Welcome back to another exciting edition of Get Rec’d!
I do a lot of recommending and not all of it is romance. Here is a selection of things I’ve recommended in the last couple weeks. There are two romances, but some interesting literary fiction with surrealism and Gothic elements.
Get any good recommendations lately? Any books you’d love to share?
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The Cherry Robbers
I recently recommended this to someone who wanted an underrated release with Gothic elements and family drama!
The highly anticipated second novel from Sarai Walker, following her “slyly subversive” (EW) cult-hit Dietland—a feminist gothic about the lone survivor of a cursed family of sisters, whose time may finally be up.
New Mexico, 2017: Sylvia Wren is one of the most important American artists of the past century. Known as a recluse, she avoids all public appearances. There’s a reason: she’s living under an assumed identity, having outrun a tragic past. But when a hungry journalist starts chasing her story, she’s confronted with whom she once was: Iris Chapel.
Connecticut, 1950: Iris Chapel is the second youngest of six sisters, all heiresses to a firearms fortune. They’ve grown up cloistered in a palatial Victorian house, mostly neglected by their distant father and troubled mother, who believes that their house is haunted by the victims of Chapel weapons. The girls long to escape, and for most of them, the only way out is marriage. But not long after the first Chapel sister walks down the aisle, she dies of mysterious causes, a tragedy that repeats with the second, leaving the rest to navigate the wreckage, to heart-wrenching consequences.
Ultimately, Iris flees the devastation of her family, and so begins the story of Sylvia Wren. But can she outrun the family curse forever?
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Nothing to See Here
This is a sweet and surrealist lit fic option! Definitely for people who love tender stories with a bit of weirdness. A woman becomes a caretaker to two children who burst into flames when agitated.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.
Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.
Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.
Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?
With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.
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This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
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Nuts
I get a lot of newer readers to romance in my orbit. A lot of them are pretty on top of new releases, which is why I turn to Alice Clayton in times of rom-com need. Honestly…wouldn’t be surprised if the Hudson Valley series gets re-released with illustrated covers.
From New York Times bestselling author Alice Clayton, the first in a brand-new romance series telling the humorously sexy tale of Roxie, a private chef who gets a taste of love—but is it to stay, or to go?
After losing almost all of her clients in one fell swoop following an accident involving whipped cream, private chef to Hollywood’s elite Roxie Callahan gets a call from her flighty mother, saying she’s needed home in upstate New York to run the family diner. Once she’s back in the Hudson Valley, local organic farmer Leo delivers Roxie a lovely bunch of walnuts, and soon sparks—and clothing—begin to fly. Leo believes that everything worth doing is worth doing slowly…and how! But will Roxie stay upstate, or will the lure of West Coast redemption tempt her back to Tinseltown?
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This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Nuts by Alice Clayton
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What If You & Me
Someone came into the store and wanted to know if we have some Mia Sosa backlist. We were sold out, but I asked if they were open to suggestions. I always brighten up when people say yes! We stood in front of the romance section and they told me what they like and don’t like. Out of all my suggestions, they went home with this one!
The world can be a scary place. At least, that’s what Andi Lockley’s anxiety wants her to believe. It doesn’t help that she narrowly escaped a dangerous man years ago, or that every relationship since has been colored with that lingering fear. But things are better now―she’s channeling everything into her career as a horror novelist and true crime podcaster, and her next book may be the breakthrough she needs.
If only her grumpy new neighbor would stop stomping around at all hours of the night.
Former firefighter Hill Dawson can’t sleep. After losing part of his leg in a rescue gone wrong, he’s now stuck in limbo. He needs to figure out what he’s supposed to do with his life, and he can’t let himself get distracted by the pretty redhead next door. But when someone breaks into Andi’s place, Hill can’t stop himself from rushing in to play the hero. Soon, a tentative bond forms between the unlikely pair. But what starts out as a neighborly exchange quickly turns into the chance for so much more…if Andi can learn to put aside her fear and trust in herself―and love―again.
New York Times and USA Today bestseller Roni Loren blends heat and heart in this emotionally charged story.
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This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!What If You & Me by Roni Loren
I am reading Émile Zola’s Rougon-Macquart series (English translation, Oxford World Classic editions) and if you like drama and mess and are interested in late 19th century life, this is a great series. The books can be read individually as well.
The Hudson Valley series by ALicia Clayton is TOP rom-com goodness!!!
These are some I have on my TBR. I really liked Nothing to See Here!
Happy reading!
Coincidentally The Cherry Robbers is one of six books from my library reserve list that I picked up on Saturday. I knew nothing about it but saw it in the new titles listing and thought I’d give it a try. Looking forward now to reading it.
(I was a bit “good gracious!” when I saw six had come in at once because God be with the days when younger me could make a lot of things other peoples problems and read all I wanted and when I went to collect them, the librarian (who knows me to see at this point, I’m on first name terms with 2 others since it and the post office was pretty much the only places I went to during the last two years when it was allowed to open) said to me “now don’t be worrying about getting all these read. There’s no late fees, you’ll get an email but that’s not from us so just read them and enjoy them!” This was said in a very laid back friendly Irish accent and I was like “…okay so…”
In short, since they revamped the Irish library system in 2019 and invested steeply in it, it’s one of my favourite hang outs)