Happy Saturday! Here’s what the SBTB crew has been reading lately:
Shana: I just finished A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C Higgins. ( A | BN | K ) It perfectly captured the sapphic need to talk about your newly discovered infatuation with absolutely everyone in your life before you tell the girl you like her. Annoying? Yes. Eerily accurate? Also yes.
Sarah: I am not quite back at reading capacity but pre COVID I read Love of my Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood ( A | BN | K | AB ) in one day. It is charming and funny and in on all the jokes and has that emotional sweetness where you sniffle and cry at the same time.
Elyse: I’m reading The God of the Woods by Liz Moore ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is a mystery set in 1975 about a girl who goes missing from summer camp. Moore is such a fantastic writer. I’m really enjoying it.
Susan: I finished the first volume of Remnants of Filth, ( A | BN | K | AB ) screamed a little, and immediately ordered the next two, so that’s what I’m up to
Kiki: In the Rec League for emotional competence Karin suggested After the Scandal by Elizabeth Essex ( A | BN ) which I started last night and I’m enthralled. It took everything in my power to put it down to go to sleep at 2 am.
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
I’m reading Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop, and it’s lovely – so funny and magical.
Just finished EVOCATION by S.T. Gibson. Absolutely loved it! So mystical and atmospheric. Couldn’t put it down.
I read A Daughter of Fair Versona by Christina Dodd. Romeo and Juliet didn’t die, they’re expecting their 8th kid, and their eldest daughter, Rosie, is accused of murder. First person from Rosie’s POV.
This book is completely ridiculous, and I enjoyed every second of it. The setup for Romeo and Juliet not being dead sounds like Elizabeth told Shakespeare, “It’s a lovely play, Will, but it needs cheering up a bit.”
It’s the start of a series, so the main mystery is resolved, but nothing else.
Right now, Verona in the running for my second-favorite book of 2024 (Kingfisher’s Paladin’s Faith is in first).
Part 1
I was thrilled that Taylor Fitzpatrick finally published BETWEEN THE TEETH, the third and final book in her Between the Teeth trilogy. It was a great book, and I gulped it down in a day, however, it is not a standalone, you must read the previous two books (COMING IN FIRST PLACE & AND THEN) to get the full story of David, a professional hockey player who is clearly neurodiverse (although never stated outright, I think it’s obvious that David is on the autism spectrum), and his relationship with another player, Jake, whose connection with David goes all the way back to their rookie year in the NHL. The trilogy (told entirely from David’s POV) is similar in setup to HEATED RIVALRY—with David being simultaneously attracted to and in competition with Jake—but Fitzpatrick’s style is completely different from Rachel Reid’s. By the time BETWEEN THE TEETH opens, David and Jake (who broke up in AND THEN) haven’t spoken for over a year. If you’ve read THROWN OFF THE ICE (one of my all-time favorite books, but utterly heartbreaking), you know that an HEA is not always guaranteed in Fitzpatrick’s books, so I was a little concerned that Jake was dancing around the edges of BETWEEN THE TEETH until well past the 50% mark. However, this did not diminish the story because, for the first half of the book, we see David trying (with varying degrees of success) to negotiate the social interactions that most of us take for granted. Fitzpatrick does an excellent job of being inside the mind of someone who knows he is different but is not exactly sure how: “it’s like every time he does something right he seems to fuck something else up,” David thinks, and later, “he’s never liked it when someone’s angry at him, never sure what he’s supposed to do other than apologize, which sometimes makes things worse. He liked it even less when he doesn’t know what he did.” It’s nice to see David growing in his understanding, making friends, and eventually reconnecting with Jake. (BETWEEN THE TEETH also includes a very interesting subplot involving two other players who were once in a relationship and then had a bad breakup—and I really want that couple’s story!) The Between the Teeth trilogy is almost just as much about a neurodiverse person’s personal journey as it is a romance—and either way you want to read it, it’s highly recommended.
After toiling in relative obscurity for many years as one of Romancelandia’s most underrated and reliably good writers, Julie Kriss finally seems to have come into her own with her Road Kings series of romances that revolve around a rock band that reunites for a tour a decade after they broke up, with each member finding love and (just as important) stability & sobriety along the way. The first four books of the Road Kings series focused on the four members of the band, but the previous book and now the sixth entry, SONGS TO BREAK UP TO, feature MCs who are connected to the band but not part of the initial core group. (Technically, each Road Kings book can stand alone; you do not have to have read any of the previous books in the series, but I do think it makes for a richer experience to read the entire series in order.) In SONGS TO BREAK UP TO, Juliet (former bassist of an all-girl punk band) is hired by the Road Kings to replace their regular bassist who is taking a sabbatical to be with his family (including a new baby). Juliet’s work with the group runs parallel to her reluctantly helping to plan her sister’s wedding, during the course of which Juliet reconnects with the brother of the groom, Finn, a former teen heartthrob now fallen into obscurity and something of a recluse. Kriss takes some chances by making Juliet a rather prickly, standoffish heroine. Juliet feels the attraction to Finn that she first felt 13 years before but is hesitant to fully engage emotionally with him. Meanwhile, Finn has experienced incredible highs (in all senses of the word) and lows over the course of his life. Kriss does a good job of showing how out-of-control life is for a massively popular teenager on whose shoulders the livelihoods of many people rest. The relationship between Juliet & Finn moves in fits and starts as each of them, particularly Juliet, must come to understand that “You didn’t get any awards for being sadder and lonelier than everyone else.” Kriss manages to make both Juliet & Finn fully realized characters—not an easy task when both of them live the kinds of lives that few of us do. A nice romance about becoming your best self while remaining your authentic self. Recommended.
Kate Canterbary’s CHANGE OF HEART begins a new series titled Good Girls Guide to Wedding Crashing. Set in the same Boston-area hospital as some of Canterbary’s previous books (BEFORE GIRL, THE WORST GUY), CHANGE OF HEART involves Whitney, a transplant surgeon, and Henry, a medical resident, and their attempts to not give in to their attraction during the time Henry is part of the surgical rotation at the hospital. In the book’s setup, we meet Whitney and her best friend, Meri (also a surgeon), who have a ten-years-long tradition of crashing upscale weddings. At one such wedding, Whitney has a hot one-night-stand with the best man, Henry—both of them completely unaware that in a few weeks, Henry will be part of the residency cohort Whitney is responsible for shepherding through their surgical rotation. Needless to say, when Whitney & Henry meet again, the fight to keep things professional between the two of them is a difficult (and hot!) one. As usual with Canterbary, CHANGE OF HEART is full of heat, heart, humor, strong female friendships, professional competence, and the pain of personal growth (after Whitney breaks up with Henry, Whitney’s sister asks her, “How are you allowed to be a doctor if you’re this much of an idiot?”). As with Canterbary’s last book, SHUCKED, I felt that CHANGE OF HEART was a little too busy: there were so many characters, so many subplots, so much going on, that sometimes it felt that the story was losing track of Whitney & Henry as a couple. (My other quibble with the book was how frequently Henry gave Whitney a “friendly” slap on the ass: perhaps a minor thing, but it didn’t feel true to the respectful, caring, and thoughtful person Henry was the rest of the time.) Overall, I enjoyed CHANGE OF HEART and recommend it, I just hope Canterbary pares back some of the subplots in future books.
INVITATIONS is the third book in C.M. Nascosta’s Girls Weekend series of monster romances and continues the intertwined stories of elves Lurielle, Ris, and Silva and their relationships with three orcs, Khash, Ainsley, and Tate, respectively. Lurielle is planning her wedding to Khash, while Ris & Ainsley are continuing their no-strings-attached affair (although it seems obvious to all but Ris that the relationship has developed significant emotional strings), and Silva longs to introduce the part-fae bar-owner Tate to her snobbish family. INVITATIONS includes some rather melancholy elements—especially in regard to the lifespans of elves (long) against the lifespans of orcs (not as long)—and Lurielle in particular is filled with sorrow at the thought of how many years she may outlive Khash. There is also a significant paranormal element in the story as Tate’s fae blood begins to have implications for Silva’s future happiness. I really enjoyed how Nascosta pulls together all the threads of her various Cambric Creek romances as characters from the other books make appearances. As with the previous books in the series, INVITATIONS ends on a major cliffhanger—I just have to hang on until next February for the finale. Recommended.
Part 2
Late to the party, but I finally read Beth O’Leary’s THE ROAD TRIP (published in 2021), which I grabbed when it was recently on sale. Much like THE NO-SHOW (the only other O’Leary book I’ve read), the book seemed to be written in a way that makes the reader actively disklike one particular character, only to upend things as the book gets closer to its conclusion. In THE ROAD TRIP, Addie and her sister, Deb (a wonderful character—and I’m not just saying that because we share a name, lol), are on their way to a friend’s wedding in Scotland. They are giving a ride to fellow wedding guest, Rodney, a bit of a comic figure. When their car is rear-ended, Addie & Deb reluctantly offer ride to the two men in the car that hit them: Dylan and his best friend, Marcus. Addie and Dylan were once wildly in love, but broke up (acrimoniously) over a year before. The book moves back and forth in time (with alternating POVs), showing how Addie & Dylan first met, fell in love, moved in together, and eventually broke up; and how they now interact on a long drive in a crowded car with three other people. Much like THE NO-SHOW, THE ROAD TRIP is very well-written with moments of laugh-out-loud humor alongside scenes that break your heart; but, also, much like THE NO-SHOW, much of the story seems designed to make the reader actively hate one particular character, in this case, Marcus, who is shown as spoiled, self-indulgent, and full of poison toward Addie. Marcus isn’t redeemed as much as Carter is at the end of THE NO-SHOW, but a reveal about his character did make me wonder if Addie & Dylan were strong enough two years ago to have stayed together even without Marcus’s cruel interventions. I can’t deny that THE ROAD TRIP is a very readable book, but it gave me the same feeling that THE NO-SHOW did: I’m given just enough information to despise a character, and then there’s an “ah-ha” moment when a new nugget is revealed. I don’t like to feel exhausted and perpetually on the back foot in my romance reading. TL;DR: a good plot but the way the story was told didn’t really mesh with the way I like to read romance.
N.R. Walker’s THE MEN FROM ECHO CREEK is a historical m/m romance set in a ranching community in the mountainous region of Australia in the late 1800s. Despite a few anachronisms (especially words and exclamations used in casual conversations), I found THE MEN FROM ECHO CREEK to be accurate to the time period in terms of how the characters related to each other and how they eventually were able to achieve their HEA. Albie is still a teenager when his father dies unexpectedly, leaving him to run a cattle ranch with very limited help (especially after most of the ranch hands, unwilling to work for a boss of just 19, decide to leave). Albie meets Percy, a young man who has been living rough—having left home after refusing to marry a woman his family had selected for him. Albie offers Percy a job, and much of the first half of the book shows the hard work required to run a ranch. Each evening after dinner, Percy (who has received more education than Albie) helps Albie to improve his reading and arithmetic skills. The men grow closer, but their physical relationship moves at a realistically slow pace, neither of them having any experience or context for their feelings for each other. This results in a nice slow-burn—and even after Albie & Percy start being intimate there is gradual build-up to what they do with each other. Interspersed with their growing relationship are various events: attempts by a wealthy rancher to buy Albie’s land; two women—who are obviously to our eyes, but not necessarily to 19th century eyes, in a relationship—coming to work at the ranch; a missing child; a herd of wild horses; adding another building to the ranch property. I don’t read much historical romance, but THE MEN FROM ECHO CREEK is one of the best I’ve read recently. Recommended.
I grabbed Riley Nash’s BAD DOGS during a recent Stuff-Your-E-Reader freebie book event. It’s a very stark story that won’t be for everyone (there are content warnings at the beginning of the book—read them!) involving a neurodiverse young man who struggles with speaking and another young man who supports himself as a cam boy. Roman moves to Colorado with his brother, a corrupt and abusive cop. Hart does a good job of getting inside Roman’s head: he’s smart and sensitive but struggles to verbalize his thoughts when he feels anxious or afraid (which is frequently because his brother is so awful to him), sometimes erupting in frustrated rage. Roman’s only affection comes in the form of a neglected mastiff dog that he starts taking care of to the best of his ability (perhaps the symbolism here is a little too on-the-nose). Scout, who lives in a rundown trailer and whose only means of support appears to be his cam work, observes Roman in the throes of one of his furious rages and sees something in Roman that no one else has ever bothered to see. Scout suggests that he & Roman perform some amateur BDSM for a cam audience. Roman, who has never had much agency in his life, is not sure how to approach the type of sexual encounters that Scout is suggesting—even though Scout is at great pains to explain and get Roman’s consent for anything that they do. This element of the book reminded me in the most tangential way of Alexis Hall’s FOR REAL because in Scout & Roman’s dynamic it is the smaller, slighter Scout who is the dom and the much larger, stronger Roman who is the sub. There’s a lot of other things going on in BAD DOGS, including the drug dealing in which Roman is ensnared because of his corrupt brother. There’s not a perfect HEA in BAD DOGS, but there’s an ending that feels right for the type of story it is as Roman finds a place in a found family with Scout and his friends (one of whom is a trans man). Not for all tastes, but recommended for those who like their romances on the grittier side.
Finished THE PERILS OF LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH by Claudia Gray. The series is delightful as ever and definitely my modern take of Austen fanfic.
ONE IN A MILLENNIAL by Kate Kennedy isn’t something I’d normally pick up (some of my generation’s naval gazing is exhausting), but when she guested on the the Dolls of Our Lives podcast, I really enjoyed her insights. This was a bit of a mixed bag, some essays stronger than others, but not a bad read.
THE MISTRESS EXPERIENCE by Scarlett Peckham I think was my favorite of this series as the other 2 books left me kind of cold. While I definitely prefer her Charlotte Street series, this was a good read for sitting out on the deck in the summer.
Tudor summer continues and I reread THE CREATION OF ANNE BOLEYN by Susan Bordo. Not strictly a biography, but rather the cultural interpretations of her, it was a nice quick read instead of picking up the brick that is Eric Ives again.
Fingers crossed my library holds/preorders come in time for a weekend at the beach next.
Okay, first eyeball reading –
RACE OF SCORPIONS in The House of Niccolò series by Dorothy Dunnett. 3rd in the very densely written historical fiction series. These books are so weird and yet so enjoyable. Nicholas continues to plot and scheme (and is plotted and schemed against) in the 1460s. This time the setting is mostly in Cyprus and Rhodes and centers on the sugar trade and war for the throne of Cyprus between two half siblings. You absolutely have to read these books in order and with a patience for old-fashioned language. I let about 10% wash over me without understanding it, a habit I picked up from reading in Italian and Spanish, but I know that is not for everyone. I think my physics/sci fi friend was horrified that I loved THE MARTIAN without even bothering to try to understand the nuance of the science of it. 😉 I think to her, that’s cheating.
The series is pretty much the opposite of realistic in every way possible. Everyone is erudite and witty, there are always multiple layers of strategy going on at any moment (lots of times I miss at least one level, sometimes more). Women and men are always throwing themselves at Nicholas and finding him irresistible in a way that I would usually find annoying. But I find once I’m sucked into these stories, I sink in deep. The female characters are nuanced (if not always likable). There’s always vivid set pieces and at least one scene or twist that makes me gasp. It feels like you’re truly immersed in this other world and that’s a feeling I don’t get reading often anymore.
YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls. I have mixed feelings about David Nicholls. He writes ‘love stories’ not ‘romances’ (aka HEA is not guaranteed) but I can’t deny that he writes about engaging people and sparky banter. This one was about two middle aged people who by a series of circumstances end up hiking through the Lake District. This one *does* have an emotionally satisfying ending. Hopefully that’s enough information without spoiling too much. It reminds me of ONE BY ONE by JoJo Moyes, for people who have read that. There are some second hand embarrassment/poor character choices at some point, be aware.
Michael and Marnie are both middle aged people who are both emotionally closed off after divorces, life circumstances, and the pandemic. A mutual friend cajoles them into a group hiking trip across the Lake District . Of course, through a series of circumstances the hike dwindles down to the two of them and they start to feel an attraction. This is the type of love story I’m looking at and rarely get. Both characters are older and more ordinary (a geography teacher and freelance editor), but still very appealing. A lot of their attraction comes from a slow understanding of each other, similar senses of humor and becoming brave enough to be vulnerable with each other. I want this! I don’t mind ogling body parts, but I feel like so often romance writers do that and skimp on peeling back emotional layers. Also, there’s a sense of real risk for these two. Both characters are at a place in their life (and their personalities) that if this doesn’t work, they may retreat further into solitude and close off completely. That feels much more high stakes to me than two people who are in their 20s, drop dead gorgeous, and have glamorous careers.
I have a DNF for my romance book club that I won’t go into detail here, but I do have a mini rant. I get that romances are getting into more ‘earthy’ language and I embrace that for the most part, but does a duke in the 19th century really have to use only the word ‘tits’ for breasts? I’m not saying he wouldn’t use it, but I feel like this hero used this to the exclusion of everything else to the point it was multiple times on one page. I’d like to think he’d have a slightly larger vocabulary than just that. He’s supposed to be a fairly educated person. I could go on, but I won’t. Anyways. . .
In audiobook listening (doing a lot of that lately)
FIVE BROKEN BLADES by Mai Corland and narrated by a large cast (quite a few POV characters). This was a plotting and assassins book set in a fantasy version of Asia. An assassin (and her handler’s son), a ruined prince, a spymaster,and a quirky thief (and her bodyguard) all are supposed to work together to bring down the king who is living as a god, thanks to a powerful magical crown. But of course, every one of them has secrets. Romantasy (I’d say, not an expert) and gave me SIX OF CROWS vibes, but definitely not YA. I found this really satisfying and fun to listen to while doing chores, maybe pulls its punches a little, but still twisty and I’m looking forward to the next. The POVs are all first person and I believe present tense. The first person was the only thing that frustrated me until I got the voices down
Going backwards in time:
I finished SILVER NITRATE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia yesterday. I think the two MCs have the potential to be either unlikeable or flawed depending on your perspective. Moreno-Garcia is great at evoking atmosphere, in this case 90s Mexico, the film scene, and the smoky mysticism of occult magic. Not a romance, but with an underlying relationship arc. Recommend.
Before that was EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END by C.L. Polk, another story, this time a novella, with an atmospheric conjuring, this time of jazz-age Chicago with demons, fallen angels and magic. The plot worked within the length for me. Recommend.
Prior to that, I DNF’ed MOLLY MALLOY AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH. I don’t know how to spoiler in the comments, but if you’re considering this, seriously have a look at the content warnings, because I thought there were so many grim things in the book that aren’t reflected by the blurb and cutesy cover. Approach with care.
The above was me for July. June featured:
THE STRANGER TIMES by C.K. McDonnell – wacky, Manchester (UK) set urban fantasy with an underdog group of newsreporters. Recommend.
TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH by Moniquill Blackgoose – as already rec’d on SBTB. Like Hogwarts, but with dragons, an indigenous MC, and much rep. Recommend.
THORNHEDGE by T. Kingfisher – a novella by Kingfisher, so as you’d expect. Recommend.
I DNF’ed MORGUE TO LOVE by Megan Montgomery as one MC kept going on about how important straight up communication was to her, but did the either of two MCs communicate straight up? (Spoiler alert, they did not…)
Did you ever find that your reading seems to have developed an unitentional theme/s? I’ve had a lot of good books out on the patio this summer, but they seem to be following themes: Short term/time constrained relationships. Parental loss/parental desertion. And, surprisingly, emotionally closed off FMCs. Honestly have no idea how that happened.
Abby Jimenez’s JUST FOR THE SUMMER continued the trend. And where has she been all my life? WOW. Just WOW. I did not know/realize that this was part of a trilogy/series until more than halfway through the book. And that’s a good thing. I am, admittedly, a bit anal about reading series in order, but I feel like it wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact if I had known about the act 3 revelations ahead of time. This is essentially the story of two people experiencing the same “curse”. Everyone they date goes on to marry the next person they have a relationship with. In some cases that person is one of their best friends. So, by dating each other would they be able to break the curse and find their true loves? There was so much to love about this book. The meet cute, the found family/friendships, the way they find comfort in each other when the reality of their lives gets too hard: Emma’s toxic mother, Justin having to take over the parenting of his younger siblings. Not a happy go lucky read, although it has its moments, but a deeply satisfying one. Also, I love when a writer is immersed enough in the setting (Minneapolis) that I could travel there and know where to go and what to do once I get there.
Then was the Beauty and The Beast redux: BARELY EVEN FRIENDS from Mae Bennett. And yes, it is following the trend. Restoration contractor Bellamy gets the opportunity of a lifetime, the Killington Estate has been crumbling for decades. If she can pull this off in the six months she’s been allotted she’ll save her father’s business while making enough of a name for herself that her dream job may just be attainable. In her way is the reclusive Killington heir apparent. Oliver retreated from the world after a horrific accident. I definitely have a quibble about third act break up. I get wanting to succeed on your own merits, but why would a recommendation based on that work be an issue? Anyhow. Time limit? Check. Parental loss, parental abandonment, AND toxic parenting? Check. Throw in my personal catnip, the grumpy MMC, and you’ve got a big win.
Now working my way through Harry Dolan’s THE GOOD KILLER. That’s not a purgorative comment about the book, it’s about my mind set. I love Dolan’s David Loogan mysteries, but this is 100% suspense. I think my summer brain doesn’t want to move as fast as this book is paced. The action is non-stop, there is a level of violence that doesn’t appear in his previous books, and I feel like there’s no good resolution on the horizon for any of the characters. The writing is A-level, but more of a cold winter night read.
@Jill Q. re: YOU ARE HERE: Wishlisted! I am interested in those kinds of stories right now too. The next romance I plan to read is EVEN IF WE’RE BROKEN by A. M. Weald, which is in that vein.
Finished SUMMER IS FOR LOVERS by Jennifer McQuiston, a historical romance set in the beach town of Brighton. A young woman with a secret swimming habit reconnects with a Scottish man with a tragic past who she saved from drowning when she was a kid. It was uneven but worth reading. I believe the review here gave it an A-.
Read the multiple introductions to LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT by Ursula K. Le Guin, a recently rereleased book of essays about science fiction, fantasy, and writing (still on sale for $1.99!). I quit Ken Liu’s intro because it was long-winded and recapped too much of the book.
Rereading FOUNDATION by Isaac Asimov (previously read in high school, don’t remember much) in prep to watch the show (even tho I hear it makes many changes). It’s a sausage party and too in love with know-it-all men, and psychohistory strains my suspension of disbelief, but it’s still pretty readable somehow.
Also reading FRIENDSHIPPING by Jenn Bane and Trin Garritano because I need local friends. The bit I’ve read so far is good.
Happy summer reading, everyone! Hope you all have some downtime planned to dig into your TBR pile!
Things are crazy here in New England – way too much work to do for the rest of the month, switching our house over from oil to solar heat/AC, so contractors everywhere, and all my kids are home for the summer. All good, but not enough quiet reading time!
Read a couple of Jessie Mihalik’s books (POLARIS RISING and ECLIPSE THE MOON). Very entertaining Sci Fi – M/F romance. Felt a little long, but both recommended. Will finish both series (think I may have read some of them out of order already).
DIONYSUS IN WISCONSIN by E.H. Lupton was an interesting read. Late 1960’s alternate history set in Wisconsin, with magic, but homophobia and other cultural elements are weirdly present (like music and movies and the war in Vietnam) and many were inserted for no good reason that I could see. There were some anachronisms that made me crazy – there were no motion detector lights in libraries in 1969, for instance. Characters were pretty well drawn, and plot moved along well. Give it a shot if the premise works for you, but overall, an uneven experience.
THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND YEETED A LOVE POTION AT A WEREWOLF by Kimberly Lemming, M/F fantasy romance. I liked this. It is what it is, but it is so upfront about what it is, that it is charming. Like Cheetos or Smartfood. Not going to be the best thing ever, but if you are in the mood, very satisfying. I think I will go back and read the first one, which SBTB posted was on sale this week.
A FATAL THINK HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM: MURDER IN ANCIENT ROME by Emma Southon. I was dragging my feet mid-read, but overall, I enjoyed this book. The author is funny and irreverent, and keeps stories moving. I felt the book was wandering about halfway through, but by the end, she knitted it together really well.
What I took from this book — Roman culture was brutal, and only a few elite Roman men were valued, which is no surprise to most of you. Women, slaves, non-Romans, and non-elites were disposable. Some of the mores that we have adopted from Roman culture are still reinforcing systemic racism, nationalism, classism, imperialism, and misogyny in Europe and the United States today, which is bananas. While this book was just about violent deaths in Rome, I thought this narrow slice of centuries-long history made this pattern very clear. Highly recommend.
Loved THE BLACK TONGUE THIEF by Christopher Buehlman. It was one of the best books I’ve read this year (Fantasy, lots of action, dark but very engaging — characters are FANTASTIC) and next book (THE DAUGHTERS’WAR) just came out, so looking forward to digging into it. It’s back history of one of the best characters in the first book — SHE HAS WAR CORVIDS, THAT BECOME TATTOOS WHEN THEY ARE NOT FIGHTING, PEOPLE! WAR CORVIDS!
Stay cool and have a great weekend!
@DiscoDollyDeb – I loved THE MEN OF ECHO CREEK too, but you put it so much more eloquently why this is a lovely book!
So, for my reading…
BEST PLAY – Layla Reyne (m/m contemporary).This is a novella to wrap up her Perfect Play series. Only read it if you’ve read the series! It’s mostly fluff (and sex) plus a small mystery that resolves quickly, but I also suspect some sequel bait when it comes to some of the side characters!
THE WRONG HANDS – Mark Billingham. Not a romance, but a mystery with rather off-beat hero. Second in the series about Detective Miller, set in Blackpool. This one resolves the overarching mystery from the first book, so do not read it without reading the first one. There is also another case happening that’s the main case of this book. I don’t know if the series will continue with the bigger resolution done, also I’m not sure I’ll continue reading. I liked the first book, but in this one, Miller behaves just too crazily, this isn’t just off-beat, he actually got on my nerves and made unnecessary mistakes. Also, the second case just took too long to really get off, too much time was spent in the heads of various characters without things really moving, and then the resolutions of both cases in the end felt too rushed. There are funny moments and I did want to know how it ends, but this was too uneven for me.
HOODOO HOUSE – Peter E. Fenton. Next in the series of the Declan Hunt Mysteries. These are queer mysteries set in and around Calgary, with romantic elements. Declan is a PI with focus on LGBTQIA folks, and his assistant Charlie is the love interest. Book one left them with nothing really have happened between them, and both having had things going with other men, though Charlie clearly was into Declan. This book has them finally getting together whilst on a case (only one bed!), despite a few things which initially kept them holding back -boss/employee, age gap, Declan keeping secrets. He realises he needs to talk to Charlie and does so in the end, and Charlie also realises he has to do a few things if they want to be together. The mystery was also a good one and I hope we’ll see more of these two, with more interesting mysteries and their relationship progressing as well as Charlie becoming a PI himself. He’s getting good at investigating and not just being the office assistant and IT whiz, and Declan is seeing it. I know boss/empolyee relationships are a knotty issue and it makes me usually uncomfortable, but here it felt ok, and the end hints at Declan recognising Charlie’s talents and their becoming more like partners professionally.
Following a recommendation here, I read and enjoyed Alyxandra Harvey’s Cinderella Society series. Each book follows one of three friends (who share a godfather) to their HEA and tucks a small mystery into the story, while each of the women has a different interest.
Before the Cinderella Society, I read Rosalind James’ New Zealand Ever After series because I enjoyed her Portland Devils (football) series so much. The NZ Ever After series made me want to visit NZ, a trip never on my mind before. Perhaps because the story backgrounds were residential and “normal” places, with amazing scenery described. The characters include former cult members and NZ All Black players. Lovely characters, interesting storylines, and respect for Maori culture, woven together seamlessly. Six books in a series I was sorry to see end.
A year or so ago I (accidentally)read one title in Kate Canterbary’s Walsh series out of order and decided to read all from the beginning. The sibling characters are architect brothers and their lawyer-MBA sister who manages the family business. Each character had a distinct personality as did their romantic partners. Their mother died young and their father was off-the-rails twisted. I admit to a running thought – why the holy heck didn’t someone call CPS??- but I suppose then these stories wouldn’t exist. Treatment at their father’s hand pretty much maxed out my tolerance for angst, but didn’t stop me from enjoying this series.
I read The Excitements by C.J. Wray. While the story was interesting and unusual, I was far into the book before I could keep the sisters straight.
I found Field Rules by Carla Luna okay, although not original in plot or characters. Perhaps because I’ve read so many books . It was hard for me to understand a character who was so embarrassed during her first dig, that she then avoided field work for the duration of her PhD studies. As an archaeologist. Sheesh.
I’m reading The Benevolent Society of Ill -Mannered Ladies and enjoying it. Nice that 40-something characters get a story while worrisome that one sister has a serious health concern. Also, the cover is beautiful but the sisters are described as having a seven inch height difference.
Next up, something completely different: Ben Rehder’s Boom Town, the most recent issue in his Blanco County mystery series. So. Much. Fun.
@Kolforin, hope you like it. My best friend calls me ‘the book pusher.’ 🙂 I might try EVEN IF WE’RE BROKEN just on that comparison alone!
I’m reading HATTIE BIG SKY by Kirby Larson, which is about a girl who inherits a homestead from her uncle and moves to Montana in the early 1900s. I love westerns, and I’m really enjoying it so far.
Waiting on my TBR pile are NINE TAILED by Jayci Lee and THE WARD WITCH by Sarah Painter.
I’m also watching MY LIVE WITH THE WALTER BOYS on Netflix, and now I want to check out the book by Ali Novak.
Mostly, though, I am staying in my hobbit hole working and avoiding the heat, which just saps all my energy. I am ready for summer to be over. Stay cool out there this weekend! 🙂
I read “The Tea Dragon Society” and its two companions and it was SO cute. I loved the art style and how low-stakes the stories were.
I read “Here For The Wrong Reasons” by Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang in one sitting – it was a fast read, and if you love “The Bachelor”, you’ll eat it up with a spoon. Parts of it really read like they just transcribed the dialogue from a few episodes, right down to the controlled vocabulary the contestants all use. LOL I wasn’t really convinced on the HEA – it seemed very situational and shallow, the way all of the “romances” and side relationships that develop from this franchise do, like once they leave the McMansion bubble, reality hits and the feelings were just as manufactured as everything else on the show.
I forgot to specify in my post that FRIENDSHIPPING is nonfiction about finding and maintaining friendships as an adult.
I’ve finally taken the plunge and started Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series. I read THE GOVERNESS AFFAIR last month and liked it and I moved onto THE DUCHESS WAR this month. Absolutely loved it! It was a nice change of pace for an author to allow the two leads to resolve their issues with each other in a fairly straightforward manner and not drag it out for drama’s sake. I’m now taking a break from the series because I don’t want the stories to run together in my head and I’ve started THE ROM-COMMERS by Katherine Center. I’m only a couple chapters in though.
I adored UNDER YOUR SPELL bu Laura Wood. The FMC is the middle child of a famous rocker who managed to father three daughters with three different women, all within a year of each other. The moms said “f* you” to the rocker, moved into an old farmhouse and raised the girls together. This is pretty much exactly what we are always wishing for with all of the Bachelor recaps LOL. Now a professor, the FMC loses her job, is asked by one of her sisters to babysit another famous rocker for the summer while he writes a new album, and they fall in love (of course). The family dynamics between the sisters and moms were wonderful, the romance was sweet and hopeful, and I really didn’t want the book to end.
RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES by Maggie North, has an FMC who is pretty clearly neurodivergent but is undiagnosed. She’s advised by her toxic boss to try an improv class to “improve” her social skills and promotibility within the company. Self-discovery ensues as she first keeps trying to change herself, then finally starts to embrace her differences. I sympathized so much with her as she is so sure that the problem is her that she blows up her life, and almost kills her marriage to someone she deeply loves, to get to a place where she can finally love and accept herself.
THE UNDERMINING OF TWYLA AND FRANK by Megan Bannen was different, but still a good follow up to THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY. There wasn’t as much focus on the romance, but instead, more focus on the cozy fantasy elements, and there are adorable dragons!
Finally, I loved ON THE BRIGHT SIDE by Anna Sortino, a YA coming of age story with a deaf FMC being mainstreamed to a regular high school after attending a state school of the deaf for the last 6 years. Her hearing family is totally unsupportive of her. She meets a helpful guy at school who is asked to show her around and when he is suddenly facing his own health challenges, she’s the one person who fully understands his confusion and fears. Both MCs faced their challenges with strength and after getting knocked down, got up, and found constructive ways to move forward.
Currently I’m reading an ARC of NE’ER DUKE WELL (release date on 7/23) by Alexandra Vasti and it’s delightful so far.
I have been reading a Discworld book any time I hit a DNF book. I started this at the beginning of the year with the first book, and I’m currently on Witches Abroad, which is delightful.
Before the recent DNF I actually had a string of good reads. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries was twisty and clever, and ominous in all the right places without being despairing. It made me laugh out loud repeatedly, and was difficult to put down. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire was good, but it was pitched to me as cozy fantasy and it REALLY REALLY IS NOT. I would not even categorize it as cozy horror like some T. Kingfisher. It is…fantasy mystery with strong horror elements? At First Spite by Olivia Dade was a feel-good book with some really intense emotional bits, and mental health themes that were just the thing for me right now. I enjoyed The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, but for some reason my brain kept putting the actors from You’re the Worst in the roles, even though they are NOTHING like the book characters. I had some idea as to how it would end from about Page 3, but I enjoyed the journey.
DOGLAND by Tommy Tomlinson: Behind the scenes non-fiction about dogs, people and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. I love dogs and found this history of everything dog-related — especially show dogs — to be quite interesting, also worrisome.
THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: Not an easy read, but an important one about American surgical nurses in 1960s Vietnam serving in several hot zones. I’ve not read Hannah before and probably won’t again. Friends tell me her books always dump a metric-ton of bad news on the FMCs and THE WOMEN is no exception.
Here, a young woman becomes a nurse because (a) no one believes she can and (b) someone reminded her that women can be heroes. Dysfunctional family, relationships, loss, grief and PTSD, but the two other nurses she serves with become stalwart, lifelong friends. That veterans and the VA didn’t believe any women served in combat at that time was–for me–the last straw. Hannah should perhaps name her FMCs “Job” or title each book “What’s the worst that could happen and can we add more?” Sorry, I know her books are very popular, just not for me. /rant
A pretty good couple of weeks’ reading for me:
FOR REAL and GLITTERLAND by ALEXIS HALL. M/M contemporary.
I am re-reading the revised versions of the Spires series which have been republished, with the addition of informative and entertaining annotations and other extras. I do so enjoy Hall’s voice, so for me his books stand up well to multiple readings, as there’s always more to find each time. And now even more so with all the extras.
I am resolutely saving Waiting for the Flood and its new companion story Chasing the Light for an emergency. And Pansies, the final book of the original four, is pre-ordered for August. I will be inhaling that as soon as it arrives on my Kindle.
Love Alexis Hall. Love these stories. Heartfelt, totes emosh and sexy.
DEATH IN THE SPIRES by KJ CHARLES. Mystery, historic.
The author has been very emphatic that this is a mystery, not a romance. However, there were enough romantic elements in it to satisfy my KJC-loving heart. She is reliably good with her characterisations and I found myself very invested in Jem, the central protagonist. The mystery is well done and the early 20th century Oxford setting is atmospheric (although a friend of mine, born and brought up in the city, was irritated by her playing fast and loose with some of the geography – which won’t impact many of us). Enjoyable.
CHANGE OF HEART by KATE CANTERBARY. M/F contemporary.
For whatever reason, I liked this much more than the other two books in this world (Before Girl and The Worst Guy). Our protagonists meet at a wedding, have a glorious one-night stand and then, in theory, that’s one and done. But fate has other ideas and the MMC turns up as a resident at the (attending) FMC’s hospital and they are thrown back together. Unbeknownst to her, he has been searching for her and on her part, she has been dreaming about him. And so we have the setup for a lovely, emotional love story, where they just can’t resist each other but of course, it’s never that simple…resulting in some serious Bad Decisions Book Club action from me. Loved it.
WHISKY BUSINESS by ELLIOT FLETCHER (M/F contemporary) is very charming. Actress April, struggling with the trappings of fame, returns home to a small Scottish island to take over her late grandfather’s (whisky) business and has to work with her all grownup and gorgeous but painfully shy teenage crush, Malcolm. Lovely Scottish scenery and a small town family and friends vibe contribute to this book’s likeability. Plus the connection between the leads runs hot. Recommended.
I spotted the paperback of THE EARL TAKES ALL by LORRAINE HEATH (M/F historical) halfway down my teetering TBR pile and memories of recommendations of the ‘bonkersness’ of the story (twins! gorillas!) made me excavate it. Well, what a delight. The (pregnant) FMC’s husband of only a couple of months is killed while on foreign travels and his identical twin brother takes it upon himself to impersonate him, to ensure that his widow can safely bring the pregnancy to term without stress. She notices that her ‘husband’ has changed but puts it down to the effects of his travels and the loss of his twin. He keeps pushing the date when he plans to come clean for various reasons but the reader knows that the big lie at the heart of it will come out sooner or later. And so the tension keeps building, even as they are obviously becoming more and more attached. All the expected shenanigans ensue in pursuit of the HEA and it’s very emotional and entertaining. Recommended, especially if histrom is your thing.
Happy reading all!
I’m working my way through some of Kate Bateman’s historicals. I read The Second Duke’s The Charm, then How to Fall for a Scoundrel, now I’m on This Earl of Mine with To Catch an Earl lined up next.
JUST STAB ME NOW by Jill Bearup – so good and funny, bad decisions book club, the characters still live in my head weeks later. The premise: author Caroline is trying to write a tropey steamy enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, but the super competent heroine Lady Rosamund has a mind of her own and is NOT having it. Lots of funny scenes of the author arguing with her own characters. Both Caroline and Rosamund get storylines, romance does end up happening, though not as planned. Lots of plot happens, a mystery gets solved, the kingdom is saved. Apparently this was a YouTube series first, book second. I got it from hoopla.
Other than this gem, I keep starting books, putting them down and forgetting they exist.
Webtoons:
Did a full reread of NIX by Kat Ellis (not a romance). Sorcerer gets stuck in cat shape, reluctantly travels with himbo knight, hijinks ensue, plenty of magical lore and beautiful artwork. Story still in progress, so far 3 volumes available in print.
A SPELL FOR A SMITH, m/f slow burn between a shy forest witch and a cinnamon roll blacksmith, by ArtSasquatch.
Just finished Zarah Detand’s SET FIRE TO THIS CARDHOUSE. I stumbled on her football/soccer books a few months ago and have been making my way through her catalog since. They’ve all be fun so far – I’m thoroughly enjoying them.
Didn’t really feel like getting into reading too much this last couple of weeks. Rough at work, sad things coming in threes and a lot of emotional lifting involved. Mostly doing re-reads. Which I will mention.
For some reason, After the Billionaire’s Wedding Vows by Lucy Monroe always cheers me up. She is an American, trained as a pastry chef, now married x five years to a Greek billionaire CEO busy with work and leaving her to the not-so-tender mercies of his family. He overhears her saying she thinks his brother is a better husband. Cue his competitive nature and the fact that he does love her. Can he change and can he save the marriage? Spoiler: it’s a Harlequin so what do you think!
The Husband Lottery by Sofia Summers. Hero and family surprised to find at father’s will reading that heroine, his brother’s ex-gf, has the family house and many shares in the family company. They marry to consolidate the shares and back each other up. Meant to be a paper marriage. Um, yeah. Some suspense/risking of life and limb also briefly involved.
Two books by Caitlin Crews: Protecting the Desert Heir and Traded to the Desert Sheikh. CC is always a reliable choice for me. I like the way she uses language, makes her stories intense and magical. The first of these, the h is pregnant by the “spare” to one of those tiny kingdoms somewhere. He dies, the H who is the heir comes for her and the baby. Angst. Dealing with grief. Learning to let down masks. The second, the h is engaged to another heir of another tiny kingdom and has fled him around the world. H finds her, takes her back to his desert fortress, they negotiate a relationship. Enjoyed both.
A new to me one that I did like was Bourbon Lullaby by Walker Rose. They were foster kids together. She is still very involved in that family. He has distanced himself or been distanced. She takes a job as his PA on a temp basis because she wants to find out what happened. He does not initially remember her. Trauma is addressed. I enjoyed it.
This week I read a quote to the effect of “people don’t like books because they are well written, but because they like the book’s vibes”. And that resonated with me because I don’t know that I’m qualified to judge how well written a book is, but I can judge whether I enjoyed the vibes I got while reading it.
According to my Kindle, I’ve done a lot of reading since the last one of these.
PENRIC AND THE BANDIT by Lois McMaster Bujold: Novella, and not a romance, but a satisfying read. It’s also entry 13 for the series, and it is not the place to start reading.
CHECK & MATE by Ali Hazelwood: I did enjoy this book, but I’m not sure it would be for everyone as it reads fairly YA/NA to me. Our FMC is just out of high school and carrying a lot of guilt related to her parent’s separation that no one sane would blame her for. This leads her to lie to her family to “protect them”. Anyway, I found it laugh out loud funny in spots and frustrating in others.
BUSINESS OR PLEASURE by Rachel Lynn Solomon: Once you get past the questionable morality of work colleagues sleeping together, I found this to be pretty good.
PREFENTIAL TREATMENT by Heather Guerre: Femdom elements and on the spicier side of things. There’s a billionaire. There’s a down on their luck heroine. There should be lots of content warnings. (For future comparison, this author’s answer to the question of “What would having billionaire boyfriend do for me?” is “I’d be able to get him to donate to social justice causes.”) (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
COURT OF TRICKSTERS: FAE FANTASY ROMANCE by S. L. Prater: First book in a series. (Five books in the series, books 1 and 2 are one couple, while 3-5 are each about a different couple.) Our FMC is older and a former warrior, and I really needed a stronger FMC after reading too many books with billionaires falling for ingenues. I enjoyed this one.
AT FIRST SPITE by Olivia Dade: FMC has recently broken up with her fiance, but because of reasons is now living in a “spite house” in between here former fiance and his brother. The FMC and the brother have a bumpy start, but we get to join them on their path to their HEA. I enjoyed this one.
BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood: Paranormal romance between a vampire and a werewolf. I enjoyed this one.
THE FINE PRINT by Lauren Asher: I didn’t really finish this one. I got about halfway through and decided to skip to the end. The setup is the CEO of legally-distinct-from-Disneyland starts a relationship with one of the legally-distinct-from-Imagineers. It just didn’t work for me. (Going back to our previous theme, this author’s answer to the question of “What would having billionaire boyfriend do for me?” is “He’d be able to transfer my evil ex to the Shanghai office.”) (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
TWISTED LIES by Ana Huang: The last in a set of spicy books about the romances of former college roommates that all start with the word Twisted, this book is about an influencer and the head of a security company, who also happens to be her landlord. It’s complicated. I finished this one, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to. The author is self aware enough to realize that it is problematic that both the MMC and the villain have essentially been stalking the FMC, but I wasn’t completely swayed by the reasoning as to why it was OK with one and not the other. (And for completeness, this author’s answer to the question of “What would having billionaire boyfriend do for me?” is “He’d torture the guy who groped me at a party.”) (Available on Kindle Unlimited)
Is it possible I haven’t read anything excellent since KJ Charles’s DEATH IN THE SPIRES? But I’ve read lots of great…oh right, I have been rereading, that’s why Libby thinks I haven’t rated anything new as excellent and yet I haven’t been running into books that irritate me.
In addition to the book rereads (mainly KJ Charles of course, and AJ Demas because I am waiting for the new one obsessively, and the JADE CITY trilogy, all of which could have been written to spec for me if I had been clever enough to know how badly I needed them) I went back through some Webtoons I really enjoyed that are now complete, LORE OLYMPUS and also HOW TO BECOME A DRAGON (that one is not technically a romance but I ship it). Also very excited that the author of LOVE ADVICE FROM THE GREAT DUKE OF HELL has a new series!
Plus there have been a few perfectly good new things sprinkled in, mainly recs from here I think.
I enjoyed THE MUSICIAN AND THE MONSTER by Jenya Keefe. A decent Beauty and the Beast retelling is always going to interest me.
I also liked THE GOD AND THE GUMIHO by Sophie Kim. I didn’t absolutely adore it, I think it’s for more hardcore K-drama fans, but it was engaging enough and I would read more from her.
I didn’t exactly like BUTTER by Asako Yuzuki but I’m definitely glad I read it, and I keep thinking about it which is rare for me. I would recommend it to anyone casting about for a detective/thriller kind of book (it is not a romance) provided you like dairy products. There is a LOT of rhapsodizing about dairy products, like, I thought I cared about food but this is a different league.
Speaking of detective/thriller type recommendations, due to this interminable moving situation (yeah, it’s been over a year, no, no end in sight) I have been stuck with audiobooks, not my preferred medium, but I am still loving the Slow Horses series. I am contemplating starting Adrien McKinty’s books about which I know nothing, simply because Gerard Doyle also narrates them.
Over the past three weeks ~
— quite enjoyed the contemporary romance The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder . This featured a young man, 11th in line to the British throne but raised in the US, who suddenly becomes heir to the throne when those ahead of him are tried for criminal acts. He and the British prime minister secretly become friends and slowly develop feelings for each other. I appreciate romances where the characters get to know each other well before becoming intimate.
— finished my reread of the Linesman trilogy with Confluence by S. K. Dunstall and enjoyed it yet again.
— For my book group, I read Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey; I’d heard many mentions of this author, but this was my first book by her. I talked a lot about this book with my husband as I was reading it speculating about what might happen next; I’d call that a successful story! The mystery is about Brat Farrar who impersonates a young man who went missing at age 13 and was presumed to have committed suicide. It’s set contemporary to the time it was written, 1950.
— I read Collage Your Life: Techniques, Prompts, and Inspiration for Creative Self-Expression and Visual Storytelling by Melanie Mowinski looking for bookmark inspiration. It was a worthwhile read.
— I also read the VERY short graphic novel (adult picture book?) The Mysteries by Bill Watterson and John Kascht. In case you are wondering, this is very unlike Calvin and Hobbes! This took under ten minutes.
— An author I know as a romance writer has published her first thriller, The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen, and I quite enjoyed it. It starts when a young woman, a single parent, receives a text from her lover who disappeared before she knew she was pregnant five years earlier. She read his obituary shortly after that time. Chapters alternate between the past and present. I read this in one day.
— I enjoyed Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton, a contemporary romance between a businessman and an independently wealthy young man who are set up by a mutual acquaintance.
— I reread The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara, a contemporary romance featuring a special agent and a werewolf with whom he is partnered to work on a murder case. I enjoyed this but am not compelled to read on in the series.
— I also read a short male/male contemporary romance, This Shifting Ground by Zarah Detand, which was a pleasant read but not a novella I’m likely to reread.
— Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton was an enjoyable contemporary romance with a paranormal element. It featured a present day actor who can see the form of a man who has been trapped in a snow globe since the Civil War. A relationship develops between the two men. This was a reread for me.
— I also enjoyed a first read of the second book in the series, Winter Dreams by Marie Sexton, which features another actor, the best friend of the actor mentioned above. This book is set on an island that recreates Fantasy Island (the old TV show) and some strange things occur to the main character and the man he befriends and develops feelings for.
— I’ve been reading books for the summer reading bingo. To fulfill the Road Trip square, I quite enjoyed rereading Motel. Pool. by Kim Fielding. This book features a man on the road trying to deal with/escape from his issues and the ghost he encounters at a derelict motel. The ghost is of a young man, a minor actor, who died in the 1950s.
— For the Retelling square, I read Dark Sexy Knight (inspired by “Camelot”) by Katy Regnery. As you can see from the subtitle, this is a Camelot retelling; frankly, I would not have realized this. The book featured a young woman who is caring for her older brother who suffered a brain injury as a child; they have fallen on hard times and are looking for work. Due to the intervention of the male lead (who plays a knight at a medieval dinner show), they are hired. He ultimately ends up housing them, too. I found this an okay read, but had I not been reading it for a Bingo square, I’d have put it aside.
— enjoyed The Cowboy and the Outcast and The Cook and the Gangster which are both male/male contemporary romances by Jackie North. The first is about a convict on parole and a man who works on the ranch on which the first is serving parole while the second is about a cook on a western ranch and a man (with mob ties) who had been his best friend/crush some fifteen years earlier.
— enjoyed Wish from the Heart by Hope Bennett which is a contemporary romance novella featuring a djinn and the man who has just purchased his bottle. The djinn had lived a normal life until about twenty years ago when he was cursed by a rejected lover.
I love a spy, A grifter or a code breaker, so reading Carina Taylor’s ROOK to KING was a delight. There’s a missing treasure, a search for a chess set that has clues, and general high jinx. It’s light and funny, my only regret being it’s closed door.
I am listening to A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii by Kate Quinn, and other authors. It’s incredibly good. I’m going to buy the ebook too.
@Kiki, I’m so glad you’re enjoying AFTER THE SCANDAL. Essex has a whole series of books set in that world, and they’re all good.
@AnneUK, coincidentally, I also pulled THE EARL TAKES ALL out of my TBR box the other day, it was bonkers!
I haven’t commented here for a while, so I don’t remember if I mentioned A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by Cecilia Grant. I read it a few weeks ago but it has stuck in my mind. Very dark, but beautifully written histrom with 2 very broken MCs.
I signed up for KU, so I’ve been gobbling up Michelle’s Diener’s sci-fi books, lately her Verdant String series. I guess you would call it military sci-fi romance, because there’s a lot of zipping around in spaceships, shooting with lasers, and battling over control of planets. I went through about 5 before overdosing.
THE SPY’S REWARD is the last book in Nita Abrams’ Regency era spy series. There are so few historicals with Jewish MCs, and sadly these are out of print and only 2 out of 5 are on Kindle. I had been hoarding the paperback for a while, but I finally read it and it did not disappoint. Great Napoleonic Wars history as well as romance! I’ve probably read 50 books featuring the Battle of Waterloo, but never one set at the beginning of the Hundred Days, when Napoleon escapes from Elba, and marches from Provence up through France, gathering supporters along the way. The hero, a British intelligence agent, happens to be in the south of France, supposedly escorting the heroine and her daughter back to England. The centerpiece of the book is their road trip through the mountains, one step ahead of Napoleon’s army all the way. It would be better to read the series in order, but since this one is .99 right now, and most of the earlier ones are not available, I would recommend grabbing it anyway.
Reading The Last Leviathan by Anacostia Miller. It’s her debut book and I love sea dragons, pirates, and a runaway princess. And it’s spicy!!!
Heh. There’s a bit extra in this past several weeks for me, simply because I had flights back and forth to Central America (first passport stamp is literally in the book!). It starts off with The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (fun fact, I started it shortly before takeoff on the flight to Panama, looked at the little Kindle thing where it’s like “x minutes left in book”, looked at the estimated flight time, and went “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED”). It was so fun and funny, and had such a good time with romantic comedy tropes, while still also having some heartfelt and emotional beats around the ideas of self-sacrifice and feeling worthy of one’s own success and happiness. Based on this and The Bodyguard, that seems to be Center’s sweet spot (also, while I didn’t quite finish on the flight, I only had about 20 minutes left in the book, so I did pretty well on my self-imposed challenge). Then I fired up Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa. While not in Mexico, I was in Latin America, so it felt right. I liked the cleverness of it, and it involved a lot of history that frankly, we don’t get much of in ye olde American public schools (DO NOT GET ME STARTED), and the chemistry between both the romantic leads and the heroine and her sisters was lovely. On the way back, I went in on my first David Baldacci, The 6:20 Man. I liked a lot about it, and it reminded me of the Orphan X series in some good ways, but it also had some “women as written by men” moments that could feel a bit grating (like the fact that almost every woman the hero came into contact seemed to want to sleep with him). After that, I was home and it was time for Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth. I liked the snark, and some of the comments from the young heroine reminded me rather strongly of my daughter (I read those parts out loud to her). I also liked that the hero was discovering his geeky side for the first time. The gaming stuff made me laugh, and it occurred to me that this book would make kind of a nice companion to Role Playing by Cathy Yardley. Then I tried a book that I got 20 pages into, quickly deduced that I cared nothing about, and did what I often do, which was did a “break glass in case of emergency” book. Hello, Sebastian St. Cyr, let’s read What Darkness Brings (by C.S. Harris). I kind of am enjoying how much Hero is becoming, well, my hero (the scene where she coldly tells a man that she’ll shoot him without a single regret if he hurts her cat had me like “YES GIRL”), and as always I like the history that Harris uses as the frame for the murder mystery. Also, Hope Diamond BABY (I’ve seen it up close, it is SO SPARKLY), though I did have to Google The Key of Solomon (I was less acquainted with the history around that). I’ll probably finish it today, and who knows what I’ll read next, but since I am planning to ASSIDUOUSLY avoid the news cycle today, I will definitely find something. So until next time, if you need to avoid the news cycle too, just know I support you in this.
I read THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE for my book club but it left me meh. I just devoured VELOCITY WEAPON and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I don’t dislike scifi but this grabbed me. And I’m partway through Sarah Maas’s HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD but it’s a tome!
Anybody have any good baseball romances to recommend?
DDD, if you are interested in Taylor Fitzpatrick’s other writing you may already be aware of her writing on ao3 but just in case here are the two long and ongoing stories she has posted about Robbie and Georgie. I assume they are the couple you wanted to know more about in Between the Teeth.
https://archiveofourown.org/series/1207269
https://archiveofourown.org/series/1210968
@Carol S: I recommend Julianna Keyes’s TEAM PLAYER & BENCH PLAYER for m/f baseball romances, and K.D. Casey’s Unwritten Rules series (UNWRITTEN RULES, FIRE SEASON, DIAMOND RING, and the tangentially connected ONE TRUE OUTCOME) for m/m baseball romances. Both writers obviously know and love the game, and they interweave the long season with the romances very neatly.
@I_Simon: yes, Robbie & Georgie are the couple in BETWEEN THE TEETH that I want to know more about. Thank you so much for the links. I hope she gives them an eventual HEA, but with Fitzpatrick that’s not always a given.
@DiscoDollyDeb omg I just started Team Player — LOVE!!! Thank you so much.
ARGGGGGG! I need more books like I need another hole in my head, but now I’m going to check out the books that you have been reading. 🙁
So late to this installment of WAYR, LOL! Between some fun travel and work, I feel as if I haven’t really been reading a lot recently.
Since last time, the standouts–
– Avery Cockburn’s CICADAS: A TOTALLY ORDINARY EPIC LOVE STORY. Set in the US against the backdrop of three cycles of 17-year cicadas, readers dive into the heads and hearts of Joel and Daniel as they grow from teenagers on the cusp of adulthood to thirty-somethings to men just pas the half-century mark. A moving exploration of love and life and timing and choices. It definitely worked for me.
– Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey’s ALPHA TAU ROMEO AND JULIET PROJECT brings the laughs and smiles and sighs as athlete Tanner and bookish Charlie meet at a party and find a connection. Circumstances conspire against them when they discover they’re members of rival fraternities… Cue the star-crossed mishaps minus the tragedy! Henry and Honey bring a smile to my face.
– CHERRY ON TOP is the second in Beth Bolden’s small town Indigo Bay series, and is a sweet, funny, hot (not-so)-fake-dating story.. Muralist Enzo Moretti caves to his mom’s determined invitation to return home for a visit and discovers to his dismay that she’s been just as determinedly talking him up to ice cream shop owner Will Johnson… They figure they’ll hang out a little, pretend they’ve hit it off, and then everyone will leave them alone… LOL! Clearly they’ve never read a romance ;). I enjoyed this one.
– Ari Baran’s long awaited HOME ICE ADVANTAGE. Happy sigh. Former players Ryan Sullivan and Eric Aronson are now coaches. When a head coaching position opens up in Boston, assistant coach Eric is passed over in favor of Sully, an optimistic man with a vision for how he sees this team in transition coming together. I really liked this story of two very different people moving through a new and challenging situation, learning things about each other and about themselves. Loved how they found friendship of sorts and found someone they can truly trust and be the most themselves with.
– Amy Lane’s Granby Knitting series–enjoyed THE WINTER COURTSHIP RITUALS OF FUR-BEARING CRITTERS, HOW TO RAISE AN HONEST RABBIT, KNITTER IN HIS NATURAL HABITAT, all set in the same small town. Some grumpy characters, wounded souls, and lots of knitting :). I found it all highly entertaining.