We’re wrapping up March with our part two of Whatcha Reading!
Sneezy: I’ve recently started Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. ( A | BN | K ) The writing is lovely and I can’t wait to read all about the food!!!!
Elyse: I’m just over halfway through The Priory of the Orange Tree ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and I’m loving it. It’s epic fantasy, very immersive, and so far there hasn’t been a ton of violence like in other books I’ve read (looking at GRRM).
I’m listening to For Her Consideration ( A | BN | K ) but I’m just a little bit in. So far I’m enjoying it
Lara: I’ve just started my first ever audiobook and it’s a revelation. I’ve opted for A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas and I’m loving it.
Tara: Audiobooks are the only way I can finish nonfiction! Speaking of which, I’ve started listening to Bittersweet by Susan Cain. I saw her speak about it last year and am glad my library hold came through.
Sarah: I just started Artfully Yours by Johanna Lowell. ( A | BN | K ) So far I’ve met the heroine, Nina, who is a boss-level art forger, and is working as a housemaid, and I’ve met the hero, who is an art critic who can spot forgeries, and who has a terrible relationship with his brother. I have barely gotten past the first chapter but I’m very curious and want to have more reading time now, please.
Claudia: I can’t believe I missed a new book by her! I really liked the Runaway Duchess (The Duke Undone less so but still enjoyed it).
Carrie: I am reading The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I don’t use audiobooks because they make me fall asleep but I wish I had this on audiobook because I think her conversational style would work better for me in that format. That being said I’m enjoying it!
Claudia: I’m in the middle of blah season unfortunately!! I miss good-book tingles.
Shana: I just started The Portrait of a Duchess by Scarlett Peckham. Has anyone else read it?
Claudia: I have!!
EllenM: I preordered it but I haven’t started it yet!
Shana: I can’t wait to discuss with you Ellen!
Sarah: Shana, what do you think so far?
Shana: I’m devouring it, but I’m not sure I love the characters yet. We’ll see! I’m not sure what I think of the big age difference between them.
Susan: I’ve just started Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi, ( A | BN ) and like twelve pages in the protagonist is channelling “I can make him worse” energy
Shana: I also just finished How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. ( A | BN | K ) I can’t remember if one of you recommended it, but I loved how it encourages self-compassion and life hacks instead of shaming yourself into organizing your home.
So, whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
I just started Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. Looking forward to seeing it unfold!
I’m reading NEULONNAN TAITO (THE SKILL OF KNITTING), which is a thesis (in Finnish) by Anna Rauhala about the skill of knitting in Finland from the late 19th century to the present day. The library is making “knit or give over the needles” noises at me so I’m determined to finally get through it over the weekend. (Procrastinate? Me? Totally!)
Fun facts:
– Knitting has been considered a self-evident everyday practice. (Yup. Can totally confirm that. It comes across as a weird “why would I pay $$ for woolen socks when grandma makes them for free?” entitlement to the free labor of the crafter. Also as “why would I pay $$ for [insert handcrafted item here] when I can make one myself for free?”…which I totally recognize in my own reactions. *blush* BUT then again, these are the thought remains of self-sufficiency. Grow and shear your own sheep, card, spin, knit all the accessories for the household—making your own knitting needles—because while town-manufactured yarn and needles might be nice; they be spendy.)
– Throwing (English style) used to be the prevalent knitting style in Finland… “old style,” “original style,” “knitting from the right” and “knitting by throwing”… before the public school system taught? forced? hand-shamed? everyone into picking (continental style) some one hundred years ago.
I’m enjoying the reading immensely (now that I’ve gotten past the dry academic setup and into the meat of the information) and it’s making me examine my own assumptions. That change in style of knitting a century ago? Head ‘splodey when I first learned about it. (Before this thesis.) Like, wobbled my understanding of my cultural identity. (That whole thing about how to ASSUME makes an ASS of U and ME? Me = totally an ass!)
Okay, gotta go nerd out on a deadline now…
Still very, very slow going reading-wise here, but I’m enjoying Amanda Quick audiobooks narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. It’s funny, Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick was one of the first romance writers I gravitated to (almost 30 years ago) but I burned out on her formula and left her behind a long time ago. But I’ve been in the mood for comfort reads and comfort listens lately. They are working very nicely for that. Her books still definitely have a formula and her mysteries are always very obvious (I was a mystery reader long before I was a romance reader), but it’s all just a pleasant fun way to pass the time. It fits my lighthearted springy mood and holds me over until the next episode of SANDITON (which I similarly find a bit silly but enjoyable). I may end up re-listening to a lot of Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters after this to continue my Barbara Rosenblat binge.
Besides that I really enjoyed LETTERS OF NOTE:CORRESPONDENCE DESERVING OF A WIDER AUDIENCE by Shaun Usher. A fun, eclectic collection of letters, some of which I’d already read, some of which are new to me. I have a soft spot for all things epistolary and I’m toying with some epistolary fanfiction ideas so this was for fun and inspiration. Two of my favorite letters were John Steinbeck writing to his son about love and F. Scott Fitzgerald writing to his daughter, Scottie, with general life advice.
I’m toying with an epistolary fanfic, so this was fun and research. 🙂
I was unfamiliar with Romeo Alexander until I read a rave review on All About Romance for his m/m romantic-suspense, TO LOVE AND PROTECT. The story features two of my favorite tropes—bodyguard-client and enforced-proximity—so, faster than you can say, “there’s also opposites-attract and bi-awakening,” I grabbed the book from KU and gulped it down in a couple of sittings. In TO LOVE AND PROTECT, Marcus is a Navy veteran now working for the U.S. Marshal Service. He’s a serious, by-the-book straight-arrow (in more ways than one, lol). Marcus’s latest assignment is protecting Adrian, former long-time boyfriend of a high-ranking member of an organized crime family. Adrian has agreed to testify against his former lover, but he has to stay alive long enough to do so—and, given that Adrian’s previous safe house location was compromised, that might not be so easy. The first half of the story involves Marcus and Adrian adjusting to sharing a suburban house together. At first, Adrian seems to be something of a spoiled brat, but as time goes on, he reveals hidden depths and (when his location is exposed once more) lethal skills. Meanwhile, Marcus is coming to terms with finding himself attracted to another man. By the time the guys get to their first kiss, the sexual tension between them has been dialed up to 11! Then Marcus & Adrian have to go on the run to escape the bad guys coming for them—and their relationship matures as they have to trust and rely on each other. Another element I really liked about TO LOVE AND PROTECT is that it has an HFN that works for the MCs far better than a more florid HEA might have. The book is well-written and fast-paced, but it is romantic-suspense and includes the usual shoot-‘em-up elements of the genre. In addition, both MCs had dysfunctional childhoods, so CW/TW for discussions of the different ways family violence can manifest itself. Highly recommended—if you are ok with the standard levels of violence in a romantic-suspense.
TROPICAL STORM is the third and final book of Skye Warren’s & Amelia Wilde’s Deserted Island trilogy. It follows FORCE OF NATURE and NATURAL DISASTER and cannot be read as a standalone. TROPICAL STORM brings to a close the MMF romance between Carter & June & Theo, who are now ensconced in Carter’s brother’s home, surrounded by the Morelli family and trying to determine who they are as a throuple. There are some strong religious and spiritual overtones in the book—contrasting Carter’s Catholicism with Theo’s fundamentalist outlook—including discussions and thoughts about “sin”—none of which, thankfully, find being part of a loving poly-am relationship sinful. There’s also lots of danger banging (after gunshot wounds, falls from cliffs, fights with bad guys). I commented in the last WAYR that Skye Warren appears to have moved away from her extremely dark romances of the past (where MCs were often so damaged by life that only an equally damaged person could understand and love them) to stories that, while dark, are more focused on what it means to be part of a family and what obligations we have to people related to us by blood, marriage, or connection. The entire Deserted Island trilogy, while somewhat dark, is essentially a reclamation of love and family ties. Recommended.
POSSESSION by A. Anders (Adriana Anders) is the second book in her Camp Haven (previously titled Kink Camp) series about the various people who visit and participate in activities at, well, a kink camp. In POSSESSION, the hero, Zion, is a famous A-list actor; the heroine, Twyla, is up-and-coming actress with a “curvy” figure (a physical fact that is noted, albeit in a positive way, rather too many times imho). The couple are in an (unconsummated) fake marriage, but then a scandal erupts: the leaking of a sex tape featuring Zion and a woman who looks like (but isn’t) Twyla having D/s sex. In the resulting furor, Zion flees to Camp Haven, where Twyla follows him. Once his wife is there, Zion discovers that her tastes aren’t quite as vanilla as he’d assumed. I was in two minds about POSSESSION: on the one hand, it breaks no new ground in BDSM romance—Zion is a pansexual top who likes to administer spankings, among other things, but in the grand scheme of BDSM, this didn’t seem like anything too off the beaten (ha!) path; and, while the story doesn’t quite make Zion’s interest in kink solely the result of an emotionally damaged upbringing, there’s no doubt that was a huge contributing factor to how his sexuality evolved. On the other hand, I really liked how the book explored the rampant misogyny that means a male star’s infidelity hurts the career of his wife more than it hurts his own (which put me in mind of aspects of Ava Wilder’s HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD). That element of the book was really good, and I’m glad Zion realized how utterly he’d thrown Twyla under the bus with his actions. There’s plenty of BDSM/kink (with ongoing emphasis on everything being completely consensual) in POSSESSION, including a very long “kidnapping/abduction” scene between Twyla, Zion, and another man. There’s also a “Hey gang, let’s put on a show!” twist that arrives out of left field toward the end of the book. When it comes to POSSESSION, I’ll use the heroine’s own words about kink camp: “It’s kind of sexy and kind of silly and quite the spectacle.” Recommended.
Hey, Smart Bitches! Looking forward to everyone’s recommendations. Been too busy to dive into anything too interesting lately, so not much to report myself.
Suzanne Wright’s shifter books, The Phoenix Pack and the Olympus Pride series are solid. They are not going to rock your world, but good. I find if I pick the tropes that appeal to me specifically, they are a nice way to while away a tired evening. For some reason I like some of her other paranormal romances, like THE WICKED IN ME (Devil’s Cradle) and the Dark In You series a little more – maybe because the world building is a little more unique, there’s more meat on the bone? Again, if you like them, SW provides consistent writing you can rely on.
Read another Onley James book about the psychotic killer brothers – M/M called MAD MAN. Very silly, honestly, but I enjoyed it. Again, that idea that someone doesn’t care about many people, but is totally into their person is weirdly compelling. Like fated mates without the shifting.
PICTURE PERFECT by Jeevan Charika was a good book. M/F contemporary romance. It was a fake dating, only one bed book set in Great Britain and the Swiss Alps. On some level it worked. The couple’s shared cultural background, and their shared loneliness, connected them in a way that I found believable. In some ways, however, it was too believable and tepid. Their love felt realistic, but meh to me. I think I might check out the first book in the series, though, because again, the writing was good. I just didn’t love this love story between these two characters.
If you are looking for a cozy, M/M fantasy, RED HEIR by Lisa Henry was very good. In the same vein as LEGENDS AND LATTES, though I think L&L is the gold standard for this genre. As discussed on this site already, RED HEIR is sweet, comfortable, entertaining, and mildly funny. No stress, light, and moves right along. I will probably space out the series – I would not want to read all of them at once, but I recommend it.
Have a great weekend! Hope everyone is doing well!
In between reading new releases, I’m trying to read some older fantasy books, like ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE by Robin Hobb and FIRST TEST by Tamora Pierce.
I also downloaded a free preview of WITCH KING by Martha Wells. I really like her Murderbot series, and I’m looking forward to checking out her new fantasy book.
Hope everyone has a good weekend! 🙂
FINLAY DONOVON JUMPS THE GUN by Elle Cosiman, the third book in her series, was excellent. Finlay and Vero are in even worse trouble with the bad guys and potentially with the good guys. So funny and still thoughtful about Finlay’s path to figuring herself out. Ends on a cliffhanger.
THE LORD OF STARIEL by AJ Lancaster was everything the Bitchery said it would be. Outstanding.
SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN remains the only book I actually feel like shouting about but I am dutifully all capsing all the titles because it seemed everyone who cared preferred that. Of course I have already reread Secret Lives, how could I help myself. Too soon for a reread? Pshaw. I have read it three times now and it just came out. It remains delightful.
Otherwise a decent couple of reading weeks, with several books worth mentioning. Half a dozen I hadn’t read! Manage your expectations though because these are all titles you’ll have seen here before. I don’t write out a summary because honestly, what I mean by a decent book is basically that it delivers what the back of the book promises. I am not trying to sell any of these as hard as they sell themselves, you know? And as far as my thoughts on them go, well, uh, not very far because I like not having to think much. That’s the point of escapism for me.
Case in point, ENEMIES LIKE YOU by Annika Martin and Joanna Chambers was stupid if you think about it but if you can just go along for the ride it’s totally fine. I’ve read other things by both authors, and like them fine. This is more of the same. Alternating first person pov which is not my favorite (understatement!) but I still bothered to finish it.
GLASS TIDINGS by Amy J Cousins is a pro Christmas book, maybe even a novella speaking of not my favorite, but it was really sweet. The plot is garbage, ignore the plot, watching the prickly characters get over themselves and deal with love is the draw here.
SECOND HARVEST by Eli Easton somehow carried me along through some intense implausibility. I don’t believe in the closeted oblivious sexy Mennonite farmer, nor do I believe in the scared straight club kid who is happy isolated and baking away in the heartland, but if these people did exist they would be very happy together and that was nice. There was a weird unnecessary mess towards the end that I am hand waving out of existence but easily, because the author (as so many authors do) had waves and then tragic obstacles plot things have to happen for a denouement into existence.
I liked THOMAS THE RHYMER by Ellen Kushner. Her style is too ornate and dreamy for me, but it’s manageable, and if you like that sort of thing she must be the best, because even with that I enjoy her books.
Part 2 and this is me trying to be brief, lol.
HIGH TIMES IN THE LOW PARLIAMENT by Kelly Robson is not really something I expected to enjoy (stoner fun can be inaccessible when you are raised by drug addicts) but this was too intriguing to ignore. And it was surprisingly fun, because the alt restoration timeframe and fairy madness made the drugs make sense, I guess. More of a political satire than a romance, imo and I wasn’t mad that it was a novella for a change, but I am glad I read it.
TORN by Rowena Miller should have been YA, and I usually hate YA but the main character made zero sense as a grown woman who ran a successful self made business in alt revolutionary war era France. Also she spent very little time at her business doing her job, and they spent a shocking amount of time sewing at night by candlelight even though…whatever, it’s magic. I am planning on reading the next one. The romance aspect of this is not the draw, unless your suspension of disbelief/knowledge of history allows you to envision a Bourbon heir to the throne as a viable romantic prospect in any universe.
For webtoon peeps, LORE OLYMPUS remains my true love (it’s the final season and idk how to go on without it what am I going to do???) and TEENAGE MERCENARY is still helping get me through the week with its signature utterly ideal cozy wholesome goodness and violence. Also I have just started MYSTIC PRINCE, which seems worth mentioning here. It has for real 20 gorgeous princes I am supposed to keep track of, although (typical) I am immediately most invested in the attendants.
Slower progress than usual on account of the whole “newborn who sleeps just fine for a newborn, but still involves waking up several times at night to feed him.” He is very cute though.
AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS by Margaret Rogerson. This is a YA romance and the main problem with it is that the whole plot is premised on the hero and heroine falling in love. Friends, the falling in love part is, shall we say, unconvincing. (I think it probably has to do with the first person narration.) However! If you can put that aside (and I strongly encourage you to do so) the plot is fast-paced, creative, and entertaining. I really liked the hero and heroine and a number of the secondary characters. Also, a lot of blurbs seem to compare it to A Court of Thorns and Roses. Yeah, they’re both YA with faeries and a mortal, but that’s about it. I’m not totally sure this sounds like a recommendation, but I assure you, it is!
EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES. Was totally charmed by this one—it was a little slow to start, but then it totally gets going. Nice flip on the sunshine-grump where the guy is the sunshine and the woman is the grump. Emily also appears to be neurodivergent/on the autism spectrum—she has a hard time understanding other people which leads to some problems with the locals where she’s doing field work, but has some specific advantages when dealing with faeries. Really looking forward to the sequel!
Currently reading KJ Charles’ THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN. Normally I love KJ Charles, but this one is kind of rubbing me the wrong way. It might be the newborn-induced sleep deprivation, but one of the main characters, Gareth, is annoying me. I’m about a third of the way in and I don’t think it would be possible for his head to be any further up his ass. Yes, yes, he has reasons for such, but I’m definitely at the “omg, GET ON WITH IT!” phase of things. I don’t suspect I will DNF (even KJ Charles on a bad day still isn’t bad), but I don’t think it will be my favorite of hers.
I just finished THE FAMILY PLOT by Cherie Priest. It’s very much gothic horror and very much not a romance, but I loved the voice and the vibe and devoured it in two days.
Currently reading LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn after seeing “about a million people” recommend it on this site. Really enjoying it so far.
Also reading THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE by Aliette de Bodard, which is a science fiction sapphic romance with pirates. The writing is so gorgeous that I’m taking it slowly.
Although spring may officially be here, it is actually colder now than last month – I am ready for some warmer weather!
Excellent:
The Maiden’s Tale by Margaret Frazer: Eighth in the Dame Frevisse Medieval-England set mystery series, the murders or attempted murders are almost beside the point, instead we are treated to a world so different than our own in customs, habits, and expectations all while looking at duty, values, morals, sexism, and honor. I highly recommend the series (they get better as they go along too).
Very Good:
None
Good:
Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler: Interesting premise – the heroine is the shifter and the hero a special forces officer assigned to the mysterious and little known government unit the heroine works for. It was a fun action-adventure romantic suspense even though the ending was over-the-top crazy. CW for sexual assault
wedding date rescue by Sonya Weiss: Don’t examine the premise too closely – the heroine is left at the altar and her small-town matchmaking business (how are there enough clients to pay any bills?) takes a financial hit. Her investors (?????this is not an investable business for reasons I won’t detail here???) threaten to shut her down. So she enters into a fake relationship with her brother’s best friend. If you strip away the totally unbelievable starting point, it is a cute friends-to-lovers story.
Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards: I think this was rec’d here as either a cooking/food romance (true) and/or an unlikeable heroine (also true). And the premise too is totally bonkers – the heroine wants to get into book publishing because of how lucrative it is to be an author (snort) and has a month (double snort) to completely start and finish a tell-all book about a hot shot chef – the hero. The hero is a loyal, hardworking honest guy who is intrigued by the prickly uptight heroine. There is a secondary romance going on between a jaded older chain-smoking sous chef and a college student (m/m) that was much more interesting. CW for homophobia, violence against queer people, workplace violence
Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog: First in the historical mystery series set in rural Russia, this is a convoluted story including inheritance, class, sex, power, and religion. The style is very flowery and old-school. While I found it interesting, not enough to pick up the second in the series. CW the dogs are NOT ok
Meh:
Breathless by Anne Stuart: In most of the books of hers that I have read, Anne Stuart write a hero who truly is a villain – not the kind where everyone thinks he is a villain, but he actually isn’t, not that kind that are wrongly accused, not the kind were there is a kernel of truth but the rest are rumors, but true villains who do bad shit or are amoral or immoral or just plain assholes. And in the world of Romancelandia, I like a good villain love story. BUT for those to work for me there has to be a redemption arc and a lot of yearning and grovel. This book needed 1000% more grovel 1000% more redemption and 1000% more character growth on the part of the hero – I ate up the first 3/4 and was so mad at the last 1/4. And I am serious, this “hero” does bad things and the heroine is very much caught up in his bad stuff.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert: There is a 3 star review on Goodreads that sums up why I wasn’t that into this book, a retelling of Hades and Persephone in a modern setting. The world-building is a mess. The review uses the phrase porn without a plot (and at least book taught me that erotica is probably not my thing, I need a lot of plot and emotion to go with the sexy times), and a disappointment in the hero department. For the God of the Underworld, Hades is a very nice, reasonable person albeit with a traumatic past. When I thought I was getting a villain hero and didn’t, meh. That being said, I wanted to read this to get to the second book in the series, Electric Idol, which my sister-in-law said had a Lorcan (from Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass series)-like hero. I want to read anything that anyone compares to Lorcan, so there you go.
The Bad:
Montessori From the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen: After reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a Montessori person. I am suspicious of any religion, self-help, parenting, or financial expert that knows The Way and this book was very much in that vein. According to this book there is one right way to raise a child and other ways are wrong. That being said, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t find ideas to inform my own parenting, but overall I would not recommend.
I have a lot to catch up on!
FIRST COMES MARRIAGE, Shira Anthony, m/m contemporary. Came across this by accident, part of a series that riffs on category romance, but it’s all m/m. I thought the idea was cute and why not try one. Marriage of convenience, which I think is hard to pull off in a contemporary story. Here it’s the age-old trope of grandpa’s will that stipulates get married or lose the company. Overall, it’s a cute romance, didn’t go quite the way I thought, but at the same time it left me a bit meh. Some parts of the story which shouted conflict material by trope didn’t turn out that way – ok, why not, it gave the story a different turn, but it also left me a little deflated. Also, I feld that the H who has to marry had issues about being gay that needed more talking about… But I get it, this is not the kind of book that goes too deep. In short, cute but don’t expect big things.
Staying in category, tried THE DISCERNING GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE by Virginia Heath, a Harlequin Historical (m/f, Regency). I used to devour this type of romance as a teen and onwards for years – for a long time, this was my romance happy place. It starts well enough, with a buttoned-up, starchy lord and an outspoken companion to said lord’s aunt. They cross swords verbally, she makes snarky comments on said “Discerning Gentleman’s Guide…” which he wrote about finding the perfect (bland) wife. He fights for what he thinks is good in parliament and thinks he knows all about poor people – she of course has lived that reality and shows him the real thing. Feelings happen and in the end he decides to ditch the parliamentary career he thought he needed to have to live up to his dead father’s expectation, marry the non-perfect heroine – and solve the problems of the poorest in London by throwing money at it (buying up whole streets of houses). OK. I liked the first bits, when she gets snarky at him, but also starts seeing his hidden bits – but the end disappointed me. He could have continued his parliamentary work, but doing it his way and maybe be less popular and perfect, and used his money for good as well. But this whole “let’s just throw tons of money at this because nothing else helps” idea sat wrong with me.
THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN by KJ Charles (m/m historical). Already briefly mentioned that at the end of the last WAYR and just have to mention it again, it’s sooooo good! Adventure, smugglers, feels, a diverse cast – what’s not to love! And now I can’t wait for the next one in this series, which should come out later this year.
CONFETTI HEARTS by Lily Morton (m/m contemporary). This one features Joe the wedding planner from her recent novella Vow Maker and is the start of a new series. Joe’s failed marriage was briefly hinted on in Vow Maker, and this is the story behind it, featuring second chances and forced proximity (only one bed!). It’s cute, it has plenty of Morton’s trademark snark and banter, which I love, and is fine as a standalone. Except for a brief cameo by phone by Gabe, none of the other characters from Morton’s loosely connected universe turn up. What just didn’t add up for me was why Lachlan behaved as he did first during the marriage, keeping Joe at arm’s length, not talking about himself and so on. Everything pointed towards his having issues with getting close to anyone and issues with his parents – which turned out to be not so at all. And then in the end he’s very suddenly like, I did everything wrong, will make it better, will sell the house, have already sacked the horrible housekeeper – and all is well. For me, Lachlan’s behaviour just didn’t make much sense, and I would have loved to see the two of them really working things out when they got back from Scotland, and not for the story to go straight to epilogue with a few flash-backs. This story of two acts lacked a third act for me. There’s some classic romance tropes in this book, like the final reason for Joe to walk out (I’m not saying more because… spoilers!) and the horrible/antagonistic housekeeper, and when they talk about her, Joe even mentions Victoria Holt novels – which I too gobbled up as a teen and where this is a classic ingredient. I really enjoyed these tropes and allusions, but the other issues left me scratching my head a bit. Also, it’s not quite clear how Lachlan alone really needs a live-in housekeeper – and then goes to living alone with no problem once has sacked her. Maybe this was just written too quickly – it sounds like this story wasn’t planned but only happened because of Joe’s turn in Vow Maker.
HIS QUIET AGENT / MERLIN IN THE LIBRARY / AGENTS OF WINTER by Ada Maria Soto (m/m contemporary). Finally got to reading these after having seen them being recommended here. Unusual as in that the heroes are asexual and there’s not even kissing – but it proves that you don’t need sex and kissing per se for a good romance. These books/novellas which certainly need to be read together and in sequence deliver ALL the feels and then some! Arthur is such a cinnamon roll despite his awkwardness. Martin is the perfect human enigma, but once we get to see his real self, who couldn’t love him? I’m glad that we get a bit of his POV too after the first book. Check the TWs just in case, but if you are looking for something with all the feels and some hurt/comfort, these are a must-have.
BLURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM by Louise Willder – this was recommended here a few months ago and I got it then. I’m about half-way through (this is my go-to-work read) and I love it! Anyone who loves books, reading, language, words should read this! It’s funny, surprising, interesting and never boring! Also a perfect gift for every bookish person in your life!
My best friend found one of the above-mentioned Regency category romances that where my staple as a teen for my birthday, because she found one at a street library. It’s the German issue by Cora – the German equivalent to Harlequin and Mills & Boon – of THE OUTRAGEOUS DOWAGER by Sarah Westleigh. This was published as “Ich gehöre Ihnen, MyLord” in Cora’s MyLady-series, which was Regency only, and no explicit sex scenes. I believe in some instances they cut the sex out in the translation… (As a teen, I preferred these to Cora’s Historical series, which for my taste had too much sex plus vikings, highlanders and other stuff that I wasn’t interested in. I liked them better if they had lots of feels! Don’t ask me why, I wasn’t brought up to see sex as something bad and my parents never policed my reading – they knew I read romances and nobody ever asked if there was sex or not!) Anyway, I’m reading it, but it’s terrible. Historical inaccuracies aside (Regency dresses that magically enhance a lady’s slim waist???), theres’ so much that makes me roll my eyes. The heroine was married at 17, now she’s 24, a rich widow (of course!) and behaves like she is soooo worldly wise. The hero is the usual rake and behaves like a dick whenever she denies him something – like going out with him or letting him kiss her. He wants her in his bed with no strings attached, she wants him to propose marriage because she thinks he’s the perfect man – and all I can think is why, why, why….! But I think I shall finish it, just for old time’s sake.
I got this recommendation from one of my facebook groups. ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS IS A FINGERLING. It’s an m/m fated mates, shifter romance between a wolf and a POTATO!!! Frenchie shifts between a small man and a potato; I was cackling so much. Its very bonkerstown. I’m going to read the second in the series about his potato brother Russ.
I also read and loved THE SOLSTICE CABIN by Arden Powell. m/m historical + fantasy. David and Amaruq were friends in the city. Amaruq disappeared and David tracks him down in Alaska/Canada? At the start of winter. It was a cozy, snowed in friends to lovers joy.
@Heather C—okay, I have SO MANY questions about a **potato** shifter. (Also, how many bad puns are there?)
@Carrie S:
Michelle Obama is a good audio book narrator. I read Becoming and thought the conversational quality was enhanced by her narration.
I love fantasy romance, but good ones are hard to find. After seeing it mentioned here, I picked up BITTER MEDICINE by Mia Tsai and loved it. This is a debut novel and it showed in a few bumpy plot points, but overall, it had really solid, engaging, multicultural world building, two wonderful leads and a strong (and sexy) friends to lovers romance plot that was front and center while not shortchanging the fantasy elements. There was tons of yearning on the parts of both leads, both were magically strong and equal, and best of all, they actually worked out problems together, with direct adult communication.
I also enjoyed STORMWOLF SUMMER by Zoe Chant. This is the pen name for several authors who write shifter PNRs with fated mates, lots of cute kids, and unusual shifter forms. They are not necessarily memorable, but very fun to read, low tension and perfect to bring a smile to your face. This book featured older main characters (in their late 40’s), with the grumpiest of grumpy heroes and a sunshiny teacher, both of whom end up as camp counselors at a summer camp for shifter kids.
Finally, I enjoyed Ainsley Booth’s (Zoe York) latest, THE PLAYING GAME. A bit spicier than my preference (her Zoe York books are a slightly lower heat level), but I loved the hero, a hockey player coming to the end of his professional career, still performing at a high level, but knowing his playing days are numbered and gracefully stepping into the role of mentor. He was formerly quite the playboy, but met a woman 2 yrs ago who he connected with and hasn’t been able to forget. When he sees her in the stands after being traded to a new team, he is all in and willing to do whatever he needs to do to win her heart.
Did I, in an earlier “Whatcha Reading”, mention that I read all of the Kiki Lowenstein mysteries? It was interesting to notice how the scrapbooking store added additional crafts over the series – I suppose as scrapbooking waned in popularity. I found the characters’ lives more interesting than the mysteries but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad feature in a cosy series. About some of the craft projects I found myself thinking “that sounds interesting, maybe I should try…” until reminding myself that crafts always sound more interesting to me when I’m reading about them than actually, you know, crafting.
I completed the Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series. I enjoy author Erin Nicholas’ writing. In addition to realistic characters, her sense of place is very strong. And the animals! Each book revolves around people taking care of animals.
Someone here recommended Fee Simple Conditional, which was so good I promptly bought and read its sequel. I hope the author finds time to continue writing.
I re-read Lucy Score’s Things We Never Got Over yesterday evening and then, despite the very late hour, couldn’t stop myself from launching into its sequel, Things We Hide From The Light. I had to stop, though, when I flipped a page and couldn’t remember what I just read. That’s no way to treat reading a good book.
Reread the several of Julie James’s FBI/US Attorney series–SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, A LOT LIKE LOVE, ABOUT THAT NIGHT, and THE THING ABOUT LOVE. I know there are a couple others in the series, but these are my favorites, LOL.
Heatherly Bell’s SOLDIER COWBOY is the latest in her Men of Stone Ridge series, which is an entertaining riff on a small town where they have a shortage of eligible brides, so there’s been a committee to help lure women to town, including a reality TV series… Soldier Cowboy is a bodyguard/fake engagement/stalker story, and is a solid read.
Also enjoying Samantha Chase’s Band on the Run series, ONE MORE KISS, ONE MORE PROMISE, and ONE MORE MOMENT, which each focuses on one of the band members. ONE MORE CHANCE, which is out next week, is the manager’s story.
And finally, thanks to @DiscoDollyDeb and @cleo for their helpful thoughts on Misha Horne’s SNOWED IN WITH BENEFITS, which I did devour and completely enjoyed.
And @LML, Erin Nicholas is one of my favorite authors–she always does an excellent job of writing characters who feel relatable, and I love how they work through their issues by dealing with them and using their words. And her humor works for me; her books always satisfy.
My first post in a long while and, as retired person who is currently doing 1.2 FTEs while trying to recover from Covid and some depression, I haven’t had time to do any “serious reading.” I am binging short romances, especially Harlequin Presents, because you can pick them up and put them down as needed.
A recent one I liked was Damaso Claims His Heir by Annie West. Not as extreme as many of her others. Still the alpha male risen from nothing and the damage woman hiding behind her rich persona. Still the misunderstandings and the unexpected pregnancy; But these people use their words, they listen to each other, they help each other grow. The H actually tries to avoid pressuring her as much as he want to. How unexpected.
I discovered Marion Lennox’s medical romances which get the medical stuff right. A couple of her heroines were a little too independent for me which is not necessarily a bad thing. The latest read was Bride by Accident which I really enjoyed and which works better if you think of it as a fantasy.
An NA I liked was Famous Last Words by C W Farnsworth, college sports, enemies to lovers. She’s friends with the legitimate son of the H’s bio dad with whom he has a stormy relationship.
Enjoyed Claire Kingsley’s Broken Miles, second chance. He comes home to save the family ranch and reconnects with an ex-wife, realizes there is still a spark, begins to understand what he did wrong the first time. And she begins to understand how she contributed. And they start to use their words.
Just finished Five Minutes Mistake by Hannah Shield. Age gap, kind of co-workers, suspense. Nicely done, good mystery. They also use their words and, though this may seem like insta-lust, they do have history. And his teen daughter is pretty realistically written.
Currently reading The Protector by Susan Stoker. She is running from a stalker, he is damaged ex-Special Forces, they rescue each other in the middle of a Maine storm (been there, do not want the t-shirt). OMG, he is so careful with consent! Love it!
Still hating on romantic comedy books. Also really did not like Marriage at His Convenience by Jacqueline Baird. The H is so horrible and the h takes him back so easily. Very little grovel. I still hated him at the end.
This post relied heavily on kindle unlimited, btw.
I read THE PLAYING GAME by Ainsley Booth. I spent most of the book on guard for some stupid miscommunication between the main characters, but luckily it never came. I think it will be a good sexy comfort re-read for me.
With my new Hoopla access thanks to a neighboring county’s library, I am racing through Terri Brisbin’s Highland Feuding series, which starts with STOLEN BY THE HIGHLANDER. They are set in medieval Scotland and are Harlequin Historicals. Category romance is perfect for my slightly distracted brain this month, and I do love a nice long series.
been a while since I posted here because life has been a little crazy and I wanted to mention two series/books that I think the bitchery should really know about. I haven’t seen these mentioned here.
First is Intisar Khannani’s Dauntless series. It’s set in the same world as Thorn, and the princess from Thorn plays an integral role in the series. . . I loved it because it was very different from regular SFF stuff in terms of cultural setting, and magic and just the overall feel of the world.
Second is Victoria Goddard’s mammoth but absolutely wonderful Hands of The Emperor. It has a revolutionary bureaucrat, magic, has world-building that is very-inspired by I want to-say Polynesia, and just. . . really good friendships at the heart of it. It’s gigantic but oh such a pleasure to sink your teeth into. Doesn’t have any romance but is one of my favorite books that I’ve read in a while I’d say.
other stuff that I’ve been reading: Lady Sherlock, the Golden Enclaves, a bunch of D.E. Stevenson, A Gem of a Girl (Betty Neels), chapter books, Bloosmbury Girls, Kat Holloway series. . . all of them really, really good but the Dauntless series and the Goddard are the stand-outs!
I didn’t like PORTRAIT OF A DUCHESS. The FMC was wishywashy, saying no when she meant yes.
Since last time ~
— an enjoyable post-world war II male/male mystery/romance, Hither Page (Page & Sommers Book 1) by Cat Sebastian; this featured a spy/assassin and a doctor. I look forward to reading on in the series.
— the first three Seafort Saga books by David Feintuch; one was a reread while the others were new to me. Some thoughts about this science fiction series: it’s described as Hornblower in space, and I can see why. There is a lot of death and violence (hazing and caning, for example). It’s male centric, and the few women who do feature fare poorly. The lead character feels strongly about honor, and there is a lot of self-loathing when he cannot uphold his ideals. I enjoyed them and the second made me cry, but I think I will not continue on at this time as the books are long and other books call!
— a new book, Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read, which I enjoyed. I requested this some time ago and thought it would be a romance, but (while it included a romance) it was much more. In broad terms, you might say it’s about a woman in her early forties finding herself again.
— End of Story by Kylie Scott which I quite enjoyed. This was a contemporary romance with one paranormal element. While doing home repairs, a contractor finds divorce papers behind a wall in his name and the owner’s name that are dated ten years in the future. The two are acquainted when the story begins as she had previously dated his best friend. This was a fun story, but there is one question left unanswered.
@LML: I recently enjoyed Fee Simple Conditional. I don’t recall how I came to find it. It might have been on a list of ‘slice of life’ books.
I second @Juhi’s recommendation of Victoria Goddard’s Hands of The Emperor.
@Kareni, on occasion, after reading a special-to-me book like Fee Simple Conditional, I have a little clutch of fear that I might have never known about it to read it. Thank you for mentioning it here.
@flchen1, it makes me happy to know that Erin Nicholas has a prodigious back list of books just waiting for me.
I keep WAYR constructing posts in my head and then I don’t take the time to write them up, and I think to myself that I’ll just wait until next time. And suddenly months have passed. I promised myself that I’d stop delaying and just type, so here goes…
I fell down a Sara L. Hudson rabbit hole, and before I knew it I had read SPACE JUNK, SPACE COWBOY, SPACE ODDITIES, SPACE AGE, and SPACE BALLS, all of which are f/m romances. I very much enjoyed the series, particularly the first two books, which feature female NASA astronauts. I love female competence! I felt it kind of fell off a bit after the first two, but it was still fun.
In the more noir/hardboiled LGBTQ category, I read C.L Polk’s EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END novella and thought it was intriguing. There’s a bit of a love story in that one, and echoes of a love story in similar book that I liked even more — Lev AC Rosen’s LAVENDER HOUSE, which I recommend. In a similar vein is SCORCHED GRACE by Margot Douaihy which had so much going for it and I really wanted to like – lesbian punk rock Catholic nun in New Orleans is an intriguing premise, and the writing was sometimes so evocative that I stopped and repeated phrases out loud; but the mystery was weak, I wondered occasionally why some scenes were included and there was not a single character that I could like, not only were they all flawed, but they were all “nasty pieces of work”, as my mother would say, and I ended up barely finishing.
I need to mention how I accidentally fell into a werewolf theme in Feb/March and I loved it! Rachel Harrison’s SUCH SHARP TEETH was very smart in unexpected ways and has a lovely romance, Kati Wilde’s TEACHER’S PET WOLF and SHERIFF’S BAD BEAR were a romp, and I just downloaded Lish McBride’s A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR and realized it features (you guessed it) werewolves.
Lucy Score’s books about Knockemout Virginia- THINGS WE NEVER GOT OVER and THINGS WE HIDE FROM THE LIGHT — were very enjoyable and I will keep on reading that series.
And I loved Emma Straub’s THIS TIME TOMORROW – not a romance, but a love story nonetheless, lovingly focused on family, friendships, early 1990s NYC, and self-acceptance. A 40-year-old woman whose father is terminally ill suddenly finds herself reliving her 16th birthday on a loop a la Groundhog Day, and after a few fits and starts realizes she can use that timecyling to try to change her father’s health outcomes (or can she?)
Before I go I want to mention a sweet YA m/m romance on audiobook by Brian D. Kennedy called A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY. Two high school seniors meet while working summer jobs at Wanda World, a theme park established by a country music star Wanda Jean (shades of Dolly Parton). They fall in love, but there are obstacles, including one of them not being out. It’s a really nice story for the boys, has solid country music drama and the ending was unexpected though at about 85% you can start to see it coming. The narration was excellent.
@LML, oh, I’m so excited for you!! Erin Nicholas’s backlist is indeed fairly prodigious and quite excellent—I’m experiencing some vicarious thrill that you’ll be enjoying these for the first time!! Have you thoughts on what you might read next?
@FashionablyEvil, happy congratulations on your new little one!!
THE ENGLISH UNDERSTAND WOOL by Helen DeWitt. A rather odd novella, not a romance. Marguerite is 17 when she discovers that the world she thought she knew is a fantasy. But her reaction is not at all what others expect. The title is one of the aphorisms she has learned from her French Maman, as they travel to the Outer Hebrides to buy Scottish wool but bring it to England to be made into clothing. Glad I read it and despite its short length it does lend itself to much discussion, but its world view is both understandable and topsy-turvy.
THE MURMUR OF BEES by Sofia Segovia. Set in early 20th C Mexico, it has much history (the Mexican Revolution is definitely part of the backdrop, as is the 1918 pandemic) and definite magical realism overtones. Slow to start and far too much foreshadowing for my taste, but there are some beautifully romantic aspects to it. A family saga rather than a romance, but there are aspects of Francisco and Beatriz’s marriage that are beautifully written and achingly romantic.
THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY by A.A. Milne (yes, that A.A. Milne). Written in 1922 and fun for the setting and atmosphere – true to the times there is the too brilliant for words detective and his not nearly so brilliant sidekick. The murderer isn’t all that hard to figure out, although there are some clever aspects to the why and how.
As for romances, not so many, although I have read several of Grace Burrowes Mischief in Mayfair books. They are fun, light reading that I can speed through in between more serious books.
I read THE NEIGHBOR FAVOR BY Kristina Forest, a cute twist on the You’ve Got Mail plot. I enjoyed the realistic depictions of New York real estate. The heroine works in publishing and can only afford a shared apartment, and then ends up crashing on her sister’s couch for a while. When she gets promoted to an editor job, she can finally afford her own teeny-tiny studio in Crown Heights. The H does have his own apartment, but no furniture. There are 2 sequel bait sisters and I’ll definitely be reading their books.
I read another old Patricia Wentworth mystery, LATTER END. This was a really good one, classic British country house murder puzzle, with a clever solution.
I finished the 9th Lady Darby mystery, A WICKED CONCEIT. Keira is extremely pregnant in this one. I am liking this series more and more as it goes on, and Kiera and Sebastian settle into their marriage.
I read FATE’S ARROW, the 3rd of Michelle Diener’s Rising Wave fantasy series. Extremely addictive, I couldn’t stop turning pages. I actually stopped midway twice, to reread 2 earlier books in the series, because I wanted to prolong the pleasure and not have the book be over. It sent me looking for more Michelle Diener, and since I wasn’t in the mood for her CLASS 5 sci-fi books, I went back to her Regency historicals, first THE EMPEROR’S CONSPIRACY and now I’m in the middle of BANQUET OF LIES, which is my favorite. This is probably my 4th or 5th reread and it still grabs me every time. Great spy/suspense stories with lots of action.
Kiera, not Keira, sorry!
I just finished CONFETTI HEARTS by Lily Morton and my thoughts are very much in line with @midge’s, so I won’t add anything along that vein. But I very much appreciated that Morton kept the focus on the current characters rather than dragging former heroes back into the limelight.
I do have to say that while I enjoy her writing, I’m starting to find Lily Morton a bit one note. Buttoned-up successful, ridiculously hot business man with commitment issues falls for manic pixie dream boy. Even her foray into ghost stories (THE MYSTERIOUS AND AMAZING BLUE BILLINGS) followed this mould. I’ll keep reading her books because despite all this I still mostly enjoy them, but I’d love to see something different from her.
I also reread an old favourite, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE by Megan Crane and it made me miss being 20-something.
@Juhi @Kareni I am reading the sequel to Hands of the Emperor, At the Feet of the Sun. I’m currently about a third of the way through its 900 pages and I’m loving it so far – reading it in small doses to savor it. Cliopher needs a lot of care so far in this story, and that chimes with me right now.
A note at the end says there will be one more book in this series (but not for a while), and two more in the Return of the Red Company – the next one about Jullinar! Excellent news. I am also hoping for more Greenwing and Dart.
I may be tempted to set Cliopher aside for Diana Biller’s new book though. I expect to get my copy on Thursday and I can’t wait!
Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston was all everyone said it was, ie amazing.
I bought Never Trust a Scoundrel by Gayle Callen as a physical book because I loved the (front and back) cover art. A rake and a strong-minded (but not inexperienced) spinster, whose father gambled her hand in marriage away in a card game. There’s a two-week deadline and a family heirloom involved and it’s all rather heartwarming and lovely.
Courtney Milan’s The Duchess War was my first historical of hers. A duke and a wallflower, both with secrets and radical tendencies. Strong leads, a nice cast of supporting characters and a solid plot. Altogether enjoyable but it hasn’t made me rush to read the next in series.
Their Countess is the third and final novella in Jess Michaels’ historic erotic romance series. MMF (as they all are), nicely sensual, with enough of a story. This one felt like it was rushed through the system a bit though, as I noticed a couple of typos and continuity errors which took me out of the moment.
Finally(!) we have Scarlett Peckham’s follow up to The Rakess: The Portrait of a Duchess. It’s set in that same world (The Society of Sirens) and just as ‘grown-up’ and swoony as its predecessor. It’s a second chance story and the leading man has fallen hard. Loved it. Next one due in 2024. Bring it on.
I’ve also powered through more billionaire shenanigans by Annika Martin, Nicole Snow and Olivia Hayle. I find them all fun and easy but interchangeable, so don’t ask me to remember the individual titles. If that sounds dismissive, it’s not meant to be; billionaire stories seem to be my comfort go to when I am dithering about what to read next.
One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare is the first in her historic Stud Club trilogy (the ‘stud’ in question is a horse-breeding operation but nice double entendre…). It’s classic Tessa Dare – likeable characters (a mysterious duke and his club cohorts who star in the other books), strong women and a plot that isn’t too predictable. I find her books entertaining and reliable.
I am 45% through Consider Me by Becka Mack and considering (sorry) a DNF. I can’t see where the story can go from here other than rinse and repeat and although I have mostly enjoyed it so far, I don’t think I have the patience. I would be interested to hear if anyone has any strong feelings either way.
Looking forward to adding to my tottering TBR…
Been in a slump, so many DNFs. Cozy fantasy seems to be working best for my brain right now.
JINN AND JUICE by Nicole Peeler – thanks to a recommendation on a recent Books on Sale post this week. I don’t want to jinx it by saying too much before finishing. Enjoying the worldbuilding, found family, humor and slow burn romance, and the plot is interesting. A bit more violence than I’d prefer but not too intense.
TALES FROM A MAGICAL TEA SHOP by Casey Blair – collection of very short stories in the TEA PRINCESS CHRONICLES world, picked it up because it was free on kindle. Enjoyable enough. Still not sure if I want to dive in to the full length books, the vibe is not quite cozy despite all the tea and found family, and I’m not connecting enough with the protagonist.
TEA AND SYMPATHETIC MAGIC novella by Tansy Rayner Roberts, technically a reread but I’d forgotten enough details that it felt fresh. Fluffy snarky regency-ish cozy mystery with no murders and a touch of romance. $0.99 on kindle right now.
@flchen1, I like to use Fantastic Fiction to follow an author’s series. I think I’ll start with Boys of the Big Easy, read everything from there to her most recently published book, and then go up to her first book and read down to Boys of the Big Easy. Or I can start at the top and read in published order. Which do you think?
I discovered a very promising historical mystery with romantic elements series set in Victorian England! It’s an older series by Robin Paige who’s written several contemporary mystery series as Susan Wittig Albert. I just finished the first book, Death at Bishops Keep, in audio and really enjoyed both the story and the narration.
The heroine is an American with “modern” ideas who is never TSTL and the hero is a naturalist and amateur detective with a lot to learn about women. Highly recommended.
@DeborahT, you summed Lily Morton up nicely! Same here, for now I’ll keep reading. I’m sure we’ll get Rafferty next – or the snarky PA from the model agency…
@LML, ooh, that sounds like a great plan! I must confess that Boys of the Big Easy is probably one of my favorite of her series (kind of a single-parents finding love in New Orleans-ish), but I also admit that it is pretty hard to choose a favorite, so… all that to say, I’m not sure you can go wrong, LOL! I’m sure FF notes this also, but a quick FYI that the Why You Should Never series (which is being rolled out right now–I think it’s cheapest at the moment if you get the whole series at once on her website, but I think they’re also being released wide Tuesday, then going into KU?) was previously released as the Just Everyday Heroes series and prior to that as the Bradfords and Counting on Love eons ago. Those mainly revolve around first-responder types in Nebraska. And I know periodically some of her first in series are free, so I do tend to keep an eye out for those too. VERY happy reading either way, and hope to see your thoughts in future WAYR posts!
@Midge – “Maybe this was just written too quickly”
I think quite a few KU authors who’ve gotten popular have started writing books too quickly and could really benefit from constructive criticism. An author’s newsletter will say such-and-such book is with the editor and I’m like “really? An editor is really looking at it?” (I think they probably mean a copy editor. I’d be surprised if a content editor has ever been used on a KU book.)
I’ve kind of gone off Lily Morton after the 3rd act breakup in The Sunny Side. It was exactly the wrong thing to happen for those characters, and I would absolutely have thrown a paper copy against a wall. I haven’t read the 2(!!) books she’s had out since then because I’m still not over it.