Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s what we’re reading during the second half of the month.
Shana: I just finished A Tale of Two Florists by Brenna Bailey ( A | BN | K ) and it was a delightfully wholesome romance with two older women. Now I’m reading Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is very sexy and decidedly less wholesome.
Claudia: I’m almost done with A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin ( A | BN | K ) and enjoying it quite a bit — more than I would have expected because the romance is very slow and for more than a 1/3 of the book one of the main characters thinks she’s in love with someone else.
Kiki: I have been overwhelmed with options and thus not reading much of anything, but Role Playing by Cathy Yardley is on kindle unlimited WITH audio so I’m very excited to start that! I haven’t read a contemporary in a hot second so I’m sure it’ll be an adjustment
Lara: I’ve been tearing through books lately, to the point that I need to change gear temporarily and read some murder/mystery books sans romance. Although, really I’m doing that so I can reread How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long again. Heavens, it’s a bracing story and I want to crawl inside it.
What are you reading to end the month? Tell us below!
ONLY BAD OPTIONS and absolutely loving it so far. After reading the reviews (including the one here), I figured I’d wait before the second book was out before starting the first.
Just finished HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry. It was just on the edge of not working for me. I think it was because the characters read as aggressively mid-to-late 20s in an unrelatable way (I’m 49). I don’t usually have trouble with that but they spent so much time and energy on being drunk or otherwise altered, and also were heedlessly rich in an uncomfortable way. I think this is just me bringing my own life experiences to bear – I grew up barely-middle-class in an extremely wealthy town – and maybe also my reaction as someone who now lives in Maine and really dislikes the kind of visitors portrayed in the book!
Anyhow, I’ve moved on to WITCH KING, which is absolutely great. I spent most of this week, it feels like, sitting on airplanes. This is turning out to be a good travel read, as it’s both super engrossing and also not impossible to put down. I’m at about 40% and looking forward to seeing what’s next. Definitely different from the Murderbot series and also from her earlier works (Raksura etc), but Martha Wells has an unmistakable writing voice which I find very enjoyable.
Next up, Sarah Monette has gotten the rights back for her DOCTRINE OF LABYRINTHS series (MELUSINE, THE MIRADOR, THE VIRTU, and CORAMBIS) and they’ve been rereleased under her Katherine Addison pen name. I read all of these multiple times when they came out, then lost half the paperbacks in a move. I’m beyond thrilled to have them in ebook format. For those interested – do NOT go in expecting GOBLIN EMPEROR. These are very different in tone, at times very dark, and deal a lot with trauma and family in a really fascinating and richly imagined world.
I am reading two many books at once.
First I am still STILL reading A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY by HILARY MANTEL. It’s excellent. I described it as intricate and beautiful and violent all at once but it is definitely slow going. It’s worth it, though.
I just finished ORIGINAL GANGSTAS about the rise of West Coast reality rap/gansta rap by BEN WESTHOFF and immediately started DIRTY SOUTH by BEN WESTHOFF about Southern hip-hop and it’s influence on the genre.
I am about 1/3 of the way through FORGIVING IMELDA MARCOS by NATHAN GO which is a novel about an estranged father and son. There is the sense that the father DID something that could not be forgiven that ties in with the title (he worked for the Aquinos in the Philippines) but the father is dying and wishes to leave something for his son, even as the father is not asking for forgiveness.
Finally I am reading HOW TO TAME A WILD ROGUE by JULIE ANNE LONG and it’s a nice break from all the decapitation in A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY.
I would rec any of these books if they were up your bookish alley.
Can’t wait to see what everyone else is reading!
Victoria Goddard rabbit hole continues strong. I kept going with the novellas set before and after THE HANDS OF THE EMPEROR because I still wasn’t ready to leave that world and those characters after thousands of pages. Beware of spoilers in THE RETURN OF FITZROY ANGURSELL, that one should be read last – unless you enjoy knowing the big reveal no one else has figured out and snickering at every clue they miss. It also contains minor-ish spoilers for the GREENWING AND DART books, of which I recently read BEE STING CAKE and am in the middle of WHISKEY JACK. This sub-series is described as light and fluffy but I found parts of it quite angsty. Content warnings for death of parents, intimate partner abuse, and probably other things I’m forgetting. There is a lot happening plot wise that can be hard to keep track of. The worldbuilding makes more sense after reading The Hands of the Emperor, it is a big world with a lot of magic and lore. Reviewers keep saying this series gets better with each book.
There are good articles on tor.com under the Victoria Goddard tag if you’re looking to figure out the best reading order for your tastes. They do a good job of avoiding spoilers or clearly marking them.
Needing a break and a reminder that other authors exist, I reread PALADIN’S GRACE by T. Kingfisher and got a lot more out of it this second time. There are dark disturbing parts, heroine’s trauma hits too close to home for me, but also I love her independence and dry humor, and her weird weasel-like pet. Friendship and found family in spades.
On hold at the library: ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI, the sample was very promising.
I’m in a bit of a slump these days—even normally highly reliable authors are kind of meh.
ILLUMINATIONS by T. Kingfisher is one of her middle grade novels that she apparently has a harder time publishing because publishers don’t quite know how to market it. Of the other books in that category that I’ve read (WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING and MINOR MAGE) this one is the most squarely a middle grade book. Rosa Mandolini, our ten (I think) year old heroine, is part of a family of Illuminators, magical painters who paint spells to protect their city. Rosa unwittingly uncovers a creature that can undo this magic and puts her family and city at risk. You can see Kingfisher’s tendency towards horror here, but it’s tempered by Rosa, her family, and a crow named Payne. Having typed this all up, I like it better in retrospect than I did when I first finished it, mostly because I was hoping Kingfisher would totally whisk me away from the reading doldrums. This didn’t quite do that, but is still very good.
THE VISCOUNT’S INCONVENIENT TEMPTATION by Theresa Romain. I loved the next book in this series (THE EARL’S HOLIDAY WAGER), but this one wasn’t as good. I liked the idea of it (viscount has a rushed engagement and in getting to know his fiancée, falls for her sister; it’s okay, the sister does not want to marry him), but the execution didn’t quite work for me.
I am still feeling guilty about DNF’ing Cat Sebastian’s WE COULD BE SO GOOD. I normally love Cat Sebastian! I think I have read her entire backlist. This one…just didn’t work for me. There just wasn’t enough happening or enough of a hook to get me to stick around.
Currently reading Margaret Rogerson’s SORCERY OF THORNS. So far so good, but I’m slightly struggling with the fact that our heroine, Elisabeth, is quite sheltered. We, the reader, obviously know there’s a lot more going on, but the end result is that Elisabeth comes across as a country bumpkin. I think it would be working a little more if Rogerson leaned into Elisabeth’s perspective a bit more.
I have some older fantasy/YA books waiting on my TBR pile, including THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN by George MacDonald and THE RESCUERS by Margery Sharp. I had no idea the book inspired the Disney movie.
I also want to check out QUEEN BEE by Amalie Howard and ICEBREAKER by Hannah Grace, which sounds like it has some CUTTING EDGE vibes. Toe pick!
And I plan to read more of Tamora Pierce’s books, including TRICKSTER’S CHOICE.
Hope everyone has a good weekend! 🙂
Part 1
Despite knowing next-to-nothing about gaming, I loved Cathy Yardley’s ROLE PLAYING, a romance between two lonely people who connect through an on-line game, eventually meet irl, and progress through friendship to love. Maggie is a divorcee in her late-forties. She works from home, and now that her son has left for college, she finds herself alone and rarely leaving her house. At her son’s insistence, she tries to socialize more (joining a book club, attending a football watching party), but her favorite connection is with the people she meets in an on-line game. Aiden is 50 and has had to move back to his hometown to take care of his aging mother (she’s still mentally sharp but is physically declining). Like Maggie, Aiden also enjoys on-line gaming where he (as “Otter” the guild leader) connects with Maggie (as “Bogwitch”). Yardley creates a lovely slow-burn of avatars-to-friends-to-lovers between these two older (by romance novel standards) MCs. There’s some gentle comedy (especially early in the book when Maggie and Aiden have completely wrong ideas about each other’s ages and appearances), along with some serious situations: Aiden’s mother is difficult, to say the least, and Aiden coming out as bi (and later as demi) does not make her kinder or more understanding; meanwhile, Maggie is still trying to overcome the negative messages left by her controlling ex and failed marriage. Despite the seriousness of some of the story, the romance is a cozy, warm hug—the kind of book where you want to continue living with the characters even after the HEA. One of my favorite reads of 2023. Highly recommended.
SNOW PLACE LIKE L.A. is the second book in Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone’s Christmas Notch series of books that feature characters who move back-and-forth between working on p*rn productions and working on “wholesome” Christmas movies for a Hallmark-like channel. SPLLA is a second-chance romance between costume designer Luca and artist Angel (who were supporting characters in the first book, A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE). Luca & Angel spent the previous Christmas together in Christmas Notch (the New England town where Christmas movies are filmed), but after they returned to L.A., Angel ghosted Luca (or, as we learn later in the story, it’s possible that Luca actually ghosted Angel). Months later they meet again on the set of a Pretty Woman p*rn knock-off. Can misunderstandings be ironed out and love burn again? While the romance in SNOW PLACE is fine and the sexy-times are plenty hot, I think I liked the book more for the hilarious, snarky, pop-culture-infused, and self-aware narration of Luca rather than the romance itself. Because we never see anything from Angel’s POV, he remains a bit of a cypher, just basically “the perfect boyfriend who absolutely adores the imperfect narrator” character often seen in rom-coms whether m/m or m/f. One thing I really liked about the book is that it is genuinely funny without seeming to go overboard (something rom-coms have a tendency to do, which is why I don’t read them very often); as I read, I found myself smiling a lot and even laughing out loud a couple of times. A fluffy bon-bon of a book. Highly recommended.
BEDHEAD is the first book in Brook Blaine’s new Hate to Love You series of m/m romances. In BEDHEAD, Hudson and Drew work for rival publishers, and both are determined to do whatever it takes to snag the autobiography of a world-famous wild-man rockstar (Viper from the Fallen Angel series, if you’re familiar with those books). But Hudson (buttoned-down and by-the-book) and Drew (far more impulsive and provocative) have a history: years ago they were college frat brothers—and lovers—until “something happened” that tore them apart. Will they be able to settle the scores of the past and find love anew together? BEDHEAD is a complete trope-fest: work rivals, huge misunderstanding in the past, second-chance, antagonists-to-lovers, opposites-attract, stranded by the weather, enforced proximity, only one bed. It’s a perfectly serviceable book and an easy read, but I felt that Blaine was trying so hard to cram every trope she could think of into the story that she sometimes lost track of Hudson and Drew as individuals and not just pieces on a tropey chessboard. On the other hand, if you’re a fan of any of these tropes, reading BEDHEAD is not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Recommended.
C.M. Nascosta’s A BLUE RIBBON ROMANCE is a retelling of her MORNING GLORY MILKING FARM minotaur-human romance, this time told from the minotaur’s point-of-view. You really can’t read BLUE RIBBON without having read MORNING GLORY first—or perhaps it would be fairer to say that, whichever order you read them in, you have to read both books to get the full arc of the romance between Violet, a human, and Rourke, a minotaur, and their lives in the town of Cambric Creek—where humans, mythological & fairytale creatures, and anthropomorphized animals live, work, and love alongside each other. As always, Nascosta’s world-building is exquisite and the way she normalizes things like coffee shops run by sheep or a town council headed by werewolves is unparalleled in “monster romance”. Her work may be an acquired taste, but if you like it, you must read A BLUE RIBBON ROMANCE. Recommended.
Part 2
RELUCTANT RENEGADE is the latest in Garrett Leigh’s Rebel Kings MC series of m/m romances. This is the romance of Folk and Decoy (real name: Seth Greene—I guess Leigh added the final “e” to make sure we didn’t think of Scott Evil every time we saw the name), two men who had an abortive hookup when they were both serving in the British military and then meet again years later as members of the Rebel Kings motorcycle club. Decoy has a young daughter but has a hard time seeing her consistently because of his ex’s capricious cruelty (the ex-wife is presented as such a monster, she becomes basically a caricature). In order to make Decoy’s home life appear more “stable” (and more likely to gain him shared custody of his daughter), he agrees to enter into a fake relationship with Folk—with obvious sexual tension and eventual outcome. There are also all sorts of kerfuffle going on with a criminal mob up north. I had really hoped that Leigh was moving away from the “outside stuff” (violence, crime, human trafficking, drug and arms running) that populated the first few Rebel Kings books, and, while the club has moved away from criminal enterprises, like Michael in the Godfather, they keep getting pulled back in. RELUCTANT RENEGADE is really two stories: an angsty second-chance/fake-relationship romance taking place against a backdrop of violent interactions with outside forces. I really liked the former, but I can do without the latter. Recommended—but don’t feel guilty about skimming through the non-romance elements.
I don’t think I’ve ever had to issue a content warning for a Harlequin Presents romance before, but in Jackie Ashenden’s latest HP, HER VOW TO BE HIS DESERT QUEEN, there was a description of a past incident involving the hero that was so disturbing to me, I’m going to put it in a spoiler box. Aside from this incident (which we will get to momentarily), HER VOW TO BE HIS DESERT QUEEN is pretty much a standard issue Ashenden HP—that is, MCs with shared dysfunctional upbringings, dead/distant/absent/abusive parents, astonishing eye colors, unique fragrances, and passionate sexy-times with each other. In HVTBHDQ, the heroine reconnects with the hero, who was her college crush and is now the king of one of those in-Romancelandia-only socially-progressive desert kingdoms. He reminds her that she once promised to marry him, and before you can say, “Wow, that was quick,” he whisks her away to his country and marries her. But then we learn that he hero “cannot love anyone” because he has been raised to believe that “kings cannot indulge in emotions.” Up until this point, the hero has been your basic emotionally shut-down HP royal waiting to be redeemed by true love, but then he shares with the heroine a story of an event from his childhood that had my eyes bugging out (it involves a childhood pet, so please be cautious before clicking on the spoiler box):
I can’t imagine what the HP editors were thinking by allowing that to make it into the book. Clearly, I can’t recommend HER VOW TO BE HIS DESERT QUEEN. A rare lapse of judgement from the usually reliable Ashenden.
[TW/CW: discussion of anti-gay religious beliefs, MC under 18] Lynn Burke’s UNHOLY CRAVING (2021) is one of the most baffling romances I’ve read recently. On the one hand, the book shows how the vehemently anti-gay stance of fundamentalist religion leads to self-loathing and significant mental health issues for LGBTQI people who are caught up in that belief system. On the other hand, Burke undercuts her premise and muddies the waters significantly by presenting a relationship that has a significant power imbalance, with one MC being in a position of authority over the other; plus the other MC is underage (at least at the start of the story) and, legally, cannot consent to any sexual encounter—no matter how much he asserts that’s what he wants. Malachi is in his mid-twenties and was raised in a fundamentalist home. Despite knowing that he is attracted to—and having had sexual encounters with—men, he pursues a divinity degree, while ceaselessly praying to God to remove the “burden” of his homosexuality (Malachi’s fervent desire not to be attracted to men, along with the shame he feels for having that attraction, is well done and gives the reader an idea of Malachi’s constant inner monologue of spiraling shame and self-loathing). When Malachi accepts a position as youth pastor and teacher for a small church, he is immediately attracted to Isaac, the head pastor’s son and still a few months shy of 18. Isaac, deeply closeted (with good reason), a virgin, and counting down the days until legal adulthood when he can leave home and explore not just his sexuality but his interest in secular music, is also strongly attracted to Malachi. Isaac’s age (and the fact that Malachi is his youth pastor and teacher) was an enormous red flag for me: regardless of the gender pairing, relationships can only flourish if all parties are consenting adults. Isaac is underage—despite how much he flirts with and tries to “provoke” Malachi into engaging with him—and, as the adult in a position of authority, it should be incumbent upon Malachi to not act upon his feelings and make that clear to Isaac (who, for a closeted pastor’s son, raised in the church and never even been kissed, expresses his desires in ways that seem preternaturally mature even for a teenager raised with more self-acceptance). I don’t care how you slice it, Isaac is still legally a child when the book begins. I’m not sure how Burke expects the reader to respond: are we supposed to feel that the teachings of the church have destroyed Malachi’s ability to understand the difference between consent and desire? Or should we be appalled that Malachi engages sexually with a minor (regardless of the minor’s gender) over whom he has authority and responsibility? Making things even more inexplicable are places in the story where Isaac’s assertiveness and determination to “seduce” Malachi reminded me uncomfortably of the behavior sexual predators often ascribe to their victims, as if the predator was the one being seduced. Yeah, no. I think Burke’s intentions to expose the mental anguish caused by the fundamentalist approach to sexuality were laudable, but she chose the wrong relationship to illustrate it. Some of the other books in Burke’s Sinful Natures series appear to have MCs who are legal adults and closer in age than those in UNHOLY CRAVING, and I may possibly give one of them a try. However, for obvious reasons, I can’t recommend UNHOLY CRAVINGS.
Claudia, I just finished a Lady’s Guide to Scandal, and normally I’m not a fan of love triangles at all, but this one I thought was actually really well done. It felt honest given the character(s) experiences and not just something done to manufacture tension. Hope you enjoy the rest!
In no particular order:
Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center
Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry. Amz blurb
Such a delight: winsome, quirky, adorable and heartfelt.
Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jaluddin
Second chance romance for the win with echoes of Persuasion: loved it.
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
Not a romance but if any of you out there love Jane Eyre consider this one. Please check content advice. Loved it and was so here for the ending.
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
Sapphic Holmes and Watson on Jupiter? I need more of this in my brain stat.
Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
“a sexy lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance that smolders then bursts into flames” — Abby Jimenez
Gobbled up this second chance love story.
Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
delightful rom-com of one woman trying to shed her perfect image at a destination wedding with hilarious—and moving—results… Amz blurb
Second chance again, I’m sensing an unintentional theme this month, so here for it. Loved!
We Could be So Good by Cat Sebastian
I could not stop internally swooning at everything in this novel. “You’re a menace!” I can’t even —
Chef’s Choice by TJ Alexander
A fake dating arrangement turns to real love in this deliciously delightful queer rom-com from the author of the sweetly satisfying Chef’s Kiss. Amz blurb.
I loved this tender and funny love story and there are pastries.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
A young librarian and an old curmudgeon forge the unlikeliest of frienships… Amz blurb.
Not a romance novel. This was a DNF for me due to a record scratch moment early on where I felt the Marcowitz family was depicted in a way that referenced harmful stereotypes: “pound of flesh”, “cheapskate”.
Just started: Remember Me by Mary Balogh: second in her new series and already loving Pippa’s story.
I’ve already finished RESONANCE SURGE, which I liked but didn’t love. I’m a huge Psy-Changeling fan and I’m super invested in the macro plot, and other than two chapters that felt really dropped in, that didn’t really advance at all. This one felt like it should have been a couple of novellas. I liked Yakov and Theo, just felt like this was a side trip to set up a future book and I want that future book plot! I also don’t love the bears as romantic leads, I guess my suspension of disbelief gets me far enough for wolves and wild cats but not bears….? I know I will read it again and probably like it more next time, but I was a little disappointed not to get anywhere with the big picture. (Side question: is there an online spot where people discuss these? I’ve looked at Goodreads and Reddit and haven’t found it. I want to see plot theories! Discussions!)
Reading has been mixed lately. Just started WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY, so far so good, light and fluffy. I’m also reading A FATAL ILLUSION; I like Lady Darby a lot but this one is dragging a little. Have recently finished HESTIA LIGHTS A MATCH, which I couldn’t put down. I absolutely loved THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES. More like this please! Loved the older, super competent heroines, the realistic look at life in the regency era, and the women saving women plots. SO good! I liked UNDER ONE ROOF but DNFd BELOW ZERO almost immediately. DNF’d TEN THOUSAND STICHES because it was the wrong mood. Enjoyed SCOUT’s HONOR because I always like a good look at how trauma shapes heroes. Finished but hated GHOST SEER – interesting premise, totally annoying and dated execution, the MMC was such an alpha hole and the FMC was a wimp. Looking forward to reading ONLY GOOD ENEMIES soon.
Also lots of non fiction these days – I liked YOU COULD MAKE THIS PLACE BEAUTIFUL (memoir about divorce, but I liked the parts about parenting) and THE MILKY WAY SMELLS OF RUM AND RASPBERRIES (cool space facts!).
I seem to be re-reading the Rachel Peng novels which are futuristic crime novels and they are so good. The latest just released and the next one is out soon.
Before that I read Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge which means it is a year to the next one. Next up is Dead Weight by GP Robbins. It releases next week but I am a Patreon supporter so I should get it tonight. Will it arrive before I go to bed is the important question
I can’t believe it’s already time for July’s second WAYR post! I guess the month’s been racing by in a blur of coughing (yes, managed to catch whatever the youngest dragged home from his trip) and putting my foot up literally (having just had surgery on my arthritic toe, LOL)…
Anyway, a few standouts from the recent reads:
– Annabeth Albert’s MAKE ME STAY, which is the second in her Safe Harbor series. It’s a lovely sunshine-grumpy m/m, roommates to lovers with a touch of kink. There is larger story arc that spans the three books in the trilogy, but each book stands alone well.
– Mari Carr’s HOT AND HEAVY is the fifth in her Italian Stallions series, and like the others, is a total scorcher. If you’re entertained by super hot menage that comes with a side of big, raucous families, this is absolutely the series for you. Ms Carr always manages to be both heartwarming and super hot, LOL.
– Amy Aislin’s GAME CHANGER is the second in her Vancouver Orcas m/m hockey series, and is wonderful low angst, high feels story with lots of loving friends and family. Player Blair Brawsiski hires baker Charlie Shore to help free up a few hours in his overloaded week, which works out great for them both, except for the fact that they each find the other rather attractive…
– DJ Jamison’s DON’T MESS WITH THE EX is the second in her Rules We Break series, set in her quirky progressive town of Granville. It’s a surprise, we’re still married, small-town, second chance story, and quite entertaining. I also read MISTLE-JOE KISSES, a holiday novella also set in Granville, and enjoyed both very much.
– Sarah Honey’s THE STABLEMASTER’S HEART is the second in her Tales of Lilleforth series, and is a sweet treat of a read. Neither main character has much relationship experience, and their gently blossoming friendship and more is just lovely from start to finish…
– Keira Andrews’s KISS AND CRY is an m/m figure skaters romance, with Henry and Theo living out a rivals to lovers. They’re portrayed as opposites, and as they train together, they slowly become friends, and then more. I really enjoyed their story, and the glimpse at the cutthroat world of Olympic skating…
– Mira Lyn Kelly’s re-releasing some of her older Harlequin titles, and FRONT PAGE AFFAIR and ONCE IS NEVER ENOUGH are the first two. Ms Kelly definitely takes the angsty emotions and dials them up to eleven! If you enjoy the fake relationship between friends and sibling’s best friend tropes and haven’t read these, consider picking them up–Ms Kelly does a great job with them.
A couple meh reads:
– COAST TO COAST, the first in RJ Scott and VL Locey’s Arizona Raptors m/m hockey series. Characters seemed underdeveloped, plotting uninspired. I know Scott and Locey have a lot of fans, but this didn’t do it for me, and I don’t plan to continue the series.
– LOVING SHANE by Denver Shaw. A novella that is part of the Tennessee U series, and alas, doesn’t stand alone well.
Thanks, B*tchery!
Coming in late having semi-conquered installing a new Roku. I have an account, why do I have to restart all my channels? Argh. PBS is up and running and that’s enough for now. I’ll go for a little mood lifting Bluey mini binge after posting. I have grumbled BISQUITS! more times this morning than all week at work.
I spent last week binge reading the Road Kings series by Julie Kriss. The first three books have been hanging out on my Kindle for a while (I’m always on the lookout for a good musician romance), but now that book four came out and bumped into the looming end of my Unlimited subscription, I figured I better jump in before I lost them. There were some Bad Decisions Book Club moments. All of them were uniformly great emotional sexy reads. I feel like there’s one more book out there: Stone’s hot geek brother and the band’s ex-model agent would make a great pair up.
In that same subscription ending indecison about putting more money in Jeff Bezos’ pocket when he doesn’t put it in his employees’ pockets binging, I also read Kathryn Nolan’s STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL. The MCs were mentioned in WILD OPEN HEARTS, Nolan’s contribution to the Bluewater Billionaires series (highly recommended for finally turning the trope to successful businesswomen). Really enjoyed the punk rock tattoo artist meets straight arrow businessman vibe. The link up is that the dog Roxy gets Edward to adopt came from the shelter the MC in WOH runs. The dog is, of course, awesome. That Roxy and Edward make changes to their lives without changing their essential selves is awesome. Roxy doesn’t tone it down, and Edward doesn’t unleash a non-existent wild side (except during sexy times, where it turns out he’s been holding himself back). I’m about halfway thru the second book, NOT THE MARRYING KIND, and not loving it the same way. The characters are flipped. Fiona is Roxy’s conservative lawyer sister. While Roxy reveled in the peripatetic life their punk rocker parents raised them in, Fiona craved stability and order. Max is the vagabond son of the owner of the club where her parents’ band has a weekly gig. He’s an ass. I get where it’s going. He chose his lifestyle as a way of dealing with his mother’s desertion. If he chooses the same lifestyle, then his mother wasn’t wrong to leave them, right? Doesn’t matter how he hurt the father who raised him with all the love he could, or the friends he doesn’t keep in touch with. Also, their solution to his father’s money troubles is patently unrealistic for the time frame they’re working with. Also, he’s an ass. No matter how many times he agrees with that assessment, he still an ASS.
On deck for after work decompression patio and wine reading is THE WITCH KING. I’ll be headed to the GBPL to snap it up from the drive thru later toeday. I see some reading till dark in my future.
I know I’m late to the party, but I just got off the hold list for
“The Dead Romantics” by Ashley Poston, loved it so much I turned around and re-read it immediately.
“Happy Place” by Emily Henry. I’m in the minority, but I wish I had dnf’ed it. Way too much conflict for me as someone with some family of origin stuff around conflict. Yikes!
Authors I’ve been really enjoying this month (lighthearted romances, but imo strong writers with loveable and interesting characters):
– Kate Canterbury
– Ashley Poston’s “Once upon a Con” series
Also, lastly, really loved “Camp Sylvania” by Julie Murphy. It was so witty, wish it had been around when I was middle grade aged!
@Sarah—I was reading your comment too quickly and misread “A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY” as “A PALACE OF GREATER SAFETY” which sounded like it could have been an entry in Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series until I got the to the beheadings bit and I was like, “WHAT!? One of the Julie Anne Long books has beheadings??? Which one is that!!?l” And then I realized you were talking about Hilary Mantel and it all made sense.
@FashionablyEvil Isn’t there an implied ~bad ending~ for one of the character’s parent in a Palace of Rogues book? Monsieur Guillotine creeps in everywhere.
Hope this isn’t too spoilery. Don’t know how to do the spoiler tag.
Not reading anything at the moment because I saw Barbie yesterday and it’s currently my whole brain.
Over the past two weeks ~
— read Signal Moon by Kate Quinn, a short work which I quite enjoyed. It features two characters, a young woman living during WWII and a young man in 2023, who communicate with each other via radio.
— completed another reread of a favorite book, Alliance (A Linesman Novel Book 2) by S. K. Dunstall.
— while recovering from some minor surgery, I reread a couple of relatively recent favorites ~ The Book of Firsts and Four Kings both by Karan K Anders. (Anders is the pen name that Andrea K Höst uses for her adult books.) These are reverse harem romances that I’d describe as new adult.
— I’m drawn to stories with a time travel element so was happy to get a library copy of 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I quite enjoyed this book about a man going back in time to attempt to stop the assassination of JFK, but be forewarned that it is long (1121 pages!) and contains a fair bit of violence. I’ve read very little by Stephen King as I do not care for horror, but this was not a horror story.
— For my local book group, I read The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. This was an easy to read nonfiction book about octopuses. (The author said that the word octopi is incorrect which was news to me.)
— enjoyed the science fiction book Divinity 36: Tinkered Starsong by Gail Carriger. It had a unique storyline (I’ve seen reviews that mention the adultation of rock and K-pop bands as being similar to what the gods experience here), and I look forward to the release of the sequel.
— an art book that was a quick and pleasant read ~ Doodling for Tree Huggers & Nature Lovers by Gemma Correll.
I’ve been re-reading/re-listening to Gene Doucette’s THE SPACESHIP NEXT DOOR in (barely controlled) anticipation of the third book in his Sorrow Falls series, GRAFFITI ON THE WALL OF THE UNIVERSE. I’ve missed these characters and can’t wait to find out what’s happened with the space ship. Must be read in order.
Also listening to IN OTHER LANDS by Sarah Rees Brennan, where a snarky English human teen is accepted into a school in the Borderlands with elves, dwarfs and other humans. Red-haired Elliott is such an ass, too smart and mouthy by half; he learns and matures, sometimes quite painfully. Normally not my catnip, but Elliott is too funny to pass up. Audio version highly recommended.
AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Therese Beharrie was confusing at first, with the romance author MC living what she writes every night in her dreams; I couldn’t tell the dream from reality initially. Ultimately the story and HEA were quite satisfying. CW for un-diagnosed anxiety and panic attacks.
THE ONLY PURPLE HOUSE IN TOWN by Ann Aguirre was my idea of wish fulfillment. Everything, with real work, was perfect, all problems solved with the help of found family. The characters experienced most (but not all) of their trauma before arriving at the purple house and there was plenty healing and safety all around. I enjoyed every word; how amazing would it be if we could actually find a place that welcomes us as we are. CW for trans- and homophobia.
I loved THE REBOUND by Jennifer Bernard, which features a strong, competent heroine who comes home after a personal and business setback and reconnects with an old friend from high school, now a fire department deputy, who was always “the nice guy” but who was discounted in school because of undiagnosed dyslexia. He adores her take-charge personality and they both encourage each other to be their best selves.
My other fav was THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN by KJ Charles. The book features smugglers, lost treasure, an atmospheric, almost gothic setting on the Romney Marsh in southern England, class differences, family, and a wonderfully sweet love story between the male leads and it was just wonderful.
HOW TO TAME A WILD ROGUE by Julie Anne Long is up next, plus my library hold for CAPTURE THE SUN by Jessie Mihalik just came in, so looking forward to both of those in the coming week.
Thank you for the note about Monette/Addison’s Doctrine of Labyrinths, @Stacey! I’m a big fan of both pen names, and have been trying to read my secondhand hardcovers forever, but I keep bouncing off the start of Mélusine. Hopefully I’ll have better luck if I put ebooks on chapter-a-day until I get past the tough part. I can’t second Stacey enough on “dark and not like The Goblin King.” All are in Hoopla right now.
I’m going to mention Courtney McCaskill’s How to Train Your Viscount, even though it didn’t work for me – it was on the edge of too much “modern sensibilities in Regency cosplay” for me, and the plot got kind of out there. But it’s lighthearted and has a good premise, and might be exactly what someone else will enjoy. Also in Hoopla.
Malka Older’s The Mimicking of Known Successes was written for me, though. SFF mystery with a touch of romance is precisely my jam, and I like the updating of a Victorian gaslight setting.
First, a non-romance: HEY, HUN by Emily Lynn Paulson. I bought it because it was mentioned here a few months ago. I have this weird fascination for the MLM phenomenon. They are pyramid schemes and for 95% of people, they never pay. Still, people get caught up in them. For anyone asking themselves “How on earth?”, this is a good read. Well, it’s a great read all along. Paulson recounts her own tale with insight, and backed by research. I hadn’t realised just what a toll they take on people on a social level, their relationships, families and friends – not just the money thing. Highly recommend it.
BRING ME HOME and MAKE ME STAY by Annabeth Albert. New m/m romance series. Book three is coming in September. Though each story is about a different couple, it pays to read them in order. There is an overarching story about a cold-case crime that some of the main characters are involved in rolling up again and finally solving. They’re not as fluffy as some of Albert’s other books, the crime is a dark one and there are other dark(er) bits, but I liked both books a lot. The first one has an age-gap (41 and 23), with the younger guy being the son of the other guy’s friend. I was leery about that first, but the book turned out ok. It took a while for the older MC to figure out what he wanted, and the solution wasn’t one I’d expected, but they are making it work. The second book was angstier, with an ex-SEAL diver wrangling with his tragic past and an ex-police officer turned professor of criminology due to an injury that left him with chronic pain and using a wheelchair most of the time. Both characters had a lot to deal with, and their falling into bed with each other… happened a little early for my taste. But by the end it gave me all the feels, despite the one, thankfully short, bleak moment which had to come, I guess. The cold case also progressed, and it’s not that hard to guess what will happen in the last book – we know the two MCs and by all rights, the case should get closure. Still, I can’t wait.
And finally, I got in on the SPOTLESS series by Camilla Monk. Someone mentioned book one here, so I had that on my wishlist. Well, be aware that it’s Bad Decisions Book Club all the way if you start this romantic suspense series! I just downloaded book four after number three ended on a massive cliffhanger! You can only read them all and in order, all else makes no sense. There’s lots of nerdy humor, the plot is totally bonkers, the suspense is high, and the romance between nerdy software engineer and avid romance reader Island and professional killer March… is slowly heating up. But be aware, the body count is sky-high and some of it is pretty brutal. But what makes it for me, besides the slowly heating feels (no sex so far!), is the humour and a bit of sending up of action plots, bad-ass spies and nerdy stuff. There’s a bazooka that posts on Twitter, a passive-aggressive orange tree, discussions of Roomba cats… My weird sense of humor loves this! Also, each chapter is headed by a little excerpt of a romance that Island has apparently read (and she does sometimes refer to wisdom gained from them), but of course they’re all fictitious, as are their punny titles and author names. A football romance written by Becky David, a Formula 1 romance written by Alannah Prost… and Chuck Tingle gets a nod too. The writer obviously had a lot of fun with these.
This is all of July because I missed part one…
First, ALEXIS HALL’s Arden St Ives M/M trilogy: HOW TO BANG…, HOW TO BLOW IT WITH… and HOW TO BELONG WITH A BILLIONAIRE. If you ‘get’ Hall’s style (I do), you’ll enjoy these (I did). The adventures of a smart and caring manic pixie dream boy and his VERY damaged billionaire. Can be quite dark at times. CW: abuse.
HIM by SARINA BOWEN and ELLE KENNEDY. M/M, second chance hockey romance featuring two best friends, one openly out and the other who comes to realise that he isn’t as straight as he thought. Nicely done. The follow up, US, is on my wish list.
I read GUARDIAN ANGEL by JULIE GARWOOD after seeing recommendations here and found it very entertaining in the context of the 90s mindset (by which I mean the occasional handwaving of consent). Then it was announced that we had lost her, so I felt I should try more. From the reviews, I chose THE BRIDE. And it was fun but with the same 90s caveats. I can see why she was foundational to Romancelandia and will be happy to read more in the future.
I pre-ordered WILL THEY, WON’T THEY by AVA WILDER because I so loved her first book, HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD and dove straight in. It’s an M/F, second chance story about the reuniting of two former co-stars (and lovers) for the final season of a beloved drama. Set in two timelines, with the past revealing what originally happened to make them antagonists in the present. Lots of yearning, enough heat to keep it interesting – two grownups finding their way back to each other. Loved this one too.
MAKE IT SWEET by KRISTEN CALLAHAN. Every time I pick up a KC book, I fall in love with it. Her stories and style just work for me. This one is about a physically compromised hockey player and an emotionally struggling actress. Achingly romantic, it’s a gorgeous, slow burn, grown-up story with plenty of angst and heat. I parcelled it out over three or four days to prolong the experience and was disappointed when it was over.
I read all the praise for ROLE PLAYING (M/F small town, found family) by CATHY YARDLEY and liked the idea of it. Sadly the actuality didn’t work for me. It took too long to put the two protagonists together, the male lead’s family were so toxic I started skimming their sections and I guess I’ve realised that I’m not a fan of the small town trope. I liked the two leads but honestly, I was a bit bored. Can’t win them all.
ENEMY OF THE STATE by TAL BAUER was my first by this author. M/M romantic suspense, featuring a Secret Service agent and a (formerly ‘straight’) US president. The thriller element of it is pretty good but I couldn’t find any chemistry between the two MCs, despite all the high emotion and heat. It’s the first in a series of three. I will follow up if they are on offer but I don’t feel compelled at full price.
ONE TRUE OUTCOME by K D CASEY. M/M, age gap (ten years?), set in the world of baseball. This is a lovely, quiet book. Nothing much happens except the slow build of a relationship between a talented rookie and an ageing (mid-30s) star over the course of a season. As a Brit, the (pretty detailed) baseball element goes straight over my head but I didn’t find skimming it affected my understanding of the narrative. Enjoyable. It’s the second in this series that I have read and I am impatiently waiting for the others to come down to my price level.
THE IDEA OF YOU by ROBINNE LEE. M/F, age gap. I got hooked into this because it was on offer and despite the fact that it is not technically a romance, I went with it anyway. It charts the rise and fall of a relationship between a sophisticated thirty-something single mother and a twenty-year old boyband star. It’s actually rather lovely and emotional; the male protagonist, in particular, is well-portrayed as sensitive and engaging. It definitely requires a suspension of disbelief but it’s quite a ride and I regret nothing.
Happy reading all.
Just started WE COULD BE SO GOOD today and I’m so excited for it. I love Cat Sebastian.
My son gave me THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss for my birthday because it’s popular, in my wheelhouse, and he heard it was good. I had heard that too so I was curious. My first thought going in was that Rothfuss was a wanna-be Tolkien who pays more attention to the words he’s putting together than to the story. Now 1/3 of the way in I’m realizing what my problem is with this book: it has no plot. Things happen, more or less sequentially, and they are loosely connected, but there is no throughline. You could throw out huge chunks of this book and lose nothing by it. It’s just some guy telling his life story about what he has overcome and how great he is. I could get that in any bar for free, I don’t need it in a book.
I haven’t posted in a while, so here’s the highlights of the last month or so.
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian – mm historical
5 stars (out of 5) – I loved this so, so much. Cat Sebastian at her “no plot, just vibes” best.
Down to a Science by Haley Cass – ff contemporary
4.5 stars / A- I read this new to me author for a book bingo square (kissing for science) and it was such a delight! Sloooow burn friends to lovers ff romance between a scientist and a firefighter. The writing style is a little distant, but I thought it fit the main character well. It’s told from the close 3rd person POV of Ellie, a crazy smart PhD student who’s not so great with people. Watching her become best friends with a gorgeous lesbian and slowly (over the course of a year or so) figure out her sexuality and her feelings for her friend was so relatable and compelling.
Chef’s Choice by T.J. Alexander – m/f queer, trans contemporary
4 stars. Really loved this fake fiancé romance, even though the premise required a huge suspension of disbelief (even more than the usual fake relationship to meet a weird family requirement). But the actual romance was lovely – I loved seeing this couple fall for each other while figuring out how to work together and how to show up for each other.
Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley – f/nb SFR
3.5 stars. Trans lesbian space opera with Han Solo / Princess Leia vibes. I wanted to like this more than I did but I still think it’s a promising debut. I just wanted better world building and more character development.
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall – ff historical fantasy
3 stars. B-/C+?
Odd, genre mashing fantasy ff romance set in alt Regency England, with magic and old gods. Narrated by Robin Goodfellow (aka Puck, the narrator of A Midsummer Night’s Dream), how much you like this book (imo) will come down to how much you enjoy/ tolerate the self-consciously clever, omniscient story telling style. The blurb definitely does a disservice to the book. It sets reader expectations for a completely different book.
Once I kind of relaxed into the narrator and the style, I ended up enjoying it more than I expected to, based on the first few chapters. But it’s a weird book. The romance is definitely secondary to the plot, but since I found the romance tedious, I didn’t mind that much. The pacing is uneven, which I minded more. Read the sample!
I’m currently reading How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler. A memoir by a science writer. I’m about halfway through and it’s very good, but not something that I can read more than a chapter or two at a time. Each chapter is about a different sea creature and also about a different part of the author’s life.
I also just started I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane, a queer dystopian novel. It’s very good but I’m not sure I’m in the right head space to keep reading it right now. But I just checked it out from my library after waiting for months and months. So I’ll probably try again later this week.
I am very tired, so I am going to attempt to make this short!
Excellent:
THE SKULL MANTRA by Eliot Pattison: (Contemporary Mystery – Inspector Shan 1) – I read this a second time to prepare to lead the discussion for my mystery book club and it was even better than I remember. The story is complex, highly detailed, layered and immersive. The MC is a prisoner in a work camp in Tibet and is called upon to solve a murder (he was an investigator before his imprisonment). The murder is really the vehicle to explore different value systems, different cultures and beliefs, and humans making choices within a wider system of oppression.
Very Good:
None
Good:
LEGENDARY (Caraval 2) and FINALE (Caraval 3) by Stephanie Garber (M/F – YA Fantasy): These books lacked the sparkle and some of the suspense of the first book in the series. I was also disappointed in the resolution of one of the romances.
A MAN OF SOME REPUTE by Elizabeth Edmondson (Historical Mystery – A Very English Mystery 1): Set in a small village in England during the 1950’s, this mystery dealt with the aftermath of the war and the beginning of the Cold War. The MC is a former spy, wounded in the line of duty, who is now unhappily working a desk job for a national security organization. Then the body of an Earl who disappeared seven years earlier is uncovered and the MC works to make sure the crime isn’t conveniently blamed on innocent people.
Meh:
TRULY YOURS by Barbara Metzger (M/F – Historical Romance – Royce Lie Detectors 1): This romance has a hint of magic – the hero can always tell whether or not someone is telling the truth and he “sees” it in color – blue means the truth. The heroine is wrongly accused of the murder of her wicked stepfather. There just wasn’t much tension or chemistry in the romance and the mystery was not horribly interesting either. CW for brief casual homophobia
THE TIMELESS WAY OF BUILDING by Christopher Alexander (Non-fiction): My husband and I are building a house and this is a classic in the field of architecture, so I thought it would be good to read. Instead, it was tedious to get through (I have been chipping away at it in very small chunks for months) and the ideas presented were not applicable or helpful to me. And even though it is supposed to be a very timeless book, it was published in 1979 and significant parts didn’t seem like they aged well to me.
The Bad:
None
@jenniferestep I loved “The Princess and the Goblin” and have it on my keeper shelf. I vaguely remember reading a sequel and thinking it was okay. Since you have a YA TBR, is “The Lives of Christopher Chant” on there?
Many of my hold books just became available, so I had to stop my re-read of the Magical Romantic Comedy series (with a body count) to read the library books. I was able to get a skip the line loan of CAPTURE THE SUN and am just starting in. It has a 7 day only borrowing period, so I had to juggle around my list. I forgot who the couples were so I was slightly disappointed that the Prince does not pair up with any of the crew members.
I’m listening to CORSAIRS: MATHIRAS and it is cracking me up. Helen is such a delight.
I have ONLY GOOD ENEMIES and DOGGONE MESS next.
I just finished listening to A HOUSE OF RAGE AND SORROW and am glad the third book is already out.
@EC Spurlock: You made me laugh with your, “It’s just some guy telling his life story about what he has overcome and how great he is. I could get that in any bar for free, I don’t need it in a book.”
Happy belated birthday to you!
@wingednike — Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn’t heard of THE LIVES OF CHRISTOPHER CHANT, but it looks interesting. Adding it to my TBR pile.
It’s been library book’o’clock for this one of late.
Let’s see, I first started with Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. It was very much a Regency (or Victorian? I was a bit fuzzy on the math there) fairy tale, as it is told by a fairy that was recently banished from Oberon’s court and is SALTY about it. He has to get a day job (the indignity of paying for things) and decides to tell stories that he has picked up during his long, long life, and tells the story of a young woman whose season is rudely disrupted by a curse that is highly likely to kill her if she doesn’t figure out what’s going on. During that process, she meets another young woman with knowledge of the forces that are at play, and the two fall quickly in love. The narrator, who goes by Robin, is HIGHLY snarky, but also finds himself experiencing some affection and concern for the young women as he follows their adventure. There’s also some very pointed commentary about entitled men and as in most stories where you have some mythological figures at play, many of the gods are bloodthirsty assclowns. Then I picked up August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones. It was a nice little series starter about an ex-cop in Detroit. He’s ex- because he exposed a whole mess of corruption within the department, and is not well-liked for it. He returns to town after traipsing the world for a bit, and quickly finds himself entangled in the activities of the rich and corrupt. The writing was very straightforward, and had some nice action scenes. I also liked much of the supporting cast, because we love a good setup for a recurring character. Then as soon as my library posted Role Playing by Cathy Yardley as being in processing I had slapped a hold on it and procured it about 5 days later (it was a long 5 days). That one was so good I’m almost a little disappointed with myself for the fact that I didn’t buy it. It is about a middle-aged lady gamer that makes a pact with her son that just left for college; if he’ll make the effort to find and involve himself in a social life, so will she. To this end, she gets involved in an online gaming guild. She quickly becomes good friends with the leader of the guild. Through a series of rather comic misunderstandings that could only happen via the Internet, they both have cosmically inaccurate perceptions of the other’s identity. I LOVED IT. I was hilarious, and a both affectionate but clear-sighted portrayal of gamer culture (and as a middle-aged lady gamer, I felt very seen). I would say that there was some stuff in there that might be difficult for someone that had experienced a lack of acceptance from their family, especially around sexuality, so be aware, but it’s handled compassionately. Which brings us to today, in which I just finished Mister Magic by Kiersten White. It comes out next month. It was a very quick read, with some nice horror elements to it. It gave some IT vibes (circle of children that have to confront a monster at some point, eldritch horrors, terrible adults, also I watched IT Chapters 1&2 this week for, um, fun?). It also had some pointy commentary about how certain groups treat children and women and well, anyone they perceive as different or wrong. I suspected there was some basis in the author’s upbringing on that one, which was confirmed in the author’s note. So on that note, I’m looking at my options and will likely land on something when I go to bed tonight. But until next time, just remember that an entire town can be a haunted house, but Wolfman can always be kicked in the nads.
I loved Natasha Ander’s The Unwanted Wife—thanks DDD for the recommendation! Thanks to another reader here, I subscribed to KU (for .99) and would love to have reccos for it—any sub-genre!
I loved Remember Me by Balogh. I think part of the reason is the spring-summer setting, and that it’s summer right now, and the book evokes that lazy, contented, party-feeling of summer. I did enjoy the characters as well! I’m really interested in reading book 3 (I didn’t actually read the first one in the series).
I also ended up re-reading Balogh’s The unlikely Duchess which was as fun and funny as I remembered it from 7 yrs ago, even though the heroine does have a couple of TSTL moments—it’s still just fun and funny.
Also read Margaret Rogerson’s Thorn duology—it was good-ish.
KU led me to LJ Shen’s The Devil Wears Black which I thought was excellent.
I tried the The Stark Trilogy from J Kenner on KU and while the erotica aspect was enjoyable, I found myself going—wait didn’t she use the exact same phrasing a few chapters ago. . . I thought Sylvia Day’s Crossfire was slightly better in that aspect—more fleshed out characters and less repetitive phrasing.
I also found KJ Parker’s Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City really compelling and entertaining, albeit in a very different way from romance!
Oh, and loved Cathy Yardley’s Role Playing for all the reasons DDD mentions!
@wingednike @jenniferestep I LOVE THE CHRESTOMANCI series! Sorry. I just love Diana Wynne Jones! And the Chrestomanci series are one of my favorites. I’d suggest check out ALL of her books. Her dialogue crackles, her world-building is utterly amazing, and I just fall down into her books. I’d say the Chrestomanci series (The many lives of Christoper Chant is a part of the series) is more MG than YA but she has a lot of books that are squarely YA. My almost six yr old loves reading as of now, and I am so looking forward to introducing him to Diana Lynne Jones. I actually find her to be a lot better than the Harry Potter series–in fact, I kinda make it a point to give her books rather than HP to the kids I know because her stories tend to be more nuanced and satisfying. Anyway, I hope you enjoy discovering more of her work!
@Juhi I love her books, too. I actually resisted the Harry Potter books for a long time because (from the book blurbs) I thought they were trying to copy some of her books.
Dogsbody is another book on my keeper shelf from her, but I can’t make myself re-read it because I’ll start bawling.
I think 9 Lives is my favorite, with Charmed Life, and Witch Week next in the series.
Oh, @jenniferestep, if you don’t mind more recommendations, then The Blossom Culp series from Richard Peck is another one of my favorites. The Ghost Belong to me is the first in the series, but is told from Alexander’s POV. I prefer Blossom’s perspective and it’s the later books that have her voice. “Child of Glass” was very loosely based on The Ghost Belong to Me and is almost Gothic Romance for the Wimpy Kid Diary set.
@Suzanne
If you’re on Discord, Kit Rocha’s discord thebrokencircle has a discussion/spoiler thread for Resonance Surge and the whole series. I just discovered it
And I think Nalini usually has a spoiler/discussion thread on her blog