Hello, everyone! It’s time to Get Rec’d!
I feel like I’ve been getting more recommendations (or in search of!) lately than giving out, but that’s the way it works out sometimes. (Aside: if you have any sexy, rompy underrated historical romances with enemies or rivals, please send them my way. I’ve exhausted all the obvious choices and I want something more recently released.)
There’s a couple non-fiction recommendations in this bunch, as well as some cozy, witchy reading.
A Rival Most Vial
This one is a recommendation from all of you! I saw this one mentioned in the comments a lot this week.
Two potion shops, one heated rivalry… until hate bubbles over into something else.
Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.
Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…
The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.
The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.
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Cider Mill Coven
If you miss the nostalgia of 90s witch movies like Practical Magic, this could be for you! I saw comparisons made to Gilmore Girls as well, which I know still has a thriving fandom.
Brimming with New England magic, charming mystery and adventure infused with ‘90s nostalgia.
When three young cousins experience an explosion of nature-infused magic at their Grandma Lydia’s orchard, their parents whisk them off to opposite corners of New England. But distance cannot contain their witchy destiny forever and in 1995 – one fateful October night – tenacious dreamer, Raven, now 18 years old, has a near death experience that ignites mystical forces from within. Soon after, her hilarious bestie of a cousin, the vivacious and ever-so snappy Killian, has his own shocking encounter. But will the third and final member of their cousinly trifecta, the bubbly, bi-racial Adelaide be down to ride this supernatural rollercoaster? Sweet, eccentric Grandma Lydia is waiting at Cider Mill with bated breath and a mountain-high pile of fresh-baked confections. She’s been a coven of one for far too long and is eager to immerse the teenage trio in the “Green Witch Way.” But her unconventional methods aren’t always as sweet as cider. Magic and mischief collide as the cousins soon begin to unspool a thread of family secrets so disenchanting it might send ’em running (or flying) for the hills. Cider Mill Coven is full of twists at every turn. It’s a story of family and forgiveness, friendship… and forbidden love. From a magical treetop retreat to a spellbinding elixir that serves to protect a secret society of nature-loving covens from discovery, this ’90s coven tale is sure to conjure up a hypnotizing blend of spookiness and delight.
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Fat Girls in Black Bodies
I recently recommended this one to Shana, given her wonderful commentary on fat rep in her reading.
Combatting fatphobia and racism to reclaim a space for womxn at the intersection of fat and Black
To be a womxn living in a body at the intersection of fat and Black is to be on the margins. From concern-trolling–“I just want you to be healthy ” –to outright attacks, fat Black bodies that fall outside dominant constructs of beauty and wellness are subjected to healthism, racism, and misogynoir. The spaces carved out by third-wave feminism and the fat liberation movement fail at true inclusivity and intersectionality; fat Black womxn need to create their own safe spaces and community, instead of tirelessly laboring to educate and push back against dominant groups.
Structured into three sections–“belonging,” “resistance,” and “acceptance”–and informed by personal history, community stories, and deep research, Fat Girls in Black Bodies breaks down the myths, stereotypes, tropes, and outright lies we’ve been sold about race, body size, belonging, and health. Dr. Joy Cox’s razor-sharp cultural commentary exposes the racist roots of diet culture, healthism, and the ways we erroneously conflate body size with personal responsibility. She explores how to reclaim space and create belonging in a hostile world, pushing back against tired pressures of “going along just to get along,” and dismantles the institutionally ingrained myths about race, size, gender, and worth that deny fat Black womxn their selfhood.
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The Home Edit Life
For the maximalists among us (myself included!). One of my good friend’s, Tildy, recommends this one a lot of those of us who love stuff, but also want to be more organized. I heard it makes great supplementary material to the Netflix show.
The New York Times bestselling authors and stars of the upcoming Netflix series The Home Edit teach you how to apply their genius, holistic approach to your work life, on-the-go necessities, and technology.
When at home or on the go, you don’t have to live like a minimalist to feel happy and calm. The Home Edit mentality is all about embracing your life–whether you’re a busy mom, a roommate living with three, or someone who’s always traveling for work. You just need to know how to set up a system that works for you.
In the next phase of the home organizing craze, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin go beyond the pantry and bookshelf to show you how to contain the chaos in all aspects of your life from office space to traveling bags to pet supplies and holiday storage. Take quizzes and get to know your organizing style, tailor it to your family’s lifestyle, and lead the low-guilt life as you apply more genius ideas to every aspect of your life.
Clea and Joanna are here to remind you that “it’s okay to own things” (we all do!) in the quest for pretty and smart spaces. With The Home Edit Life, you’ll be corralling phone cords, archiving old photos, packing your suitcase like a pro, and arranging your phone apps by color in no time.
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If you’ve ever had to clear out a parent’s home and then help pack up your packrat bff’s home of 30+ years you will understand why THE HOME LIFE EDIT will be making an appearance on my overcrowded bookshelf.
@Amanda—these may already be on your radar and some have more/less of the tropes you asked about, but you might try:
THE SECRET SERVICE OF TEA AND TREASON by India Holton (definitely rompy, sexy, and rivals)
HOTEL OF SECRETS by Diana Biller (more on the thriller side of rompy, grumpy/sunshine more than rivals, sexy)
THE EARL’S HOLIDAY WAGER by Theresa Romain (house party, enemies, sexy)
LADY’S GUIDE TO ETIQUETTE AND MURDER by Dianne Freeman (fluffy mystery, I do not recall how spicy or if we’re on the enemies/rivals spectrum)
SWORDHEART by T. Kingfisher (not historical, but the setting feels historical, funny, do not recall level of spice, less rivals and more conflicted pairing.)
Madeline Hunter’s latest series, A Duke’s Heiress, is rompy and has rivalry, and as a bonus the heroines in two of them are accomplished in their careers(milliner and rare book dealer). I feel like Hunter and Caroline Linden are both underrated historical authors, and they consistently put out well-written books with funny and interesting characters. Linden’s “When The Marquess Was Mine” has a “While You Were Sleeping” plot line, it’s pretty madcap.
Sidebar: just snapped up “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams, for $2.99 (I checked the Random House listing for it and it is – at this moment – still $2.99 at all of your favorite e-book stores). What a brilliant and subtly subversive story.
Sidebar of sidebar: Williams’ new book, “The Bookbinder” comes out either July 25 or August 1 (got mixed data on it). Library request lines are already forming.
Both books are set in Oxford (England, not Mississippi)in the early 20th century.
@Betsydub: Thanks for the recs! I put the first on hold at the library and will be watching for the second to hit the catalog.
@Betsydub @HeatherS I did the same!
My library has A Rival Most Vial and I checked that out as well. Thanks for that rec @Amanda