Kareni: I am finally reading Dunstall’s ALLIANCE, it should never have taken me this long. Outstanding (as you know better than anyone) and I’m eager to read CONFLUENCE.
@JenM: Thanks for the update about the new Julianna Keyes. I’m so excited to read it. She had started publishing mysteries–and I was worried she was not going to return to writing romance, so I’m doing the happy dance!
Still reading the Cold Fury series by Sawyer Bennettjcp
@Darlynne: Thanks for letting me know! I’m delighted to know that the sisters S.K. Dunstall have a new fan.
Just finished Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older, which is part of Rick Riordan presents. It’s their first YA, but I would say it’s kinda between MG and YA… I really liked it, though, the worldbuilding and mix of magical realism tropes and the “demigod” type thing Riordan has had going on all these years. It’s VERY diverse.
I wasn’t expecting it to be a Romance, but it totally was, and I just really enjoyed how the characters grew and how unexpected parts of the ending were (for me).
I’m not a musician or singer and I don’t speak Spanish or any of the other non-English languages used, and I probably would have liked it more if I did, but it didn’t keep me from really liking it.
Lots of good reading this month. And TW for the first paragraph (sexual assault).
I discovered Julie Saman’s Billionaire Bachelor Doctor Brothers series. Ok, yes, hot billionaire doctors are a fairytaie. Get that out of the way. But she really gets the way medicine works very close to right. I had no urges to throw the kindle. My favorite of the series is Doctor Mistake which is based on one of my triggers – relationship with your supervisor. (As an intern, I was raped by an attending.)OTOH, if you are going to, as the heroine does, have a relationship with your attending who is also your best friend’s older brother, this is the right way for it to happen. He does everything right. And I loved the story. And the series. Would highly recommend.
Also discovered Olivia Hayle and her extremely rich, hot brothers. I started with Red Hot Rebel, model and photographer travel to exotic locations around the world and gradually fall in love, then she finds out it was part of a bet. Loved it, went on to enjoy the series. Especially Ice Cold Boss, also about those workplace concerns and also handled well. Would recommend this series, too.
Ali Parker’s Bad Mood Boss was also fun. Start up tech billionaire has to hire his extremely competent techie ex (who has since wed and divorced and still hates him). to fix a signicant problem with his new product. Nicely done.
Unlikely Date by Samantha Christy take an absolute alpha hole boss and sets up a blind date with a single mom attempting to re-enter the dating pool – they already know each other and are not impressed. (TW for how her husband died and the potential injury to her kid) He was so bad I almost threw the kindle and stopped reading. But if you can get through the first chapter, Christy redeems them both and you get to watch it happen. Tons of character growth. Enjoyed it a lot.
BlindSided by Amy Dawes, Virgin gets hot male best friend to teach her about sex. It was OK but not as good as the series.
Stay with Me by Kelly Elliott. His bride drops dead on her way down the aisle so he cannot love again. Until he meets the saucy chick who, etc. brings her home to his large Greek family, etc. Cutish but a little meh.
Still wondering through the Lucilla Andrews books. This one was The Lights of London. Doc and nurse meet in London hospital in 1944 as he is on his way to Europe.Again, I enjoyed the historical aspects, especially as he writes her letters from the battlefields and from Belsen where he is part of the original liberating force, Also liked the relationship.
I am enjoying all my reading but, living with teen drama and reading drama involving really young people, am starting to think that I need romance between elders. Feel free to recommend.
@DDD – Big Wild Love Adventure is a fun, frothy summer read. especially if you enjoy romances set in a “reality TV” type of setting. It is lighthearted, but at the same time, there’s quite a bit of self-discovery going on, both for the main couple and many of the supporting characters. Also, none of the cast are depicted as a villain and they all form a pretty strong friendship bond that was lovely to read. It releases on June 20.
@Jess – I agree with @midge regarding Joanna Chambers’ Enlightenment series. I love her writing and her character development, but more than anything I find her idea of romance matches mine so it hits me in the feels every time.
One of my favourite romances is a Joanna Chambers contemporary, Tribute Act.
Right now I’m reading Lily Morton’s Sceptic. I typically devour Morton’s books. She’s usually very good at connecting her books through secondary characters without overdoing it, but this one is the exception. I find myself wanting to love the two heroes but I can’t because the author doesn’t love them nearly as much as one of the heros from the previous books in the series. The heroes talk about their mutual friend so much and so fondly that I feel like they’re both in love with him instead of each other. So this one is a bit of a miss for me.
Feel like I’m going through the motions with reading. I’m pretty sure I’m becoming desensitized to shut which is not a good situation as a single person with lousy social skills. Might have to take a break with a couple of thrillers or something epic.
I meant smut! Why, autocorrect? Why?
And I thought that u was originally intended to be an i, @Kit!
@Kareni could also be applicable since I’m the third of the way through a six month KU membership!
@Vicki, this is an older book I loved it and often recall fondly: Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray.
@Stefanie Magura I did not realize she’d tied her contemporary series to her historicals! I have not read any of the Blessings series yet but will have to add those to the list at some point when I finally run out of her historicals to read.
@Kit I feel you on the desensitization, I used to read tuns of smut and then I got to a point where I was just like ‘ugh, bored’ and now I literally skim most every steamy scene when I read books that have them and I tend to read things I know WON’T have anything like that.
Except She Who Became the Sun. That I did not skim. That one, that one killed me and brought me back to life a new person. Mileage will vary, but it was anything but rote standard fare…