Whatcha Reading? November 2022, Part Two

The woman in yellow coat jeans and boots sitting under the maple tree with a red book and cup of coffee or tea in fall city park on a warm day. Autumn golden leaves. Reading concept. Close up.We’re wrapping up November, which means part two of Whatcha Reading for the month! Have you been doing any reading to escape holiday socializing? Or still too full from Thanksgiving leftovers to even think about reading?

Shana: I’ve been having a tough time reading lately. But I did start the audiobook of A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I love it so far.

Sneezy: I’m flying through To Melt Your Frozen Heart I’d been meaning to read this for a long time!!! Lots of delicious gender reversal that I think makes for a stronger story. There’s a twee golden retriever of a man, and a buff, remote wolf of a woman. Seriously, she’s a good head taller than him and is known as The Wolf of the Battlefield.

And the art is to DIE for!!!!!

Evil in Emerald
A | BN | K
Sarah: I am awaiting my library hold for the audio book of Evil in Emerald. I am NEXT IN LINE.

Amanda: I’m doing something wild and rereading. I’m not caught up on A Court of Thorns and Roses, ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) so I’m starting from the beginning again.

Sarah: First of all Whoa! That’s rare! Second…see you in a few years then.

Elyse: Right now I’m reading The Stand-Up Groomsman by Jackie Lau. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Tara: When I’m not feeding or sacrificing my cult members playing Cult of the Lamb, I’m reading Season of Love by Helena Greer. ( A | BN | K | AB ) Sarah told me it’s excellent and she wasn’t kidding!

What are you reading? Tell us below!

Comments are Closed

  1. Jane says:

    I just finished “The Lights on Knockbridge Lane” by Roan Parrish and really enjoyed it! I’m onto ‘The Christmas Lights’ by Karen Swan.

  2. Heather M says:

    The Scum Villian’s Self-Saving System vol 4 – Mo Xiang Tong Xu

    The main story ended in vol 3, so this was a series of what would have started as internet extras. They were for the most part pretty fun. I think the standout was finally getting the story of Airplane and Mobei-Jun, because even in the main storyline it was like dang…they’ve got vibes going. The story was not really a romantic arc…but definitely fanfic material. Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe continue to be a mess, but a weirdly sweet mess. Overall, not my favorite MXTX book, but I’m glad I read it.

    Pulp – Robin Talley

    This is a YA novel with a dual timeline – a lesbian teenager in 2017 struggling with her parents’ disintegrating marriage and her own feelings over her ex discovers lesbian pulp novels and becomes somewhat obsessed with a particular book. And in 1955, a teenager discovers a lesbian pulp novel at a bus station and starts discovering her own identity. She writes a novel of her own and then disappears in mysterious circumstances. I liked this a lot. It is VERY YA, especially in the 2017 sections. There’s a lot of “teaching” moments. In that way it’s a bit different than what I would usually read. But I thought the characters were really well conceived, and hey, even a crusty 37 year old like me can still stand to learn new things about queer history. And it is a very positive book even when talking about the tragedies of many queer lives.

    Ship Wrecked – Olivia Dade

    Read for book club. My first Olivia Dade. I felt okay in it without having the earlier books in the series done, though I do think that they would have given me some context. I shall offer no spoilers since it’s still pretty new and I don’t think I’ve seen a review on the site, but I enjoyed it.

  3. Jill Q. says:

    I’m mostly reading baking magazines and cookbooks this time of year (gingersnaps and peppermint mocha cookies already squirreled away in the fridge) And some excellent fanfic. In short, comfort mode. Re-listening to a lot of favorite audiobooks while I declutter. Rosalyn Landor, Kate Reading, all my favorite readers. That’s almost more important than what they’re reading.

    But I did really like FORTUNE FAVORS THE DEAD by Stephen Spotswood. It’s the first in a mystery series that reads quite a bit like a female version of Nero Wolfe. This Nero is Lillian Pentecost, a brilliant detective who needs assistance due to some health problems. Her Archie is Willowjean Parker, a young woman who used to be a circus performer and now is training to be a detective. I had been avoiding it for a while b/c I got it in my head that it was a romance with a May/December trope which is not my personal favorite (no offense to people who like it, just not my thing).
    It’s not, It’s definitely a mystery (a good one!) although Will (as she prefers to be called) does have a little romance come her way. I feel like you can totally read it without ever having read the Nero Wolfe books, but if you ever read them and thought “what would this be like with more awesome female characters and they were allowed to be queer?” This series is for you. Also if you like lots of snappy patter, a strong character voice, and mystery duos who have prickly affection for each other.

  4. FashionablyEvil says:

    Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope your meals were tasty and your families cheerful (or, at least, inoffensive).

    Since the last WAYR, I got Covid and (thankfully) no brain fog, but quite a lot of reading:

    THE GOLDEN ENCLAVES by Naomi Novik. I really liked the first two books in the trilogy, but this last one dragged for me. It got too political and preachy and the ending for the villain was particularly unsatisfying.

    A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone was, well, cute. Porn star and former boy band bad boy attempt to start a new chapter starring in a Hallmark-like movie. I enjoyed the MCs and thought their romance was charming. However. If you have an entire suitcase full of sex toys in the room, you really need to use them. (Clearly a corollary to Chekhov’s gun.)

    PARTNERS IN CRIME by Alisha Rai. Rai’s books are always fun and her characters’ friends and families and those relationship dynamics add a fun layer to her books. However, the ending was a LOT. There are two major plot twists (right at the very end) with major emotional implications and I feel like one would have been sufficient or, if Rai really wanted both, to give a little more space for those revelations to settle. Otherwise, this is a fun caper/heist and would make a solid movie. 

    A RESTLESS TRUTH by Freya Marske. Murder on a ship, must find the bad guy before they dock, etc., etc. I really enjoyed this one (though f/f is not usually my preference), but honestly, there was one sex scene too many. It’s six days on the ship and one of the characters is a virgin/entirely sexually inexperienced/doesn’t even realize she’s attracted to women at the start of the book and it’s like, “Sweetie, you really don’t need to be hate fucking this early in your sex life.” But! It’s cute and charming and, yes, as Marske said on the SBTB podcast, the set up for book 3 is abundantly clear and I’m looking forward to it.

    THORN by Intisar Khanani is a retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale The Goose Girl. It’s one of those books where I appreciated what the author was doing–she definitely hews close to the source material (naturally, much darker; there are no heroic rescues here) and she’s more interested in a heroine who is resilient and a survivor rather than kickass (a la Katniss, Katsa, or a Sarah J. Maas heroine)–but I found it rather boring, especially at the beginning. Later in in the book, Thorn begins to find her way, but for the first half or so of the book, she is SO passive and it’s just a grind watching her take the path of least resistance/deciding by not deciding all the time. I kept wanting to yell at her, “Look, I know none of this is ideal! But OMG, make some actual choices! Take some, any, action here!”

    THE BELLE OF BELGRAVE SQUARE by Mimi Matthews. I have to say, I don’t know of another author who does psychologically creepy characters as well as Matthews does. In this case, the parents of the heroine, Julia, are self-inflicted and self-enforced invalids. Matthews does a great job sketching this out and why this might be (especially for Julia’s mother) and the awful impact it has on Julia. Julia and our hero, Jasper, are a great fit and I really enjoyed seeing them grow together even as Jasper is clearly keeping some secrets. The ending felt a little rushed (similar to the Rai, there are some events that really would just require some time to settle and sort through emotionally and the timeline is quite compressed), but on the whole, it was a brisk and enjoyable read and I am looking forward to book three in the series (about Julia’s friend Anne), apparently titled THE LILY OF LUDGATE HILL and due out in 2024.

    Up next: VIOLET MADE OF THORNS by Gina Chen.

    [Also, anyone else vote in the Goodreads Best of 2022? I was really surprised that I had only read two of the romance nominees (BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry and ELECTRIC IDOL by Katee Robert neither of which would make my own Best of 2022 list.) I have read 5 of the fantasy novels and that was a tough call between THE STARDUST THIEF by Chelsea Abdullah and NETTLE AND BONE by T. Kingfisher, and I voted for Deanna Raybourn’s KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE for best mystery/thriller.]

  5. Heather C says:

    I finished the audiobook for Ten Tomatoes that changed the world (rec’d by Amanda in October). So fun! I’m known for not liking tomatoes but now I want to do taste tests with different varieties. I gushed after every chapter and now my dad has asked for his own copy.

    Romance side I binged AJ Sherwood’s How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy, a cute, funny m/m romance fantasy novella series. Devan is the head knight for his kingdom, but the princess he serves is willing to sacrifice a border town. Devan approaches the black sorcerer, Tan to save the town.

  6. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    My post disappeared into the ether, so this is a possible duplicate. Apologies if it is.

    Ava Wilder’s HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD is an excellent and extremely angsty story about how the fake relationship between two actors grows serious—only to have it undermined by alcoholism and enabling. Grey, an actress famous for her role in a long-running TV series, hopes to take a big career step by getting a part in an upcoming blockbuster. Grey knows the role is a throwaway “girlfriend of the hero”, but with that on her resume she could gain enough leverage to produce a screenplay she and her roommate have been working on for years. Ethan is a former A-list superstar who has spent the past five years in an alcoholic stupor after the death of his best friend and the disintegration of his marriage. The only thing Grey and Ethan have in common is their publicist—who suggests a fake relationship that will help get Grey more visibility in Hollywood and will present Ethan as stable and employable. Both Grey and Ethan are less-than-thrilled with the idea, but they also see the benefits to their careers that pretending to be in a committed relationship will bring. One of the things I really liked about the premise of the book is that Wilder acknowledges that readers are aware of how celebrities often engineer their own publicity and how fake relationships are a staple of that universe; the publicist even notifies the paparazzi when Grey & Ethan step out together, to ensure their pictures get posted on social media and gossip sites (a practice that will eventually have significant consequences for the couple). Gradually, as their fake relationship continues, a grudging respect and admitted attraction develops between Grey and Ethan, although Grey has to remind herself that “everyone knew celebrities’ development permanently arrested at the age they became famous” whenever Ethan goes off the rails—which he does whenever he is faced with having to be answerable for his behavior. Wilder vividly captures the see-sawing emotions of loving someone who struggles with addiction: when they’re sober, they’re wonderful and you want to stay with them forever, when they fall off the wagon, they become a different person—and you find yourself doing anything you can to appease their demons so that the “different person” will stay away. Eventually, however, Grey cannot cope with Ethan’s monsters and, after he has a spectacular public meltdown, she angrily informs him that “blaming yourself, feeling sorry for yourself, hating yourself is not the same as accountability.” And although Grey knows “the only villain here was human fallibility,” she also realizes that, for her own sanity, she must move on from Ethan. The book does have an HEA, but it is hard-won and comes after a long period of separation between the couple, which I think works for the storyline—I wouldn’t have believed in a reunion that took place too soon after their break-up—Ethan and, to a lesser extent, Grey both needed to work on their own issues before they were ready to commit to a long-term relationship. One of my favorite books of 2022. Highly recommended, especially for lovers of seriously angsty romances.

    One side note: anyone who reads my comments knows I’m not a fan of illustrated romance covers which I find intentionally misleading at best and designed to appease misogynistic cultural impulses at worst, however, the cover of HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD is, I think, one of the rare times when an illustrated cover works…but only AFTER you’ve read the book, because it’s only after reading the story that you notice things such as the people on the cover aren’t smiling and seem awkwardly posed with each other; also they’re both wearing sunglasses which blurs their facial expressions while putting literal stars in their eyes. I don’t know if that cover was meant to communicate the MCs’ initial ambivalence or their difficult journey to being open and honest with each other, but I think it does that very well. The odd case of an illustrated cover that works—but only after you’ve read the book.

    Reading Skye Warren’s HIDING PLACES right after HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD made an interesting juxtaposition in that, unlike the MCs of HTFIIH, the MCs of HIDING PLACES are trying hard to suppress any publicity resulting from their relationship. Actor Mateo returns to his hometown on the Maine coast and reconnects with his high-school crush, Emily—a widow whose brother (a corrupt cop) is on trial for murdering her abusive husband (cw/tw: references are made to the abuse, both physical and emotional, that Emily received from her husband). Mateo’s publicist sees the relationship as an opportunity for Mateo to increase his Hollywood profile, while Mateo only wants to protect Emily (and her young daughter) from the incessant paparazzi and the vicious rumors that have circulated about her brother and her marriage. HIDING PLACES cannot be read as a standalone, it needs to be read after Warren’s JANE EYRE-inspired Rochester Trilogy (PRIVATE PROPERTY, STRICT CONFIDENCE, and BEST KEPT SECRET) where Mateo and Emily are secondary characters and where what happened to Emily is an important subplot. Beau & Jane (the MCs of the Rochester Trilogy) also make frequent appearances in HIDING PLACES—in fact, there are two parallel storylines running for a good portion of the book, one involving Mateo & Emily and one involving Beau & Jane; while Mateo & Emily’s story is the predominant one, Beau & Jane have to negotiate their post-HEA as Jane (who is much younger than Beau) is at last achieving her goal of attending college. Warren carefully weaves the suspense element involving her main couple with the rather more mundane concerns of Beau & Jane, especially when the trial of Emily’s brother takes center stage. Recommended—but read the Rochester Trilogy first.

    Claire Kingsley’s THE GRUMP WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS is a grumpy-sunshine pairing about a woman determined to save her family’s farm (including their annual Christmas Village) and her ex, a cold-hearted businessman determined to buy the family’s farmland to build his company’s data center. Will spending the weeks leading up to Christmas in the town and in the company of his ex melt the hero’s icy heart? (The hero’s last name is Stoneheart, which may be a little too on-the-nose.) Well, what do you think? THE GRUMP WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS is a sweet Christmas story—perhaps a trifle too sweet: I never for one moment felt that the heroine’s family were actually going to lose their land or that the hero would fail to be moved by the Christmas spirit of the town. There are a few darker moments (cw/tw: flashbacks to the hero’s neglectful parents and the heroine’s teenage miscarriage), but THE GRUMP WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS will undoubtedly put you in the season’s spirits. However, I really think GRUMP should be read after reading Kingsley’s Bailey Brothers books, particularly REWRITING THE STARS because the two books share mutual timelines and some of the plot points overlap. Recommended.

    One of the most interesting things about Sybil Bartel’s NOVEMBER, the latest in her Alpha Elite romantic-suspense series, is that well over the first third of the book is the backstory and set-up. We see how the hero—an elite hacker—met, fell in love with, and lost the heroine four years before, and how he subsequently left his military career and went to work for the Alpha Elite security service. It’s around the 35% point of the book before events open in current times with the hero discovering the whereabouts of the (previously presumed dead) heroine. As is par for the course for a Bartel romance, NOVEMBER (which is the hero’s code name and has nothing to do with the month) comprises equal parts D/s sex (the book really leans into its “hero is a natural dom and heroine is a natural sub” element), action-packed scenes of pursuit, exchanges of massive amounts of fire power, sadistic bad guys, lots of violence, and cameo appearances by the heroes (and, occasionally, the heroines) of prior books. I’ve been reading Bartel’s books for years, and I find her template predictable and comforting (despite all the pew-pew violence); however, if you’re interested in reading her books, I would not recommend starting with NOVEMBER—go back to her earlier books and move on from there (most of her books are connected in one way or another). One last note: it’s funny how quickly events can turn—I did have to chuckle when the hero demanded that he be paid in crypto-currency because he had accumulated a lot of wealthy mining it. Hopefully, he sold his holdings before FTX crashed.

  7. PurpleJen says:

    Reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. It’s been on my list forever. I’m liking it pretty well so far.
    Other recent reads have been Ashley Herring Blake’s Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (really cute), Talia Hibbert’s A Girl Like Her (so very, very good!), and a reread of Gail Carriger’s Soulless (always fun).

  8. I’m still collecting holiday romances to read, including A PRINCESS BY CHRISTMAS by Julia London and A BRAMBLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS by CJ Carmichael.

    I have several other books waiting on the TBR pile, including SHIP WRECKED by Olivia Dade and REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi.

    I also feel like I should re-read THE HOBBIT/LORD OF THE RINGS this weekend because I have totally turned into a hobbit by staying at home and eating first lunch (breakfast), second lunch, and sometimes third lunch, and then capping it all off with some hot chocolate at night. LOL.

    Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! 🙂

  9. Anne says:

    Just dashing in to offer high praise for Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London series. I guess I would describe it as supernatural steampunk. I am currently on book four, Shadowdance, and it is my favourite so far. So. Much. Yearning. Fabulous MCs and truly horrible villains, plus a cast of excellent recurring characters from books past and yet to come. I am obsessed.

    *dashes out again*

  10. Jess says:

    I’m about 40% of the way into Meryl Wilsner’s “Mistakes Were Made” and I am not really feeling it… it’s obviously a hard premise to sell and I’m not buying so far that the leads have romantic rather than sexual chemistry. But I’m curious enough to finish lol. I’ve also been getting into Eloisa James, whose books are not my usual type of romance but very enjoyable.

    “Once Upon a Tower” by Eloisa James: M/f historical. Workaholic, uptight Scottish duke Gowan is smitten when he meets quiet, mysterious Lady Edith Gilchrist at a ball. He immediately asks her father for her hand in marriage, and he accepts. But Edie was only quiet and mysterious at the ball because she had a severe fever. She’s spent her life playing peacemaker in her father and stepmother’s tumultuous relationship and all she wants from her own marriage is a husband who will leave her alone to play the cello. Once they’re engaged, she’s as attracted to Gowan as he is to her, but is what they want out of marriage actually compatible? Some wild stuff happens in this book — it’s part of James’ “Fairy Tales” series and is supposed to be a Rapunzel retelling, but Edie doesn’t end up in a tower until 85% of the way in. It also deals with sex in a way that feels unusual for a traditional m/f regency romance and was kind of refreshing if maybe not entirely successful? James’ written style is very frothy and readable and I really enjoyed it.

    “Seduced by a Pirate” by Eloisa James: M/f historical, novella. Griffin and Phoebe had an arranged marriage when she was 20 and he was 17; too intimidated to perform sexually on their wedding night, he ran off to a pub, where he was press-ganged onto a pirate ship. He’s been gone for 14 years (!!) and became a privateer captain. When he returns to England, he wants to reunite with Phoebe, who he’s technically been married to this whole time, and who now has three children. This premise is obviously nuts, and a novella is just not enough narrative time to make up for abandoning your wife on your wedding night, for 14 years, even if it wasn’t intentional at first. And there’s a super obvious spoiler about the children that I saw coming instantly but was still annoyed by. But there’s something about Eloisa James… I still had fun reading this.

    “Winning the Wallflower” by Eloisa James: M/f historical novella. Lucy Towerton is engaged to a rich stockbroker named Cyrus Ravensthorpe but has no idea how he feels about her, since he’s never tried to kiss her or even speak to her alone. When she unexpectedly inherits money of her own, her parents want her to marry a man with a title, but Lucy would rather have Ravensthorpe than a fortune-hunting duke and decides she needs to be caught in a compromising position with her cold fiancé. James’ books kind of remind me of a romance version of PG Wodehouse, since they’re mostly light comedies of high society about rich people having problems with their engagements and marriages. This novella really had that energy: it’s a fun romp, the romance isn’t the most realistic but at this point that wasn’t why I was reading these.

    “Season of Love” by Helena Greer: F/f contemporary holiday romance. Miriam Blum grew up spending the holidays on her eccentric great-aunt’s Jewish-run Christmas tree farm, but is now distant from her family because of her abusive dad and hasn’t been back in a decade. When her great-aunt dies, she leaves Miriam part ownership of the tree farm along with her cousin Hannah and the general manager, Noelle. Noelle and Miriam are attracted to each other but also butt heads; Miriam is initially determined not to get involved with the farm because she has an art career and a fiancée in the Big City, but decides to stay for one season to help save the business and prove to Noelle that she’s capable. There are obviously a lot of Hallmark movie tropes here, but because this is an f/f romance with a Jewish lead, I expected — perhaps unfairly — that they would be subverted a little more. They’re actually all played pretty straight, no pun intended. There’s not a lot of conflict in the first 70% of this book, and I found Noelle’s reaction to the conflict that does occur super uncharitable and unsympathetic. I was also annoyed by the plotline of Miriam’s relationship with her fiancée Tara; it’s obviously doomed, with Miriam thinking in the first chapter that they’re not in love, but it seems like a big part of the reason the relationship fails is because Miriam doesn’t talk to Tara about anything. She never mentioned her great-aunt, who was really important to her, and she just assumes Tara hates her art. I didn’t feel like the book justified why Miriam was so much more comfortable opening up to Noelle, who she’s known for like a week. Also, there’s no sex in this book, which I only hold against it because I feel like it contributed to making it feel sort of flat and unsatisfying. I don’t think I would enjoy other books by this author, but I do want Tara (who is a crusading defense attorney — objectively cooler and more important than running a Christmas tree farm imo!) to get a happy ending.

    “The Prophets” by Robert Jones Jr.: Novel set on a Mississippi plantation before the Civil War; told from a wide-ranging variety of perspectives, but mostly focuses on two young lovers named Isaiah and Samuel and what happens to them when some of their fellow enslaved people begin following Christianity and seeing Isaiah and Samuel as “other” for the first time. Deals with a lot of heavy topics really thoughtfully, including the use of Christianity to enforce racist hierarchy, sexual assault and reproductive control, and how slavery destroyed connections to African cultures and alternative ways of thinking about gender. It did take me a long time to get through not because of the subject material, but because some of the dreamy, non-linear prose was genuinely hard to follow. But some of it was also really compelling and beautiful! Would recommend.

    “The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps” by Kai Ashante Wilson: Fantasy novella set in a world where the gods have left, but many of their descendants remain. The protagonist, Demane, is a demigod who lives among humans and has joined a mercenary band led by another man with divine ancestry. The group is sent on a journey that goes through a dangerous magical territory called the Wildeeps. I thought this book had a really cool and unique approach: it draws on mythic fantasy concepts that are as old as “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” but doesn’t limit itself to imitating the ancient world. The characters use modern slang and modern scientific concepts are included as knowledge Demane has as a demigod and can’t translate well to humans; it was really unique and made the world feel more alive. I really liked Demane as a narrator and his relationship with the mercenary captain, which is slowly revealed to the reader over the course of the story. I didn’t love the ambiguous ending, though.

    “The Daughters of Ys” by MT Anderson and Jo Rioux: Graphic novel retelling of a Breton folktale about a princess who retreats from courtly life to live in the wild, and the price paid by her ruthless younger sister to keep the kingdom running. Fun, quick read with beautiful art.

    “Hidden Valley Road” by Robert Kolker: Nonfiction about a family with twelve children, six of whom developed schizophrenia. Because of the large number of siblings, they became an important case study for understanding schizophrenia during a time when it was hotly debated whether mental illness was inherited, caused by environmental factors like parenting, or some combination of the two. Learned a lot from this and I thought it handled the family’s story sensitively and well.

  11. LisaM says:

    I found a book on the library new books shelf that immediately made me think of SBTB: The Only Woman, by Immy Humes. It’s a book of photographs with yes, only one woman – school groups, professional groups, artists, musicians, office workers, with context for each photo and information about the woman (if available), including quotes from her. It’s about photography and women’s work and how we have been erased from both, and how “only” women in a profession, say, may have remained “only” for decades if not longer. My favorite so far is a medical school class in 1897. The lone woman. Anna Searcy, is wearing a fantastic curled hat, and now the medical school gives an annual award in her name, in the shape of the hat. Clearly this book has brought out the book evangelist in me.

    I had some books squirreled away for the long weekend, starting with Victoria Goddard’s At the Feet of the Sun, which was released early through her website. But I started with Ada Maria Soto’s Agents of Winter, the unexpected gift of a sequel to His Quiet Agent. I loved it so much, it is a perfect holiday story, and this time we get both Arthur and Martin’s POV – and we find out so much more about Martin. I hope she has more stories to tell with these two.

    Thanks to recommendations here, I read and enjoyed Claire Kann’s The Romantic Agenda and Sarah Andersen’s Fangs. Thanks to Carrie S. I have A Haunted History of Invisible Women to pick up today, but I am also trying to read Stacy Schiff’s new biography of Sam Adams, which is already overdue at the library (closed for the holiday weekend, so I can’t return it or anything [ignoring the book drop]). I really enjoy her writing, and I have forgotten so much of what I ever knew about US colonial history.

  12. Sarah (shoesforall) says:

    My books (no HC)

    ALL MADE UP: THR POWER AND PITFALLS OF BEAUTY CULTURE FROM CLEOPATRA TO KIM KARDASHIAN: This book is an exploration of makeup and what it means and the hold it has over people. I wish I liked it more but it casts such a wide net that it is like dough spread too thin. The cookies you are trying to make don’t survive when you cut them into shapes. Great ideas but needs a more focused execution.

    UNTIL I AM FREE: FANNIE LOU HAMER’S ENDURING MESSAGE TO AMERICA by Dr Keisha N Blain: An absolute must read. This is a book about a woman who was a sharecropper. She attended a SNCC meeting in 1962 and learned about her right to vote and made it her life’s mission to ensure that other people knew of their right to vote. Dr Blain’s writing gives me chills it is so good and the book is accessible. I can’t recommend it strongly enough especially given the timeliness of Mrs Hamer’s words and work.

    NEVER RESCUE A ROGUE by Virginia Heath: I was bored by the first book in this series but I love ‘friends to lovers’ and I bought it for 50% off. I am very glad I did. This is really good friends to lovers. Heath does not shorthand the friendship portion. They are actually depicted as friends in the book and their conversations sparkle. I hope she nails the landing on this!

    THE STARS UNDYING by Emery Robin: I have just started this and don’t have an opinion on it yet but the completist in me is forced to mention it.

  13. kkw says:

    Decent couple weeks, readingwise.
    Most notably I was shocked at how much I liked Paris Daillencourt, which I read fully expecting it to be one of the Alexis Hall’s that don’t really work for me, as the first one in the series was. And I had been warned (accurately) that the pov of an anxious character is every bit as rough as a very skilled writer can make it. So I more or less knew what I was getting into and figured it would be worth it if only for a hilarious line here or there. I still feel a bit like I was tricked into reading something that’s not a romance novel – I really *don’t* think it’s a romance novel, although to be fair the end is happy. Maybe it’s just a super angsty romance, which is not my preference? It didn’t feel like any angsty romance I have encountered. And no sex, worst of both worlds. I’d call it general fiction or even literary fiction – which is a category that largely ceases to hold my interest unless written over a hundred years ago. But this was legit cathartic, which all the attendant misery horror and transcendence. That cover is excellent and the book is excellent and it is hilarious how entirely they don’t go together.
    I also liked Polk’s Even Though I Knew the End, which I resisted a bit because that title is off putting and I don’t need any additional melancholy in my life thanks. But I am powerless to resist a queer paranormal detective historical romance. It’s engaging and sweet even if too short. Whatever my deep-seated philosophical objections to making tragedy beautiful, this was lovely and actually thoroughly joyful.
    Speaking of my ideal niche category, I am rereading Spectred Isle and I just can’t even deal with how perfect it is for me. I know we shan’t get more of this series because capitalism means we can’t have nice things but I want it desperately. Will happily settle for whatever KJ Charles wants to write next, of course.
    On the not spectacular but perfectly adequate for my needs front, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Pulley, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz, and Reforged by Haddon were all…not good, precisely, but good if you too have run out of KJ Charles and are making do with other queer paranormals to kill time.
    I tried reading Fence. Athough it was too YA for me, and didn’t move fast enough, I can understand the appeal. On the comics front I am much more into the gorgeous violence of Teenage Mercenary, these days, and its utterly wholesome wish fulfillment (sadly, I don’t believe it is queer but one can hope).
    I found still more queer Hockey romances, none of which were very good but it brings me mystified delight that there are so very many. Branched into soccer, or tried to, but Everything for You was unreadable. Dunno if it’s me, soccer, or Chloe Liese that’s to blame but it seemed to be 90% paeans to the previous couples of the series and their spawn, and 10% phoning in a plot.
    I read an Ashlyn Kane that’s queer but not hockey, Fake Dating the Prince, and it was …fine, but surprisingly I guess athletes are actually less off putting to me as heroes than hereditary monarchs, which are up there with cops as a challenge to my suspension of disbelief. Suzanne Brockmann can pull it off, but she’s unreasonably talented.
    Scandalized by Ivy Owens had me thinking that maybe I can still enjoy a contemporary hetero romance, which has not worked well for me as a subgenre since Jennifer Crusie. It’s somewhere between engaging and good until the end, which is extraordinarily perfunctory. It might be compounded by my dislike of celebrity romance but I don’t think so, I think the ending really is rushed, tacked on, and contrived.
    Otoh, Picture Perfect by Jeevani Charika never exactly grabbed me, and I can remember almost nothing about it beyond fake relationship – but it never let me down either. I could be bothered to finish it, at least, so I feel like both of those books might be good for someone who does actually gravitate towards contemporary hetero romance.

  14. Lilly says:

    Based on a comment thread here about regular people workplace romance, I read Eris Adderly’s Bass-Ackwards. I have to say, I usually read romance for romance and erotica for …not romance, but because of the premise this hits both. Every time I was going to get a squick feeling, the author nailed the issues so well that I was ok. The only question I had was whether the main characters’ love life would survive normalcy.

  15. Big K says:

    Hello, Smart Bitches!
    I had lots to do for Thanksgiving over the last couple of weeks, so not much reading. 🙁
    However, I did enjoy three things I would like to recommend to you for your weekend reading pleasure:
    1. FAUX HO HO (A Little Village Series) by ‘Nathan Burgoine — Holiday novella comfort reread. I love this novella, have enjoyed the rest in the series, and am looking forward to the next. For some reason, this one is pitch perfect for me. If you have an evening where you need a sure thing to distract you, here it is.
    2. THE DEAD LANDS series by Kati Wilde — Conan the Barbarian type of world-building, but much more romanticized that say, Milla Vane’s excellent books. Milla Vane light, if you will? Fun reads, believable romantic relationship arcs.
    3. HALF A SOUL by Olivia Atwater — Magical Regency England with a heroine who is missing half her soul. Believable love story that developed well over the book, enjoyable read (content warning for Faerie kidnapping of children and realistic descriptions of poverty that added a lot of depth to the story, but might be upsetting for some). Really excellent book!
    Hope you are all well, have survived any drama that the holidays have thrown at you thus far, and finding some good reading time for yourselves! Looking forward to everyone’s recs! 🙂

  16. Jc says:

    I’m getting a lot of reading done. I sm about 50% done done with Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. It’s fabulous told by alternating viewpoint (from his and her point of view. The story centers on a couple still deeply in love despite being divorced due to the stress and depression of a stillbirth. Desite that, it is not a depressing book at all, especially since you get the viewpoints of both the heroine and the hero.

    I also read Bet On It by Jodi Slaughter. I liked it (whoever thought bingo could be sexy. The characters each have mental health issues (PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder) and frankly it was more women’s fiction than romance. I got both from the library. (Thank goodness for elibrary books. I can also suggest three a month which they sometimes buy. I can suggest unlimited print books at my local public library.

    I finished the Carolina Comet series (all in KU) by Teagan Hunter. I can’t wait for the next book in the series which comes out in February.

  17. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    I suddenly realized in my post above I mis-titled Claire Kingsley’s Christmas book: it is actually HOW THE GRUMP SAVED CHRISTMAS. Sorry about that.

  18. Lace says:

    I learned by accident that there’s now a sequel to Ada Maria Soto’s His Quiet Agent, her yes, quiet M/M ace book. So I re-read HQA and the short Merlin in the Library and then Agents of Winter. Comfy time spent with enjoyable people.

    I’ll also highlight Ellen Klages Passing Strange, a slightly-fantasy sapphic novella from a few years back, centered on a pair of new lovers in WW2-era San Francisco, with great period cultural detail.

  19. SandyH says:

    I am finally reading The Last Hour of Gann and it is fabulous. The world building, the religion, the lizard man. I am half way through and really enjoying it. It’s a big book – 700 pages but worth it.

  20. Neile says:

    Right now I am having all the feels as I start Kennedy Ryan’s BEFORE I LET GO. More and more her books have been powerhouse knockouts for me, and this one is starting off strong.

    For my other reading (I’ve been sick so I’ve basically been reading all the time) I want to ditto so many people this round.

    With @Heather M on SHIP WRECKED, though I’ve read all three in the series and think this might be my favourite of the three novels. The structure just worked for me and I loved both MCs. Two big people (in both senses) who have one night together then work together. I loved both characters and her family and how they all fit together and oh, his pining!

    With @FashionablyEvil on THE GOLDEN ENCLAVES, which I just read and A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE (which I read a while ago), and PARTNERS IN CRIME. So ditto those comments.

    With @DiscoDollyDeb on HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD (which I read a while back). I was impressed on how I believed this relationship worked by the end.

    With @Lilly on Eris Adderly’s Bass-Ackwards

    Recent favourites:

    SHIP WRECKED (see above)

    Jenny Holiday’s DUKE, ACTUALLY. I’m sure everyone read this last year but I just did and found it delightful. It made me happy to read it. More characters I loved, both of them.

    After enjoying Amanda Gambill’s HONESTLY, I’M TOTALLY FAKING IT so much earlier this month, I picked up FOR THE RECORD, I HATE YOU. While these are romances, they’re crossed with women’s fiction and a lot it about the personal growth of the characters so they’re ready for their relationships. In FOR THE RECORD the couple have been in deep together since they were children–a friendship that grew into teenage obsession then blew up, damaging both characters. How they get it back together absorbed me.

    I really liked Tasha Boyd’s STOLEN ENGLISH about the end of a ten-year smolder between the head of security for a billionaire (the love interest in BROKEN FRENCH, which I also really really liked) and chief steward of his yacht when the chief steward, who basically has been hiding from her abusive husband, decides it’s time to stop hiding, get a divorce, and move on with her life. I loved the Mediterranean setting and this romance. Great pining on both sides.

    Liked:

    THE GOLDEN ENCLAVES. Hard to talk about this without spoilers. I liked the resolution but it’s one of those series where the first book has the most impact. Still, I found this very much worth reading and was fascinated by how NOVICK structured this world and the issues at its core.

    Jenny Holiday’s A PRINCESS FOR CHRISTMAS and SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS were both enjoyable but I loved DUKE, ACTUALLY, the mostest.

    Enjoyed Nikki Payne’s PRIDE AND PROTEST, a vey cleverly updated PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with an activist DJ meeting a rich young developer about to gentrify her neighbourhood–or so it seems. Handles the updated characters and plot so, so well.

    PARIS LETTERS (Thanks, Sarah!)

    Liked Alexa Martin’s BETTER THAN FICTION about a young woman who isn’t really a reader but she inherits her beloved grandmother’s bookstore and then there’s a listing romance author… Both charming and with some interesting depths.

    I liked Grace Draven’s RAVEN UNLIMITED, though it doesn’t reach the heights (and or that depths) of EIDOLON.

    Enjoyed the remaining two books of Staci Hart’s Bennet Brothers trilogy quite a bit. I think I just enjoyed the characters dealing with their issues.

  21. I just finished Lisette Marshall’s Heart of Silk and Shadows, which was a fun, steamy fantasy romance novel with a battle of wits through letter-writing (my favorite part) and which came as a freebie when I signed up to her newsletter. Now I’m 75% of the way into an ARC of Talia Hibbert’s first YA rom-com, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, and OMG. It might be my very favorite rom-com this year – and it’s definitely one of my absolute top books of the year. SO deliciously funny and sweet and heartfelt and just perfect!

  22. Midge says:

    I’ve had a rough couple of weeks at work, so I dove away into romance over the weekends and in evenings…
    VOWMAKER by Lily Morton – sequel novella to RULEBREAKER. Not a standalone, you need to have read Rulebreaker first and also, there’s a couple more short stories in her first Short Stack collection that include Gabe’s proposal which is referred to in Vowmaker. It was mostly fun, Gabe is as snarky as ever and still occasionally deals with the issues from his past and Dylan is there for him. Jude and Henry (splendidly dressed as always) also show up. What wasn’t needed so much IMHO were the sex scences, as they didn’t really do anything much to the story but were a bit too much “let’s not get caught (in the office, restaurant rest room etc.)”. Also, the wedding planner the finally pulls through for them, Joe, is an interesting character and Morton promises that there will be more of him in another story. Yes please! The whole terrible-wedding-planners story line was fun, but also maybe a bit over the top. Except for Joe, they all seemed to think that their ideas were best and didn’t seem into listening to Dylan and Gabe’s ideas much.
    And I breezed through Annabeth Albert’s #gaymers series. They’re a bit less fluffy than what I’m used to from Albert, but fine, also as stand alones, though some characters keep popping up again. They all have at least one MC who works at a company the develops computer games (no idea how realistically this is portrayed… first the game isn’t out but people seem to be hyped and pouring money into it, and then it appears it is out there… I didn’t quite get how all that works, I admit!). The first two also feature opposites attract/enemies to lovers, a road-trip element and forced proximity/only one bed and the second MC coming from a conservative/homophobe background. Which explains in part why there are darker moments in these books than I’ve been used to, though not super dark and I thought in general it was handled well. STATUS UPDATE has Adrian the video game designer and Noah, a geoarchaeologist who meet by chance. Noah lives a closed-off, solitary life and teaches at a super-conservative private university. They both have dogs who (of course) are rather like their owners. My one quibble with this one was how quickly they fell in love and Noah’s trying to find a new job and landing with the game company all seemed to be a bit “is this really going to work?” but it seems to, going by how they were when the showed up in his other books. How his university reacted to his coming out was terrible but not surprising. His family turned out to do better than feared – showing that people can change. And that his father (who died before the story) had done a lot of damage, as had been implied throughout. BETA TEST has Ravi, a graphic designer and Tristan, working in marketing, who start working at the same game company on the same day and who are complete opposites in every way, except for their love of computer games. Ravi’s conservative Indian family (mostly though his grandmother) and Tristan’s equally conservative white parents make for uneasy backgrounds. Their story itself is cute, especially the road trip. Ravi’s sisters and younger family members show him much-needed support, whilst Tristan finally stands up against his parents. Though that scene was short, and I thought that for all he talked about how they treated him for being the lesser son and not living up to the expectations they had for him for being like the deceased older brother that they had worshipped, there were a lot of issues that he still didn’t talk about to them when he did finally stand up. So, to me, still unresolved issues. CONNECTION ERROR crosses over into Albert’s Out of Uniform series. It features game designer and ultimate nerd Josiah and Ryan, an injured SEAL. Again, a travel element and total opposites attract, but no enemies to lovers. They connect pretty immediately over their love of gaming when sitting next to each other on a plane. Josiah doesn’t realise Ryan is an amputee until it gets to getting off the plane, some awakwardness ensues but they work it out quickly. Ryan is out an proud and so is Josiah, the dark moments here come from what Ryan is going through due to his injury, rehabilitation and hope to go back to duty as an instructor. I am not a reader of military romances or books, and have no idea how realistic this is, but to me it felt realistic what he went through, there was no sugar-coating the issues he dealt with, and the HEA felt good. OFF BASE is the first book in the Out of Uniform series, and connects to #gaymers as it’s MCs are Pike, a maths professor and game nerd who showed up as a side character as a friend of a friend in Connection Error, and Zack, a closeted SEAL in training, who also showed up at the end of that book first, as Ryan’s hospital room mate. Again, there’s some forced proximity (sharing a house), homophobic/conservative background (not just Zack’s being a SEAL, and he’s not a seasoned officer like Ryan; but his ultra-conservative, bible-thumping family). That all made for quite a bit of angst and a few dark moments, but they pull through at the end to an HEA/HFN (we know that Zack will get deployed soon at the end of the book – so this may not be for everybody). LEVEL UP is a novella that connects to #gaymers, about Landon, Pike’s ex-roommate, and a photographer. It’s cute and sweet, though there’s reference to Landon having been assaulted in college and he still deals with panic attacks due to that. Overall, I liked all these books, but with all the issued described, they might not be for all readers. For me they were good and not too dark. But yes, different than the fluffy stuff I’d read by her previously. The descriptions made it clear though what was to be expected. I will probably not continue though with the Out of Uniform series, as military romances really aren’t my jam, and one is even about two snipers… now, that’s something I don’t think I want to read, TBH. But mileages may vary!

  23. HeatherS says:

    @Fashionably Evil: The Christmas novella “Stocking Stuffers” by Erin McLellan has heroine with a suitcase full of sex toys. They do get used.

  24. Ely says:

    I think I was in a bit of a mood this month, because I was grumpy about a lot of books, including some favourites that I usually comfort re-read. For some reason, it also took me a lot longer than usual to finish any books. So, this is my review for the last month, not just the last two weeks.

    BLITZ by Daniel O’Malley (B): It was fine, I guess? Whatever lightning in a bottle THE ROOK was, he hasn’t captured it again, in my opinion. BLITZ was definitely better than STILETTO, but not something that I’m interested in reading again. It was a split timeline story, so the author would leave one timeline right as something interesting was about to happen. The characters were all fine, but no-one stood out the way Myfanwy Thomas did from the first book. In fact, a very brief cameo by Odette from STILLETO made me irrationally angry. Slight spoiler: one of the non-POV characters had a very out of character moment early in the book and refused to explain why. It was stated to be out of character repeatedly by 2 POV characters, and the rationale was never resolved. One character literally thought “I guess we’ll never find out why she did that”. Finding out the rationale was a significant part of two plotlines, so that felt like such a cop out. I think I’m done with Daniel O’Malley, and I’ll just stick to re-reading THE ROOK.

    FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano (C+): I don’t understand how this series finishes, and there are clearly more books coming. SPOILERS AHEAD. At some point instead of accidentally being in the right place when someone is murdered, Finlay is going to have to choose to actually kill someone, right? And not somehow fail upwards into more money, having a terrifyingly competent accountant-nanny, a conveniently bitchy ex-husband’s new fiancée etc. I think I’m struggling with the basic premise and couldn’t just relax and go with it. Also, the way Finlay fucked over Detective Nick? Boo. Will not be continuing this series.

    HONOR AND SHADOWS by Jessie Mihalik (B+): Short prequel to HUNT THE STARS (A+++++++++++). I love HUNT THE STARS, if that’s not immediately obvious. So, I was happy to read a short story with these characters, which leads up to the exact point where HUNT THE STARS commences. The problem is that we don’t learn anything new about any of the characters. They just do a job. Still, I’ll read anything Jessie Mihalik writes and enjoy it.

    CHARON’S GOLD by Skyla Dawn Cameron (A-): Book 6 in the Livi Talbot series and it looks like I’ll have to wait until 2024 for the final book in the series (falls to my knees, wailing at the sky). This book is pretty grim, but they kind of all are. Apparently, the author has been receiving hate mail for not having Livi just instantly forgive West, the main love interest, for doing something really, deeply shitty, which makes me very sad. West learning to be more than just his survival instincts is such great character development, I don’t really understand why people would want to skip over that. This book moves the over-arching story along at a pretty good clip, resolving a few ongoing storylines while setting up a final showdown. One thing I love about this series is that the friendship between Pru and Livi consistently passes the Bechdel test, which is sad that I even notice it. It’s not like most fantasy series, where a BFF for the main female character is forgotten for books at a time, then is hastily shoehorned into a story to ensure girrrrrrrl power.

    WINTER’S ORBIT by Everina Maxwell (A): Oh, my baby Kiem. All my friends who have read this are all JAINAN I WUB YOU, but I just wanted Kiem to be happy. Lots and lots of politics and nuance and hidden motives and plotting going on in this book, but it all wraps up pretty well. I mainly read this because OCEAN’S ECHO was released in October, and I wanted to ensure I was all caught up. Happy to re-visit one of my favourite books. Which brings me to …

    OCEAN’S ECHO by Everina Maxwell (C+): I mean. It was a book that I read and put down repeatedly to read other things because I just wasn’t enjoying it. I finished it because I was determined to, not because I was enjoying it. Surit was a wonderful character and Tennalhin was a fun walking disaster. But I found the number of things going on in the story really confusing (and given how annoyed I was at BLITZ not explaining things, apparently I’m in the mood where I need shit laid out very clearly for me). Part of the problem, I think, was that there was a lot of visual representations of abstract concepts that just didn’t evoke the emotions that I think I was supposed to feel (I’m trying not to spoil this too much). There was a lot of talk about someone’s mind being like an ocean and that person’s mind just isn’t how I think of an ocean.

    MORNING GLORY MILKING FARM by C.M. Nacosta (A-): Re-read to get through OCEAN’S ECHO. This was bonkers and I love it. I’m not American so I don’t instinctually know how much 24oz represents. This time I actually got curious enough to look it up. 24oz is a lot of … stuff. No wonder they need towels.

    BUTT-DIALING THE BILLIONAIRE by Annika Martin (C+): There’s a phrase that I saw @DDD use on here once: capitalist rescue fantasy (please forgive me if I’m misquoting or misattributing). This book was as literal a capitalist rescue fantasy as I can think of. Also, the billionaire was just a straight up man-child and pretty much embodied the poor little rich boy stereotype. The heroine repeatedly referred to her colleagues at work as “family” which gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies. As always with Annika Martin, there was some fun sex scenes, however. Because I was disappointed, I decided to read my favourite billionaire book …

    THE BILLIONAIRE’S WAKE-UP-CALL GIRL by Annika Martin (B-): This is where I realized I was super crabby. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as previous reads. I was very cranky when Lizzie decided to forgive Theo for repeatedly ignoring her boundaries and lying to her (without him doing anything to actually change or understand what he did wrong). This was the point where I also realised that Annika Martin has a particular verbal tic, where someone in the sex scene will tell the other to “do me” or “do yourself”. I wish my brain wouldn’t pick up on these things.

    THE STONEHEART BRIDE by Kati Wilde (B+): Short, steamy story with Kati Wilde’s amazing ability to cram plot, character development and some fun sex scenes into 51 pages.

    I think I need to read some fantasy/sci-fi/action with secondary romances for a bit (or no romance), seeing as I’m apparently in an “all hetero men are trash” kind of mood. Blame the soon-to-be-ex-husband.

  25. Jeannette says:

    It has been a while since I posted, but life and books, continue to happen. In addition to the below found a bunch of M/M short stories/novellas on prolific works (used to be instafreebie). It was like an early xmas present – new free things from authors including Lisa Oliver, Luna David, AJ Sherwood, Sheen Jolie (S.J. Himes) and Louisa Masters.

    GREAT

    PIMIKO and the UNCHARTED ISLAND (Fantasy). This was a re-read, having finally read the yet unfinished LORD METTLEBRIGHT’S MAN. Reading LMM made PIMIKO make a lot more sense, and added depth that was missing in my first read.

    AGENTS OF WINTER by Ada Maria Soto (M/M Contemporary). An additional novella to the amazing HIS QUIET AGENT. These are real people and live in a real world (my office World Cup pool makes me think of HQA).

    TEA PRINCESS CHRONICLES by CASEY BLAIR (M/F Fantasy). A faux Victorian world with magic, and lots of tea. Lovely read, complex world, would like to have more.

    GOOD

    FINNSHIFTERS by Tia Fielding. (M/M Shifters). Shifters, set in Finland, need
    more be said?

    HOUSEWITCH Series by Delemhach (Fantasy). A story of a royal cook, a magical
    royal cook. Its not really a romance, more of an adventurer without the quest.

    JOY UNIVERSE Series by Louis Masters (M/M Contemporary) All set around an amusement parks corporate offices. Interesting people with a feeling of real-life. Very different from her other Paranormal Romances (HIDDEN SPECIES and HERE BE DRAGONS series, which I also liked but in a very different way)

    RUINS by AJ Sherwood (M/M Dragon Shifter). This read like a novella. I love the overall series which I re-read in anticipation but this one just seemed rushed. The characters were not fleshed out, almost caricatures of themselves.

    CONVERGENCE Series by Autumn Dawn (M/F Urban Fantasy). Different H/h each book. A little bit heavy on some of the morality aspects, but the world itself was interesting to explore.

    OK

    HELLHOUND COLLAR Series by Lisa Oliver (M/M Hellhound shifters). These are light, really light on details and plot…

    DRAKNOS MATES Series by C. G. Rayne (M/M Dragon Shifters). The dragons have appeared, in Texas. Not bad world building, although some plot holes.

    SECRET SANTA DADDY Series by M.A. Innes and Della Cain. I liked the Della Cain novels better, but they are all good for getting you in the holiday mood

    NOT SO MUCH

    THE MECHANIC PRINCE by Taki Drake (Contemporary) This is a little too preachy for me. However I really like other Taki Drake books – and haven’t seen anything new in over a year. Have they stopped writing??

    MADISON WOLVES series by Robin Roseau (F/F Shifter) I DNF the third book of this. The relationship became more abusive with gaslighting etc and I didn’t need any more of it in my head. Which is too bad because I had high hopes and enjoyed the first book.

    WHEN NO DOESN’T CUT IT by Lisa Oliver (M/M Shifter). Hate finished this book, hoping for redemption. There was a problem of consent and a spanking scene that just wasn’t consensual just punishment, but played off as ok because the Alpha needed to hit him. Very simply if this had been a M/F novel I would have thrown it across the room. And I like the author but am now wary whether to even look at the next in the series.

  26. Merle says:

    Up late because I had 2 temporary crowns put in today and my mouth is too sore to let me sleep, so thought I’d finally post for Whatcha Reading.

    I’m currently reading both Blurb Your Enthusiasm and The Address Book, which I found recommended on this site (in Get Rec’d, I think?), and enjoying both.

    Recently enjoyed Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan, a murder mystery set in 1950 Bombay, centered on Inspector Persis Wadia, who is smart, probably non-neurotypical, rather isolated and justifiably angry at sexism and the legacy of colonialism. Enjoyed this, and also the 2nd in the series, The Dying Day, looking forward to the 3rd book which just came out recently. I am rather tired, however, of the apparent requirement for prickly, isolated heroines to find community as a major plot point. It’s not that I don’t think finding community is valuable, but I don’t see why authors seem to think women need connection but men are allowed to continue on as angry loners.

    While waiting for the 3rd Persis book, I also enjoyed The Bangalore Detectives Club (which I also found from a mention here). Mysteries are tricky for me– I don’t like too much violence, but also dislike amateur sleuths who take lots of foolish chances and meddle for no good reason. I appreciated how Kaveri in Bangalore Detectives Club is honest about getting involved partly due to simple curiosity, but is also trying to help vulnerable people. She doesn’t take a lot of needless risks and works with the police instead of trying to go it alone.

    Speaking of which, is there such a thing as mysteries that consider alternative forms of justice, rather than either punishment by a seriously flawed legal system, or killing the perpetrators of violence (which I think is generally morally wrong and largely useless as a way to make the world safer)? As someone who believes in defunding the police, abolishing prisons and radically transforming how society deals with crime, I feel a bit conflicted about how most mysteries support the status quo.

    The only romance I remember reading recently is Kris Ripper’s The Life Revamp. This is the 2nd m/m romance I’ve read in which one mc is in an open marriage with a woman and the other mc is new to poly relationships and struggles with how he fits into the picture. Not sure how realistic these are from a poly perspective, but as an outsider the uncertainties explored made sense to me. I liked both Mason and Diego and enjoyed their sweet romance, and also appreciate how this whole trilogy centers on a group of friends who strongly maintain their friend group even as they settle into romantic relationships.

  27. Amelia says:

    I just read BEFORE I LET GO in a day. I kept thinking, “this is so boring! I do not care about this suburban mom’s weekly yoga class schedule” through the first hundred pages and then realized I was LOCKED in and could not put it down. Kennedy Ryan does it again. I’ve been off ‘high angst for grownups’ books for a while but now I’m jonesing for another author I can trust to pull it off.

    RAVEN UNVEILED by GRACE DRAVEN was the perfect audiobook for my Holliday road trip.

    THE COMEBACK by Lily Chu inexplicably squeezes 2 books together. The first 2/3 is a fully formed romance novel with a 3rd act breakup dramatically resolved with choices that line up with our understanding of the characters. But then it just keeps going? I guess Part 2 leans in to the K-Pop fanfic promise of the premise which might be fun but the heroine, who was previously a fully developed character, suddenly devolves into a forced plot conflict generator whose thoughts are impenetrable despite being in first person. An A book with a C- book frankensteined on at the back.

    WHERE WE END AND BEGIN by Jane Igharo feels like an old classic contemporary harlequin. Heroine gets overwhelmed and runs away in heels and gown soap opera style many times. I read it right after THE COMEBACK and actually laughed out loud at another books refusal to end. There are several natural satisfying ending spots but then you turn the page and here’s another dramatic set piece. A+

    A RIVER ENCHANTED was recommended in the SB comments and I loved it. All the magical lyricism I crave. Can’t wait for the sequel next month!

  28. MsPym says:

    IS ANYONE ELSE ON THE LORE OLYMPUS SHIP? Because it has been a long long time since I have caught up on 200+ weeks on a web comic in a single week. Glorious remake of Hades and Persephone myth with some truly splendid art and not flinching at all from Greek Mythology but also some exploration of what could mean in real emotional terms.

    Otherwise it’s been Paris Daillencourt which I appreciated without necessarily loving and Ocean’s Echo which I did really enjoy. Plus THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS by Katherine Addison which is one of the best bits of Holmes fanfic but also angels that I’ve ever read.

  29. Karin says:

    This month I was on a bit of a sci-fi binge. I read Jessie Mihalik, the Honor and Shadows prequel novella, then a reread of Polaris Rising, still my favorite of her books. From Linnea Sinclair, Finders Keepers and Gabriel’s Ghost, and also a short story sequel to Games of Command, called Mission: Nam Selan. The short story comes the Tales from the SFR Brigade anthology, free on Kindle. I look forward to sampling some other sci-fi romance authors in the anthology. Out of the 3 Sinclair books, Finders Keepers was my favorite, followed by Games of Command. The hero of Gabriel’s Ghost was extremely annoying. He was manipulative and kept hiding things from the heroine, over and over again, and she kept forgiving him. I liked, but did not love, The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal. Sorry everybody! However I did love Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell, even though it has no romance, and none of the usual sci-fi action stuff like space battles, aliens, or exploring strange planets. It’s a coming of age story, and the whole book is his everyday life on a space freighter. For some reason this was extremely readable and soothing. I’m looking forward to reading more of the series.

    Switching genres, I read Love Lettering. It took me several chapters to warm up to it, but I ending up loving it. The depiction of New York was pretty spot on, which is hard to do.
    I’ve just started reading Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat and Family by Rabia Chaudry. If Chaudry’s name is familiar to you, it’s probably because of the Serial podcast. She’s an attorney and was a strong advocate for Adnan Syed.

  30. Karin says:

    For @SBSarah, I was so disappointed that A.M. Stuart’s publisher did not renew her contract for more of the Harriet Gordon series that starts with Evil in Emerald! The writing and the setting is so good, and the MCs have such rich back stories. Stuart says she will be self-publishing a 4th book, but it may take a while, and unfortunately it will not have the same cover artist who did those exquisite covers for the first three.

  31. Karin says:

    Oops, I misspoke, Evil in Emerald is #3, Singapore Sapphire was #1.

  32. kkw says:

    @ MsPym Oh yes. The worst part of my week is approximately 2 minutes after the latest Lore Olympus drop, when I realize I have a whole new week to get through until there’s another. I read a lot of webtoons, I like a lot of webtoons, there isn’t anything that comes close to my Lore Olympus investment.

    Also since I am here, I will add that yesterday I failed to get into Rust in the Root. I can’t give up on it completely because it seems ideal in theory. The exposition is really heavy handed and I hate it when art is didactic. But I think I really like the system of magic, even tho I don’t want to be lectured about it… also I am 1/3 of the way in and there is no romance or sex yet and I *think* there is going to be some but I would really like it to show up already and I am nervous it isn’t that sort of book at all.
    I just read Cat Sebastian’s most recent Cabot novel and I feel so squishy inside. I have seriously uncomfortable cute aggression. I adore it so much.

  33. KatiM says:

    I haven’t posted one of these in forever and I don’t remember when the last one was so I’m just sticking with November.

    That being said, it’s been a very slow reading month. I read Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade and it was just as wonderful as I had anticipated. I laughed so hard, I cried at certain parts and I loved how Dade resolved the main issues. A+

    I just finished an arc of The Claw and the Crowned by Sarah Cradit. This is a fantasy romance set in her regular fantasy universe. Cradit always packs her books full of world building and gotcha paragraphs so I have to read her stuff slowly. And I have to annotate a lot. Anyway Drazhan and Imryll have a lot of issues to work through so it’s a long book. I loved every minute. A+

    Currently reading Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton based on an Instagram rec. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and I don’t normally read stalker romances so we’ll see how it goes. It is intriguing but make sure you check content warnings.

  34. Crystal says:

    :::walks in humming “Call Me Mother” by RuPaul:::

    My head has basically been back and forth between that song and “Let It Go”. Nice going, brain.

    In any case, I started things off seasonally by reading A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. CW: one of the main characters in this book has experienced pretty extensive emotional and physical neglect and abuse, which colors her worldview, understandably so. I always enjoy the found family aspect of the Bromance Book Club and how they rag on each other while being very ride-or-die. I also liked the fact that, since these books are set in Nashville, we were finally getting some involvement in the music scene there. After that, I was in the mood for some fantasy, and had been holding onto Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. SO GOOD. It blended elements of several fairy tales, both Western and East Asian, primarily The Wild Swans, with the swans instead being the titular cranes, as well as a princess in disguise that can’t speak and a wicked stepmother. I particularly liked the resourcefulness of the princess, Shiori. She’s also impulsive and has a good sense of humor that she conveys even when unable to speak. And yes, babies, there is a dragon that I think we’ll be spending more time with in the sequel, which is already out, of course I have it, but I think I’ll save it for my Christmas break. Which brings us to now, in which I’m happily reading The Match by Harlan Coben. It’s the second in the series that began with The Boy From the Woods. This one has Wilde (the “boy” from the title, who is a man between 40 and 42, as far as he knows). He is searching for his family, and gets a hit from a DNA database. The search for a relative draws him into a mystery that involves a cabal of people that have made it their mission to punish Internet trolls that have made it their gleeful mission to ruin the lives of others. Naturally, things go way too far and people start getting dead. It’s a great premise, Wilde remains an interesting character, with his penchant for solitude and bemusement at societal expectations of him (his reaction to reality TV is amusing), and, well, Coben is a pro. I only started reading him a couple years ago, and it’s been fun periodically dipping into that backlist. So until next time, may the combined fabulousness of Rupaul and Elsa follow us all into the next few weeks.

  35. I just finished NETTLE & BONE by T. Kingfisher, and if you haven’t read this fantasy with a lovely romance, run to your nearest indie bookstore! Characters who are over 30!!! Great banter! A dog made of bones! Elderly women who are heroines! It’s truly fabulous and while it’s been on my TBR shelves forever, it was worth the wait to have a weekend where I could really sink into it.

    T. Kingfisher is an autobuy for me now.

  36. EC Spurlock says:

    Currently wallowing in Good Book Hangover from THE DIABOLICAL MISS HYDE and really want to read the other books in the series but they seem to be very hard to find. (I’m not even sure what section to look for them in. Fantasy? Horror? Mystery?) Granted they are kind of old but you’d think they’d be available somewhere? I don’t want to resort to the library because our library system sucks…

    Not sure what I’m reading next; may go back and reread Sanderson’s Steampunk Mistborn series to catch up now that the fourth one has released.

  37. Stefanie Magura says:

    @Crystal:

    I read that book too, which means that it’s probably my first Christmas romance book I have read. Having said that, I enjoy the metacommentary on romance books throughout the series; it feels like the fourth wall is being broken a little bit. I agree with what you have said about this series, and am glad to see that there are commentors hear who have enjoyed the series, since it seems that the Smart Bitches reviewers had reservations. I both understand these reservations, and still enjoy these books. I specifically thought the heroine’s reasons for not enjoying Christmas and how they tie into her family dysfunction were really well written.

  38. Kareni says:

    Over the past two weeks ~

    — Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan was a dangerous book. I took it to bed one night to sample and then one more chaptered until I finished it! As you might surmise, I enjoyed it.
    — For my local book group, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Since this was a long book (637 pages), I read it slowly over a couple of weeks. It was very different from the previous book I’d read by this author, All the Light We Cannot See, but I did ultimately find it a rewarding read.
    — A Restless Truth (The Last Binding Book 2) by Freya Marske; this was an enjoyable historical fantasy romance. It is a follow on to the author’s first book but features two women as the leads.
    — Only Bad Options: A Galactic Bonds book by Jennifer Estep was an enjoyable science fiction romance though it did strain credulity a time or two.

    — I’ve always heard wonderful things about Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog. Though I’ve tried it several times, I’ve never progressed far and wondered if she just wasn’t for me. However, I read one of her shorter works and quite liked it. It’s available as a solo work ~ All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis. It’s also in this collection ~ A Lot Like Christmas: Stories by Connie Willis with some 400 additional pages of stories.
    — enjoyed Skyward (The Skyward Series Book 1) by Brandon Sanderson which is categorized as young adult science fiction.
    — enjoyed the historical romance novella Her Every Wish (Worth Saga) by Courtney Milan; rather than featuring more typical well to do characters, it has two fairly poor characters, one of whom is of mixed race.

  39. catscatscats says:

    I’ve had Covid so not reading as much as usual. I read the final book in Nora Roberts’s Dragon Heart trilogy, which is just out. I found the ending rather anti-climatic, but I’ve always enjoyed the world-building detail in this series more than the actual plot.

    Read number three in the Stariel series by AJ Lancaster, which was good and fairly undemanding – cosy fantasy.

    After reading the Nora, I went back to one of her recent stand-alones, Legacy. Goodness, the heroine is annoying – as the hero tells her, in a list of her flaws, despite which he loves her. What the book does have is a lovely dog relationship, and I am someone who doesn’t usually much care for dogs.

    LisaM, The Only Woman sounds amazing. Have put it on my list.

  40. catscatscats says:

    Jeannette – thank you for the Tea Princess recommendation. Have just glommed the first. A highlight was the point in the council meeting where the heroine counters the villain’s racist plans by asking about the impact assessment. Fighting evil with local govt bureaucracy.

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