Happy weekend, everyone! We have reached September!
Here’s what we’re reading lately:
…
Lara: I’m bravely continuing my hunt for new release vampire romance novels. So far all the ones I’ve tried have been really disappointing. I’m currently trying Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London, but it’s too early to tell if I’m onto a winner or not.
Sarah: What are you looking for re: vampires?
Lara: This is probably embarrassing to admit but I’m looking to chase those highs I felt reading vampire romances in the 2000s. I’m not sure that’s a sensible thing to aim for though given how some books don’t age well.
Sarah: Do you remember what it was that gave you that high? What are some titles that you recall gave you that feeling?
Lara: That’s partly why I’m reading every vampire book I can find at the moment because with my terrible memory, all I can recall is the feeling they gave me and not the reason for the feeling. At that stage, I was predominantly a library reader so I can’t even go through the bookshelves and jog my memory. It’s a struggle! But I my little reading project will succeed – I hope!
Sarah: What was the feeling?
Lara: That giddy feeling of reading about love with a powerful creature who isn’t afraid to be gentle.
Sarah: That sounds maybe like a big dose of morality chain? Like “I will destroy the world and can but won’t bc I like you and you don’t want me to?”
Have you read the Ilona Andrews series with Nevada and Rogan?
Lara: I haven’t but I’m going to look that up at my library right now! Thank you!
Shana: I just finished the novella Sweet Surrender by Viano Oniomoh and now I’ve started binging her backlist. It’s a cozy m/m paranormal romance set in Nigeria with a bloodthirsty edge. A bisexual on the run from a conservative Christian cult asks the demon appearing in his wet dreams to be his bodyguard. There’s a lot of sex, but it was still so wholesome and cute. Both heroes are virgins, should that interest anyone…
It works as a standalone, but I also loved the first book in the series, Sweet Vengeance. ( A ) That book’s much darker, a m/f romance about a rape survivor who falls for the demon she hires to kill her rapist. Definitely lots of CWs for that book (sexual assault flashback, murder etc) but I loved the heroine’s unapologetic rage. And the book somehow manages to keep the romance part super adorable. It helps that the demon thinks her bloodlust is cute.
Sarah: I can tell you what I’m reading this weekend! I’m extremely busy with a lot of ongoing projects, and I wanted something on the shorter side because my brain is Le Tired.
I’m going to try A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis (the cover is so pretty). A young woman is forced into marriage to a vampire, who it turns out was coerced into that marriage as well. So they’re going to join forces and fuck over their awful families. Mmmm. Catnip.
So what are you reading lately? Let us know in the comments!
I just finished MARRIAGE AND MASTI by Nisha Sharma which was so much fun! A great Shakespearean retelling and a lovely romance.
I also read HERS FOR THE WEEKEND by Helena Greer which I didn’t think was a good romance novel but did think it was a very good novel.
THE EX-VOWS by JESSICA JOYCE was an enjoyable second chance romantic comedy-drama. The writing was especially excellent.
PARDON MY FRENCHIE by Farrah Rochon got better as the book went on. I loved the friendships the book depicted and the emotional arc of the FMC. Plus cute dogs!!!!!!
Currently reading WHERE THEY LAST SAW HER by Marcie R Rendon which is a well written, atmospheric amateur slueth mystery set in the Indigenous community near Duluth, Minnesota.
Next up; SECOND TIDE’S THE CHARM by Chandra Blumberg bc I cannot resist a punny romance novel title.
Happy September everyone! Hope your books are treating you well!
I skipped the last Whatcha Reading b/c I was on a fabulous girlfriend with a good friend I don’t see nearly enough. There was a lot of coffee (for me, tea for her), Netflix, laughing, bookstore shopping, and romance novel discussing. I won’t even try to catch up, I’ll just give a recent update. Eyeball reading continues to be hard and I’m not having much success with romance in that arena. I did eyeball read the mystery THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE by Richard Osman, 2nd in the Thursday Murder Club series. I find these books really delightful. They’re funny and not dark at all, but also not quite as relentlessly twee as I find American cozies. Still definitely cozy, but a little bit more clever/snarky and a little less cutesy/concerned with “brand.” I’m torn between gobbling what’s left and doling them out sparingly.
I also read SMALL TOWN PRIDE by Phil Stamper, a middle grade book about Jake, a kid in a small town who has just come out to his parents. Jake’s dad raises a giant gay pride flag in his yard to show off his pride to his son. It triggers off a storm of controversy that Jake alternately wants to hide from and confront. He starts to wonder in a small town with so many festivals why can’t they have a pride parade? I liked this overall because it really made me think about the town I lived in when I was that same age and it made me wonder how much things have changed (or haven’t changed). Some people I know that were in the closet when I was in high school are out and open now and still live in the area. Two women I knew are even married. That makes me happy. But I think the town is still a long way from openly flying flags and having festivals.
Now audiobooks are still going well.
I really got into The Montmaray Journal series by Michelle Cooper. These books are very, very odd. The first book did start out a bit like I CAPTURED THE CASTLE fanfic. There’s an eccentric family in a big house. Awkward teenage girl writing in a diary. This time however, it’s about a very, very minor royal family ruling the small (fictional) island kingdom of Montmaray. It then takes a sharp turn into WWII action. A lot of the rest would be spoilers, but anyone who likes epistolary fiction and that slightly old-fashioned English WWII vibe might enjoy it. It not only reminded me of ICTC, it also reminded me of Noel Streatfeild (BALLET SHOES, THEATER SHOES, etc). The last book did suffer a bit for trying to cram years and years of plot into one book, but they were very entertaining overall. They had their bleak, sad moments, but I would say it ends in an emotionally satisfying way. There is some romance, but as a secondary thread, not primary. I didn’t love the narrator, but our library didn’t have any physical copies, so I made do.
I did *finally* get back into The House of Niccolò series by Dorothy Dunnett by listening to the audiobooks. I’m almost done with THE UNICORN HUNT and I will be honest, there was a plot development in this one that I found so ludicrous, my eyes almost rolled out of my head. Imagine if halfway through the James Bond series, Bond got mutant superpowers like a Marvel character. That’s almost the level of Mary Sue/OP (as my son would say) this character is now. Nevertheless, I persist. Mostly b/c DD writes like no one else and her plot hooks are deep into me deep. I want to see how certain plot threads are tied up and she writes in such a subtle way, that flipping to the end would probably not even be satisfying or make sense. Lots of times things are revealed in a line or two of oblique dialogue and/or narration that builds on everything before. I don’t know who Nicholas is going to end up with, and I’m not sure I care. I’m much more invested in the various female characters. So, here’s a rare example of me not DNF-ing (thinking of the conversation here the other day) when I usually would. I will however, continue to just listen to audiobooks b/c at least I can multitask then.
@lara While I always support a recommendation of Ilona Andrews, I think the Wilmington short stories may be a better fit for what you are looking for. It’s set many years after the Kate Daniels story and the characters have matured to the point they can self-reflect on past actions.
I love the Rogan and Nevada trilogy, but if you are looking for a powerful yet gentle hero then Rogan doesn’t quite fit. At least not in the first book. Reading his POVs help and those may be available on the author’s blog.
Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound still has an alphahole-ish MC, but he shows his claw fairly quickly.
Rock Hard by Nalini Singh is a contemporary but she writes paranormal and the hero archetype transferred very well in this book.
In her Author’s Note to RECOLLECTION, Noelle Adams says she conceived of The Worthings series (of which RECOLLECTION is the first book) as attempts to use over-the-top premises and tropes that she’d “always assumed are too bonkers to write in a plausible way.” But, because of Adams’s calm, measured writing style and mature, self-aware MCs, each of The Worthings books feel credible. I gulped down the first three books in the series and have the fourth one waiting on my tbr. If you like your romances on the quieter side with thoughtful and perceptive MCs, look no further than The Worthings. All three of the following books are highly recommended:
As RECOLLECTION starts, Scarlett awakens in a hospital room, surprised that Arthur, a friend of her late father, is sitting in the room with her. Scarlett has fallen and hit her head—resulting in a case of amnesia that has wiped out the past six months of her memories—so she has no memory of working for Arthur after her father died and certainly no memory of falling in love with him. This is a very well-constructed romance with the story shifting back and forth in time so we see Scarlett and Arthur fall in love the first time and then Scarlett slowly falling in love with Arthur a second time. In addition to the amnesia trope, RECOLLECTION also mentions the age-gap between the MCs; but because Scarlett is nearly thirty and Arthur is in his mid-forties, the age-gap did not seem insurmountable, and—unlike amnesia—was not a major plot driver.
In REPLACEMENT, jewelry designers and identical twins, Jade & Amber, switch places. Jade is trying to outrun a very well-connected stalker, while Amber wants to escape from her business-arrangement/engagement-of-convenience with wealthy businessman William. So Jade—now Amber—becomes William’s fiancée, and she immediately sees how overworked and unhappy he is. Jade tries hard to help William (who is unaware of the twin-switch) gain a better perspective and work-life balance, while grappling with the guilt of hoodwinking an essentially decent man. Again, because Adams writes such sympathetic characters who possess a great deal of emotional intelligence, the twin-switch trope (one of my favorite tropes, but it does require careful handling) doesn’t feel over-the-top or unbelievable.
In REDEMPTION, former party-girl, Louisa (now living a very quiet life in Maine), finds herself the object of the same stalker who was stalking Jade in REPLACEMENT. Her family hires Caleb, who was Louisa’s bodyguard during the worst of her excesses, to protect her. Louisa, who is committed to her sobriety and her calm life, at first feels shame for her previous behavior, but as time passes, she begins to forgive herself and see Caleb through different eyes as the two grow closer. REDEMPTION is an interesting analysis of forgiveness, contrition, and what it means to truly forgive and be forgiven, all wrapped up inside an engaging romance between compassionate and caring people.
Briar Prescott’s MAYBE YOU (part of her Until series) has all the characteristics of what I think of as a “Briar Prescott romance”: angst, sexual attraction, hot sexy-times, tragic/traumatic backstories, and at least one MC who hides their pain behind an air of disaffection and nonchalance. So, you have no reason to ask if I enjoyed it—of course I did! Wren, an older college student, encounters Sutton swimming (trespassing) in the pool that Wren cleans at nights. Sutton immediately starts flirting with the shy and closed-off Wren. Sutton’s manner initially comes close to the edge of harassment, but as he finally backs off, it becomes obvious that he’s hiding hurt behind his blasé exterior. Similarly, Wren hides his badly-scarred physical body as much as Sutton hides his emotional scars, and over the course of the book the two men gradually help each other emerge from their different but equally confining shells. As Wren says of their love, “it might not be easy, but it’s real.” My only real issue with MAYBE YOU is one that I’ve had with several romances recently: an epilogue that is set way too far in the future (in the case of MAYBE YOU, that would be 15 years from now). Setting epilogues that far ahead takes me out of the immediacy of the story. I liked MAYBE YOU and definitely recommend it, but deduct about a decade from the setting of that epilogue and I would have liked the story a lot more.
Jesse H. Reign’s ROMEO FALLING is a beautifully-written, uber-angsty, very melancholy story of childhood friends who become teenage lovers and then young adult antagonists and, eventually (after years of anguish), lovers once more. I found much of the book wonderful—and highly recommend it—but, for a couple of reasons, it didn’t quite stick the landing. Jude and Romeo meet as children and become fast friends. Reign beautifully captures the essence of childhood friendships based on shared imagination, lazy summers, and the sense that time expands and contracts for no discernable reason. By the time they are in their late teens, the guys have become lovers (the sexy-times are both hot and swooningly romantic), and, although college and young adulthood separate them physically, they stay connected. But then something happens that causes their relationship to shatter (each of them blaming the other): Jude moves to New York, while Romeo marries a woman and settles down. Years later, Jude is back in their hometown, and the connection between the two men is still overwhelming. As Jude says of his obsessive love, “I have no idea how to explain why I fell in love [at 17-years-old] and can’t fall out of it no matter what I do.” Up until about the 80% point of the book, I thought for sure ROMEO FALLING would be one of my favorite books of the year, but then a couple of things happened that brought it down a notch:
Still, these are fairly minor quibbles for a book that has theatrical levels of love, passion, romance, and heartache. Even with the few things that didn’t work, ROMEO FALLING is still highly recommended.
After finishing Romeo is falling, I thought I’d finished all of Jesse H. Reign’s books, but then I found UNBREAK ME (published in 2022), and tore through it in a couple of days. UNBREAK ME has an interesting structure: part of it is set in 2016 and part is set in 2022; there is no “big mis” to break up the MCs, just a case of not the right place/not the right time. David struggles with his mental health (cw/tw: there are references to a suicide attempt); a family friend suggests a change of scenery, so David finds himself working on a farm in South Africa with farm-owner Jonathan. Gradually over the months he lives on the farm, David regains his perspective and falls in love with Jonathan (a feeling that is reciprocated). There are beautiful descriptions of the natural beauty of the area, the kinship between Jonathan and his animals (especially his beloved dogs), along with some smoking hot sexy-times. But when it’s time for David to return to his home in England, Jonathan doesn’t stop him, telling David that if he stayed in South Africa, “you’d be surviving, not thriving.” During the next six years, the men make sporadic attempts to keep in touch, both of them move on in some ways, but not in others. UNBREAK ME is a romance, so you know there is an HEA, but it’s not without cost or emotional upheaval. I love this book, but it is just as angsty as ROMEO FALLING, although in a different way. You know how much angst you can take, but for me UNBREAK ME is highly recommended.
I’m taking an online class so not a lot of time to read for fun right now. Boo!
I’m hoping to check out A DEAD AND STORMY NIGHT by Steffanie Holmes.
Also waiting on my TBR pile are some mysteries/thrillers, like THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley and THE NEVER GAME by Jeffrey Deaver (which is the basis for the TRACKER TV show).
I’m also hoping to check out some holiday romances, like THE CHRISTMAS YOU FOUND ME by Sarah Morgenthaler, which comes out later this month. I can’t believe it’s already that time of year again. #wheredoesthetimego
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness will soon be upon us. But on my Kindle it’s still red hot! Even here in the UK which isn’t known for heat…
I finished my binge of LUCY PARKER’s London Celebrities series with THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK and HEADLINERS (both M/F contemporary, set in the world of London West End theatre). After a small slump with book three, these two (four and five) hit the spot. Enjoyable stories featuring strong, funny women and the supportive men that fall for them. Very entertaining. Recommended.
CAIT NARY’s CONTRACT SEASON (M/M sportsball/country music) has been on my wishlist since it was published. My (previously mentioned) patient stalking finally paid off and it dropped in price. I adored the previous book in the series (Trade Season) and although this wasn’t quite as compelling, I still loved it. The author has a knack for angst but all the pain is rewarded with compelling, soulful characters who really earn their HEA. Five stars.
MISHA HORNE, WORKING OUT THE KINKS (M/M BDSM, age gap, forbidden relationship).
In the mood for some smutty, kinky fun? This is your book. Landon is a struggling rockstar, Brett is his (formerly) estranged younger stepbrother. And Brett is very insistent that he belongs to Landon and needs some discipline. Well written, with plenty of angst and plenty of heat. I will read more of Ms Horne’s work. Soon…
When I visit the supermarket for a ‘big shop’ (a rare occurrence), my reward is a £5 paperback romcom from their selection (I’m such a cheap date!). So I chose THE FIANCÉ DILEMMA by ELENA ARMAS (M/F contemporary). Fake engagement is one of my favourite tropes and I know she’s well reviewed, so I was cautiously optimistic. Unfortunately though, this book didn’t work for me. The set up for the fakery was frankly ridiculous and the whole reasoning behind it was paper thin. I will put up with some nonsense if the story and characters are working for me but sadly, not in this case. I stuck with it, in case there were redeeming features but ultimately I was disappointed.
THE MISTRESS EXPERIENCE by SCARLETT PECKHAM (M/F historical). Having enjoyed the previous two in the Society of Sirens series (particularly THE RAKESS), I had this on pre-order and jumped straight in when it hit my Kindle. And it didn’t disappoint. Courtesan with a heart of gold, Thaïs, is hired to give earnest Lord Alistair intimacy lessons, as he has decided it is time to find a bride and he wants to be able to satisfy her. Of course, you all know where it’s going and it has a lot of sexy fun getting there. But not without sacrifice and dark nights of the soul for both of them. We also catch up with the rest of the Sirens and it’s generally a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
In other news, I am currently struggling with books by two of my favourites, KJ Charles and Alexis Hall, and I’m a bit discombobulated by this turn of events. To be continued…
Happy reading all.
I don’t think I’ve posted recently, so some recent highlights:
A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL by T. Kingfisher and THE DUKE AT HAZARD by KJ Charles were both excellent (as expected.) SORCERESS is rather dark and creepy (and nominally based on The Goose Girl though I could detect very limited similarities.) DUKE has great character evolution.
On the less good front: IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey, HAPPILY NEVER AFTER by Lynne Painter, and SPECULATIONS IN SIN by Jennifer Ashley. Tessa Bailey writes great, spicy scenes, but I find her heroes tend to trend abusive without her seeming to be aware of it. Also, there’s a scene where the MCs are fooling around in a store dressing room and it was all I could do to keep from screaming, “NO, YOU WILL NOT DO THIS TO THOSE POOR STORE EMPLOYEES. KEEP YOUR CLOTHES FUCKING ON!!!” HAPPILY had an interesting premise but vapid MCs and SPECULATIONS is a sign that Ashley should wind the series down. Kat’s really out of her element (financial crimes) and the mystery is solved because the murderer just left the murder weapon in a very obvious place.
The mixed: Jackie Lau’s LOVE, LIES, AND CHERRY PIES. I normally love Lau, but this one was a bit of a slog. It’s mostly first person from the heroine, Emily’s, point of view, and omg, so much wallowing and anxiety, especially about the Toronto real estate market (which I never want to hear about again.) I did like the evolution of Emily’s relationship with her mom and the hero, Mark, but spending so much time in Emily’s head was exhausting.
Round two. Ever had a post 95% complete only for you internet to hiccup? Farckin bastidge.
So, where was I? Oh, yes. I took read THE EX-VOWS. It was a little slow to get into, but then there I was enjoying the wedding disasters, like the venue burning down, and the friendships and the second chance romance of it all.
It’s a rare thing to get two new books from a favorite author in a matter if weeks, so imagine my happy dance when Christina Lauren’s TANGLED UP IN YOU fall into my grabby hands so soon after THE PARADISE PROBLEM. It’s their entry in the Disney sponsored Meant To Be line (which I’m sure everyone but me knew about). It is their take on, of course, TANGLED, which is my god-grandaughter’s first favorite movie. The tower is replaced by an isolated ranch in Idaho where Ren has been home schooled and taught to avoid the evils of the modern world. She has bigger plans. Despite her parents’ wishes, she wins a scholarship to university in Spokane. They finally agree to let her go after she swears to avid by some Draconian rules. The first person she meets on campus is Fitz, wealthy captain of the rugby team, valedictorian shoe-in, and all around BMOC who has big plans and big secrets. He watches, mystified as the whole school falls for the backwoods beauty. Then a class experiment changes everything for Ren setting them on a road trip to adventure and, swoon, love. It was delightful watching Fitz come to appreciate Ren’s innate kindness and determination while allowing himself to finally be open to another person. And, yes, there is a tavern scene.
I’m not sure if I want to recommend THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK by Jean Emiko. It was tense and twisty and very well written, but there is A LOT of violence towards woman and underlying misogyny. Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years ago, has been found running from something on the woods outside town. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is determined to find the answers to who took her and where she’s been. Told through both women’s perspective and in multiple timelines, it is nonetheless a tight and fast paced tale. Just be prepared to put it down and walk away from it for a while.
I then cleaned that experience from my brain with UNDER YOUR SPELL from YA author Laura Wood. This is her first foray into adult romance and I hope she stays. Clemmie & her half sisters are the daughters of a rock legend, all born within a month if each other. They rare raised together by their mothers, after Clemmie’s divorces aforementioned rock star for obvious reasons. Clemmie is so wounded by the constant disappointment that is her father and then betrayal of her aspiring musician first love, that she retreats as far from the entertainment world as possible. Yes, academia. She is so far removed that she doesn’t recognize that they man she hooked up with after her uncle’s funeral is one of the most popular singers in the world. I cannot say enough what a delight this book was. There’s big cast of characters that feels fully fleshed out. There’s family both loving and complicated. There’s emotional maturity and unqualified support. The romance is swoony. And someone who totally deserves it gets punched in the nose.
Life is crazy hectic right now but I absolutely have to give a shout out to Zen Cho’s THE FRIENDZONE EXPERIMENT, which is a contemporary m/f with rich people, all three of which are things I tend to struggle to enjoy these days but Cho never disappoints. Really fun and satisfying.
Sarah Monette’s THE BONE KEY is not a romance and spookier than I tend to prefer, but she’s also just so talented (aka Katherine Addison) that I can feel safe outside my comfort zone. If you ever enjoyed pulp novelists like Lovecraft or Howard, this is a both an homage and a fix.
I did enjoy A SORCERESS PAYS A CALL but not as much as I often do with Kingfisher. She’s another one who rewards me for reading outside my preferences. It’s a me problem -I hardly ever enjoy kids or books with a maternal element to them, and while this was nevertheless good because Kingfisher, that’s a whole lot of uphill work.
THE LOST STORY by Meg Schaffer was good but too middle grade for me. I expected to adore it and I liked it fine. I needed it to be more about grown-ups and even when it ostensibly was, it still read like YA. If the phrase boop death’s nose doesn’t viscerally disgust you, get your hands on this book asap, because I found it worth enduring despite that.
Another one I was eagerly anticipating was FATHOMFOLK by Eliza Chan, and I could have saved myself the bother if I had tried a sample. I read one page and noped the hell out of there. Seemed like it was for (and possibly by) five year olds. Great cover, though you’d think at some point after what must be literally thousands of painful experiences, I could learn to stop judging books that way.
I forget why I found HAUNTED EVER AFTER unreadable, but I am resentful about it because I endured a lot of it, kidding myself that m/f contemporaries don’t have to be sexist…oh right, I do remember. Possibly spoilers but it’s just speculation – it’s a whole painfully obvious plot development where the mean old lady ghost story is undoubtedly going to turn into a her husband was the terrible one alll along story. And he’ll possess the hero who then says unforgivably toxic things but it’s not his fault. Yawn. I don’t need to read tiresome misogynist rants even from a villain and especially when potentially flavored with a but it’s not his fault hero voicing them. Mileage varies of course, but it was a tonal shift I wish I had been warned about, so.
LETTERS TO HALF MOON STREET by Sarah Wallace was fine. I am extremely picky about (well everything but especially) epistolary romance, and I found it adequate which is a ringing endorsement for most. Cute, m/m, historical, magic. Ultimately I found the writing a little weak but definitely worth reading sequels, and worth mentioning even though I absolutely should not be here at all because I am going to get crushed by towering piles of boxes that need to be unpacked. Moving. It is the worst.
I have not been able to get much reading due to my stress over this year’s Elections. I feel like I’m in Groundhog Day Election 2016. Anyone else? Everyone, please vote if you are a U.S. citizen who will be at least 18 on November 5. The nonpartisan website Myvote.gov can help to register to vote, request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, OR find out where early in person voting is in the state or US terriority where you reside. And I hope every expat who resides elsewhere requests an absentee ballot ballot today as well as anyone who is serving in the military. If you decide to vote November 5 the website will tell you your polling place. In most states or terrorities you must register a month before Election Day (November 5, 2024. Help your adult children, your neighbor, significant others, neighbors and friends registered to vote and get to the city clerk’s office, request an absentee ballot by mail, or get to the polls on November 5 if you can.
I did read and loved Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I also am enjoying rye Hartson siblings series in Kindle Unlimited by Carrie Elks.
Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. I’m about halfway through and having so much fun with this.
I’m slowly making my way through the Throne of Glass series – now just waiting for my hold on the final book to come through. I was slightly dreading Tower of Dawn because many reviews said it is boring, but finally got it after months. While it definitely started slow, I really liked it by the end.
Highlight of recent weeks though? Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Currently reading THE FATED SKY, 2nd in the Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. It has been on my shelf since it came out and no idea why it took me so long to read, except that I am terrible with sequels. I love her worldbuilding so much and the relationship between Elma and Nathanial is wonderful.
Before that I read AN EPISODE OF SPARROWS, another longtime shelf-sitter, by Rumer Godden. Did not enjoy it as much as some of her others, but the writing was amazing as usual.
My audio hold for a horror novel THE NIGHT GUEST by Hildur Knutsdottir (translated by Mary Robinette Kowal, incidentally) just came in. I really only picked it to satisfy a reading challenge prompt, but am kinda not into the challenges this year so might return it, except it’s only 3 hours, so… we’ll see.
Still playing catch-up at work (I mean, taking the time for the trip with the kids was completely worth it, but even with my boss stepping in to fill the gap as best as she could, there is SO MUCH to do) and between that and some proofreading on the side, it’s really cutting into my fun reading time…
BUT I still managed to squeeze some in, and the highlights–
– Brigham Vaughn’s THE BLAME GAME. It’s the last in a really standout m/m hockey series, and I loved both Dom and Shea’s story–Dom is a closeted veteran player who is looking at the close of his career while facing an injury, Shea is PT who moonlights as an escort–and the chance to catch up with Dom’s teammates. I think it would stand alone well even if you’ve not read the series, but the series is also one I’d recommend.
– RL Merrill’s YOU CAN SAVE ME, which is a warm and also creepy m/m paranormal mystery-ish involving a strange carnival and decades-long missing person case. Really well done. I think it’s connected to RL Merrill’s other Carnival of Mysteries story, but I read it without having read the first and couldn’t put it down.
– Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey’s THE ALPHA TAU REUNION PROJECT, which is a collection of connected stories to their m/m Alpha Tau series set on the fictional Lassiter campus. It was hilarious and heartwarming, and I would highly recommend.
– Naima Simone’s PLAYED–HOLY. Naima Simone writes SO well, and this is a story of two people mourning their own losses. One of them happens to be a hockey player. I loved Ms Simone’s depictions, which were both moving and scorching hot. That Solomon sure is a dirty talker! And I loved their dialogue, which really did a lot to let us get to know them.
Oh, and those of you who are Ari Baran fans? If you’re not already subscribed to their very occasional newsletter, make sure to head to their website and snag the bonus stories there. You’ll be glad you did.
9/14
A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL by T. KINGFISHER – library hold finally came in, read it in a couple of sittings. I’d compare the vibe to Nettle and Bone, “cozy horror” with a satisfying ending for our protagonists. Hester and her friends are great characters, I want to play cards with them.
THE HALLOWED HUNT by LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD (reread) – some elements in A Sorceress Comes to Call reminded me of this old favorite. It’s dark and creepy, fits the spooky season, and a very “sticky” book for me – every time I pick it up, I want to follow the twisty plot all the way to the end to see it all come together. Audio narration by Marguerite Gavin is very good.
ROBOTS VS FAIRIES anthology by Seanan McGuire, Ken Liu, Mary Robinette Kowal, and more – the first few stories have been excellent, well balanced selection, no skips (except maybe when I get to the Sarah Gailey story, I read it on tor.com years ago and boy is it DARK. She’s a top notch storyteller but I am a wuss.)
P.S. The title reminded me of the ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS anthology edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier – that one is more YA but plenty creepy and well written, been stuck in my brain for a decade.
SUE & TAI-CHAN graphic novel by Kanata Konami, creator of CHI’S SWEET HOME. Senior cat and new kitten antics, captured in adorable detail.
Been doing a bit more reading again…
DANCING LESSONS – R. Cooper, m/m contemporary. This was kind of cute and not very long, but the POV’s character was sometimes a bit much to read IMHO with so, so many insecurities. Also, some things in the story could have taken a bit more explanation and the end came a little too quickly.
DEVIL’S BRIDE – Stephanie Laurens, m/f Regency. This had been on my TBR for a while, I bought it I think after it being mentioned here somewhere and realised I’d read the teaser some years ago and then kind of lost that and never got to buy it. Coincidence! It starts very interestingly – with a murder that needs to get solved. Still, this is a romance, not a murder mystery. The murder gets solved, and I had an idea who the culprit was for a while (it was kind of obvious), just not the reason why – there are issues the reader can’t possibly know before almost the end. Between that, the romance happens and it has some good points, but for me reading this now, the Hero is way too Alpha. Yes, he does give the Heroine finally a choice and says she should only say yes to marrying him if she’s really clear about it, but before he knew her reason for not wanting to marry, we has all “you will marry me, no question about it”. And it was all in all too much lust and not enough feels, as in seeing these two falling in love. It’s not a badly written book, it just didn’t quite hit those points I’m looking for these days in a romance. I guess it also shows this book came out about 20 years ago, and back then I would not have questioned it so much I think. Well, we all change…
UNDERMINED, DARK WATER, LEAVINGS – Ripley Hayes, m/m mystery romance. This is a series about a Welsh small-town cop who falls in love with a city policeman. Each book features a new murder mystery and also moves their lovestory along. These definitely need to be read in order because of what goes on in their relationship. The first book is more of a novella and features their meeting, being attracted and finishing on a maybe for the relationship, as they live at different ends of Wales. This was in one of the recent Stuff your E-Reader events and it was free, so of course now I have to read the other ones. They are good, but I guess it will be HFN for the two MCs til hopefully the HEA in the last book. The second story starts with Mal having ghosted Daniel – for a reason, but still. Mal is the more closed-off one, with work and family related issues and the one who often prefers not to talk about things, which makes things difficult. Daniel is the main POV character, the small-town cop with a soft heart and a happy family background. Thankfully, from book three we also get a bit of Mal’s POV. I appreciate that and it does make one understand him better and he doesn’t remain just the enigmatic lover. And while the MCs are very much in love by book 2, there are still quite a few differences to surmount for them, and I guess there may be more bleak moments. Definitely a lot of angst, both for the relationship, but also for the MCs always getting into sticky situations and of course for the solutions of the crimes. Thankfully they are all not super long books, but prepare to be sucked into Bad Decisions Book Club once you’ve started a book. And there’s no way around reading the whole series once started.
Still raging through my digital tbr, and thank gawd it is digital, else I’d have to camp in my backyard, which would be a bad thing because my neighbor got chickens this year, and they’re always peckin’ around out there.
A Deal with the Bossy Devil by Kyra Parsi
This book was the first thing I’d ever read by Parsi. Considering the lack of buzz, Bossy Devil was quite entertaining. I don’t like to define books purely by trope, but this was a fine example of hate to love, dialed up to ‘leventy-’leven. And it was convincingly hilarious. And hawt.The characters & situations may not have been 100% realistic, but you want them to be. Or I did anyway. Over the top, but often snicker worthy.
Surrender by Amanda Quick
This is Quick’s 2nd title and the book that directly followed Seduction. I had mixed feelings about this. Male protagonist is decidedly alpha, though not unbearably so, and the female protagonist is intelligent, independent, and kinda irritating. In fact, they were both irritating in the same way, constantly tossing ultimatums at each other and not LISTENING. Even set within the social & gender restrictions of the early 19th century, this got tiresome. It was ok for the time it was written (90s), but Seduction presented the main characters’ learning curve much better than Surrender did.
Failure to Match by Kyra Parsi
I enjoyed the first book in this series, so it didn’t take much to tempt me into starting this one. Like Bossy Devil, this book had vivid characters with electric chemistry in a hate-to-love relationship. Said relationship burns hot and mildly kinky. The story also had fascinating supporting characters whom I would have enjoyed seeing more of. However, the plot just seemed a little sloppier and cliche-dependent than book one. Sadly, the major cliche is one that never fails to annoy me. However, not sharing is caring where spoilers are concerned. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled noveling. . . .
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
This book should actually be the first in this sequence. Ironically, I was half way through this and loving it, when I picked up Bossy Devil. Why, you ask? Frankly, I needed a brief break (3 books long) from the intensity. I also didn’t want Not Another Love Song to end. This novel is passionate and beautiful and so emotional. Also, sexy, in the best possible way. I loved the protagonists, especially Gwen who is vulnerable yet unflinchingly clearsighted. Every facet of this book is perfectly balanced; it hit all the high points for me. The passages describing music were amazing, even for someone like moi, who is emphatically not a musician. Definitely one of the best books I read this year.
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
I bought this debut novel ages ago and buried it in the tbr. Since I adored Not Another Love Song, I naturally had to read this one. I think I would have enjoyed Forget Me Not way more if I had read it first. The wedding planning background was wicked detailed and, coupled with the floral design stuff, made for a luscious helping of competence pr0n. I liked the main couple and the supporting characters, but I didn’t care for the way the narrative jumped back and forth in time. I think it diluted the chemistry a bit, despite the amplitude of sexytimes. The ending was excellent, though.
In Love and War by Kyra Parsi
This was a fairly typical workplace romance with all the problematical conflicts with company policies. At least, people actually do work in this company in between the hate fucks, which is nice. There is less humor than Parsi’s more recent stuff, and I really disliked the nepotistic ending, though I was unsurprised by it. Would not reread.
Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
This book is a cozy, pleasant paranormal romance/mystery hybrid that reminds me of nothing so much as Barbara Michaels’ quasi-gothic paranormals but with way less atmosphere and eeriness. Despite the blandness, the setting is a quintessentially Floridian small town which I liked a lot despite the lack of gators. I mildly enjoyed this book, but I would not reread.
Part of Your World
Yours Truly
both by Abby Jimenez
Welp, I’m officially caught up on Abby Jimenez’s work. These two novels were both extremely emotional, with a nice leavening of lighter moments, often provided by ever present pets, especially dogs of vast personality. These books are not marketed as series entries, yet are populated by a cast of characters interlinked by friends, family, and shared workplaces. Many of these characters work in the medical field, which is not usually a favorite setting for me. The fact that I enjoyed these books in spite of the medical stuff is a tribute to the author’s ability to create damaged yet compelling characters and to handle emotional conflict without wallowing in angst. I’ll probably figure out the chronology and reread these after some time has elapsed.
Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
Hugh D’Ambray’s story & one of my favorite comfort rereads. When House Andrews released this book, it was like a present just for me. And it did not disappoint. . . during any of the five times I read it in the last six years. I do like a little gore with my comfort reads.
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen / Lois McMaster Bujold
Another comfort reread, this book gets better every time I read it. It was probably my least favorite of the series the first time I read it, but I can’t escape its irresistible attractions. It has its own gravitational pull, I guess. There’s no gore, but it does have a rain of flaming snot. Caveat: familiarity with the series is needed to get the most out of this final () volume.
Love Me Do by Lindsey Kelk
This is a mostly light, pleasant romance with a distinctly British flavour, despite its LA setting. There are dark notes in the FMC’s past, fully revealed in the final third of the book. The story is full of quirky, likable characters and a wonderful sense of place. I did have some minor issues with the ending; it seemed a bit contrived.
The Mysterious Marquess by Grace Burrowes
I tried some Burrowes historicals in the past and found them meh at best. However, the description of the first book in the Bad Heir series lured me in; that book charmed me and this one wasn’t too shabby either. Both main characters were interesting adults who used their words and eschewed drama in a truly
refreshing manner. Add a circle of eccentric family members, friends, and employees as well as a villain who is a monument to the mundanity of evil, and you have the makings of a solidly cozy historical romance. I’m looking forward to Book 3.
Never Date the Minister by Julia Kent
One of the milder Julia Kent rom-coms that I’ve read, this book tackles the way social media can blur the line between reality and appearances. There are some amusing set pieces, but the action is mostly rooted in reality–as much as wedding planning and celebrity culture ever can be. It was cute, but I wouldn’t reread.
Wildest Hearts by Jayne Ann Krentz
This is another comfort reread for me, not my fave JAK (That would be Trust Me) but maybe in the Top 5. It features an extremely competent, self-contained, emotionally distant male protagonist and an equally competent, more emotionally open female protagonist who falls in love pdq. JAK’s contemporary romantic suspense titles often center business or technology, so they age a bit awkwardly, but as long as the main couple aren’t alpha/ditz stereotypes, I’m cool with it.
Currently, I’m rereading Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron. First published in 1992, Maron’s first Deborah Knott mystery explores aspects of Southern life that are complex, engaging, and often deeply troubling. I remember really enjoying this series, but at this point, I recall more generalities than details. Now, at the halfway point, I am kind of blown away by how forward thinking Maron’s writing was for the early 90s. I am really looking forward to slowly wending my way through the rest of the series.
First the Good:
A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL by T Kingfisher. I am totally unfamiliar with the fairy tale it’s supposed to be based on so no idea if that holds up. The atmosphere Kingfisher develops is stellar though. The main character in my opinion is not Cordelia and I was fine with this.
THE PARADISE PROBLEM by Christina Lauren. This author can really be hit or miss with me and I was pleased that I liked this so well. The trope of “oh no, the divorce paperwork on our fake marriage never went through! We are still legally married.” just seemed to work for me mostly due to the FMC and her pragmatism.
FAILURE TO MATCH by Kyra Parsi. Contemporary about an employee of a matchmaking company that is really irritated about a client that seems to sabotage all their efforts. When the ‘why’ is revealed the client is forced to have a dating coach. This was giving Susan Elizabeth Phillips vibes and I liked it.
MAYBE YOU by Briar Prescott. Lovely story about a burn victim survivor with self esteem issues connecting with a wealthy and apparently self absorbed and emotionally unavailable cynic. Just lovely.
NOT SO GOOD
THE PAIRING by Casey Mcquiston. The two main characters were your basic soul mates that had a ‘big misunderstanding’ and broke up. 2 years later they meet up accidently on a European food tour where they decide to be friends. In the interests of friendship they decide to compete to see who can seduce the most people while on the trip. There was nothing romantic about watching these two torture each other with jealousy. Big nope.
THE ROCKER’S MUSE by Penelope Ward. I can usually count on this author for consistency but this just missed the mark for me. I found the FMC to be boring and the persistent pursuit by the Rock Star lead just did not make sense to me.
LOVE AT FIRST NOTE by Jenny Proctor. This will probably be unpopular but I was just so disinterested in both these characters. The FMC is a symphony violinist and the lead male character is a pianist with a huge youtube following. If you have read this author you know to expect funny zingers and witty banter which….just didn’t happen (ymmv).
RULES FOR GHOSTING by Shelly Shore. I feel the blurb here was misleading. Ghosts aren’t nearly a pivotal to the plot as I was expecting. This is more about a quirky Jewish family that runs a funeral home specializing in traditional Jewish funeral rituals. There was at least some fun dialogue but I thought the plot meandered and I had high hopes with that blurb. *sigh*
Recent reading included:
HAUNTED EVER AFTER – I’m not always a fan of magical realism / supernatural realism, but I enjoyed Jen DeLuca’s Renaissance Fair series and I thought the character development here had some similarities to the ways she built relationships that were fun to follow in the prior books. By the end, I was completely convinced that the ghost inhabitants of houses and apartments could communicate effectively with the non-dead via text message, refrigerator poetry, and other means. I’ll stick with this new series, too.
LOVE, LIES, AND CHERRY PIE – Not my favorite Jackie Lau, but I liked the descriptions of the MFC’s “life of a writer” who has published one novel, is working on her second, and isn’t getting a lot of support from her family. Plenty of familiar Lau scenes of meddling mom who wants her daughter to be in a relationship, which leads to fake dating the MMC, which leads to more. Did not find the cherry pie treat from the title to be appealing, which is not usually how I feel about Lau’s food descriptions.
Followed that with another “life of a writer” plot, in Kelly Armstrong’s FINDING MR. WRITE. The FMC has published a book using a male pseudonym, and hires the MMC to stand in as the “uber-masculine outdoorsman” author of her book during a publicity tour. Interestingly, the MMC is an accountant, not a professional actor (a bit of a complicated plot element, but it made sense in the context of this story). I liked the development of this character a lot, as he grappled with his own behaviors in playing a role vs. being himself. Didn’t feel as much empathy for the FMC– I understood why she didn’t want to face the public as herself, but I was exasperated with her at times when she was berating the MMC for doing just what she’d hired him to do. However, they both grow-and-change their way to a happy ending.
Best of my recent reads was TRIPLE SEC by TJ Alexander. I’ve read other books with poly characters, but greatly appreciated how Alexander took us through Mel’s thoughts, concerns, and even her “how to be part of a polycule” research as she first enters a relationship with Bebe, and then later begins a relationship with Bebe’s nonbinary wife, Kade. The handwritten, continuously-amended “rules of the relationship(s)” are an amusing part of each new portion of the story. Also enjoyed the detailed descriptions of how bartender Mel went about inventing an award-winning new cocktail– I liked learning things about choosing new ingredients (which of course applies to the main storyline also).
Still stuck in the past. Finished THE BOOK OF KELLS by RA MacAvoy and feeling a little — unsatisfied? I think the MMC would today be classified as being on the autism spectrum, and I had issues with him referring to other neurodivergent or alternate lifestyle people as “crazies” because, um, dude? I also had issues with a number of his choices, especially at resolution. Meanwhile the main villain’s fate is heavily foreshadowed throughout the book but when it comes down to the climax it becomes something different altogether, and I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. I would have liked an epilogue that showed how everyone’s choices at the end worked out for them, because I could not see any of them being successful.
Currently rereading COTILLION by Georgette Heyer and not really enjoying it as much as I expected to. May DNF and go on to something else.
THE ALIEN SCIENTIST by Eryn Ivers, Book 5 of the Interspecies Alliances series. My gold standard for ‘interspecies alliances’ is Lily Mayne’s Monstrous series and I don’t love this as much but I’ve enjoyed this series and thought this was one of the better stories.
Books 1 – 4 in Abigail Roux’s CUT & RUN series, which have recently been re-released. I remember trying to find these a couple of years ago when I saw a recommendation. If you liked Nicky James’ VALOR & DOYLE series or Riplay Hayes’ DANIEL OWEN WELSH MYSTERIES (see @Midge’s post above) or Cordelia Kingsbridge’s SEVEN OF SPADES series, you might enjoy this. Not that these guys both have a lot of baggage that gets in the way of the romance.
In non-fiction, I finally started Anne Applebaum’s AUTOCRACY INC: THE DICTATORS WHO WANT TO RUN THE WORLD. This is described as “an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them”. I’m particularly interested in that last part, but her books always give me a lot to think about. She’s a brilliant historian and journalist who really understands Eastern European and Russian politics.
Elsie Silver’s WILD EYES (contemporary M/F) is my recent favourite read. A troubled, over-managed pop star meets a single father with a horse ranch. A terrific meet-cute that I don’t want to spoil for anyone.
Also Becka Mack’s 4th in her M/F hockey series, FALL WITH ME had such great characters and was just enough over the top to be fun without being annoying and to balance the serious issues the characters were dealing with. It would have been the top of my list if not for WILD EYES.
Enjoyed audio re-reads of Kristin Cashore’s YA fantasies GRACELING and FIRE, which I originally read back when they first came out, and Ursula K. Le Guin’s THE BEGINNING PLACE, which I totally didn’t remember from my previous read long ago
Though I’m a sucker for these when they’re good I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this P&P variation. Lara S. Ormiston’s UNEQUAL AFFECTIONS starts off when though surprised and offended by Darcy’s first proposal Elizabeth suddenly realizes she has utterly misjudged him and that he’d believed she had fallen for him like he has for her. After taking a week to reassess everything she accepts his proposal. I thought the plot line and characterization were excellently and skillfully done, and like the way the author handled the theme described in the title and the play out of the themes of p&p
A.G. Slatter’s THE PATH OF THORNS is a delightful Gothic fairytale.
I enjoyed an audio re-read of Georgette Heyer’s SYLVESTER
and an e-(not re)read of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
Also enjoyed (all contemporary m/f):
Maggie North’s RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES
Ellie Palmer’s FOUR WEEKENDS AND A FUNERAL
Katherine Center’s THE BRIGHT SIDE OF DARKNESS
Livy’s Hart’s THE GREAT DATING FAKE OFF
Also read (contemporary m/f worth reading but not standouts for me. For all but debut author Holly James I’ve really enjoyed other books by these authors a little more than these):
Naima Simone’s THE SINGLE DAD PROJECT
Holly James’s NAME YOUR PRICE
Laura Moher’s WHAT SHE’S HAVING
Katie Cotugno’s HEAVY HITTER
Over the past three weeks ~
— quite enjoyed The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen which is a fantasy romance whose leads are longtime friends and work partners in their fifties. While this book features a different couple than the first in the series, I’d recommend reading the other first to better understand the world. Also, there are dragons!
++ Read four enjoyable romances ~
— Bloom by N.R. Walker featured a florist and a personal shopper (both men) who meet when the latter wishes to buy poisonous flowers for a cheating boyfriend.
— The Fog of War by A.L. Lester was a post world war one historical romance set in England featuring a doctor and a nurse (both women). This book makes the most sense if you’ve read other books by the author; there is a paranormal aspect to it.
— A Mind Full of Voices by Mell R. Bright is a male/male contemporary romance about a warlock (who sees ghosts) and a werewolf/author who believes he is losing his mind.
— Best Man by Lily Morton is a contemporary romance featuring two men who are twenty years apart in age. The older man hires the younger man to accompany him to a wedding event for which he is Best Man.
— Quite enjoyed Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. This features a violinist and a cellist.
— reread the Claimings series by Lyn Gala. The first four books in this series are amongst my favorite books; they feature Liam, a linguist, and Ondry, an alien trader.
+ Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts
+ Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities
+ Affiliations, Aliens, and Other Profitable Pursuits
+ Expedition, Estimation, and Other Dangerous Pastimes
+ Kensho
— also reread newer favorites ~
+ Lucky by GiGi DeGraham
+ JFH: Justin F**king Halstead by GiGi DeGraham
— The Martian by Andy Weir was another comfort read which I enjoyed once again. (Can you tell I was sick?)
— I don’t often read books of essays, but I read Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed. This was an enjoyable collection with both laugh out loud and poignant moments; the author began reading at age two and is now a professor teaching creative writing.
— I reread a few more old favorites/comfort reads namely Stray, Lab Rat One, and Caszandra (Touchstone series 1-3) all by Andrea K Höst. [Stray is FREE for Kindle readers.]
@Lara
When I was reading a lot of Urban Fantasy, angsty complicated vamps were sprinkled through those books like raisins in oatmeal. It seems like more recent fictional vamps are a bit more one dimensional and lean a little more towards evil bloodsucker. To some degree, that could be because there’s more horror than UF being published lately. However, I may be wrong, since I like UF & generally dislike horror, so my perceptions may be skewed.
Aside from that, if you’re open to a broader definition of vampire, I’d strongly recommend Ilona Andrews’s Innkeeper Chronicles. One of the many species of human adjacent aliens are known as Vampires, and one of them–Arland, Marshall of House Krahr–is a recurring character in the series. Arland plays a role starting from the first book of the series, but assumes major roles in books 3 & 4. Although the Innkeeper series is more SF than UF, I’ve always found Arland a properly sigh-worthy hero.
I missed participating in the book of the summer thread, so I’ll declare here that my book of the summer was IN THE KEY OF US by Mariama J. Lockington. Beautiful, heartwarming queer middle grade YA about two 13-yearolds who meet at summer music camp. As the only two Black girls in their cabin, they form a tentative friendship that slowly deepens into more – it’s a slow, age appropriate romance that really captures what it feels like fall for someone for the first time. Some of the themes are pretty heavy (death of a parent, racism, homophobia, self-harm) but the overall book isn’t too heavy.
Other books include:
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore – queer YA magical realism
4.5 / 5 stars. I loved this queer YA romance between two non-binary, neuro-atypical Mexican American teenagers who share the ability to see the magical world under the lake they live by. The romance is very low-key but delightful.
Lady Eve’s Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow – f/f space opera
4.5 stars. Delightful queer heist caper, in space!
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe – graphic memoir
4.5 stars. So glad that I finally read this beautiful memoir.
You’re the Problem, It’s You (Mischief & Matchmaking #2) by Emma R. Alban – mm Victorian romance
Fluffy, anachronistic mm Victorian romance. I wasn’t completely convinced by the romance but the book did make me laugh out loud and also cry. Plus, it has my favorite sub-trope – competitive lawn games as flirting (badminton this time). The happy ending is emotionally satisfying and ridiculously unrealistic and I didn’t care. I cried happy, sappy tears.
Beebo Brinker by Ann Bannon – classic lesbian pulp fiction
I gave it 3.5 stars but don’t really know how to rate this classic lesbian pulp fiction. I mostly enjoyed it but found the homophobia pretty upsetting, especially at the end. The plot is very soapy and OTT and the character development was a little thin.
I didn’t realize until after I read it that it’s a prequel – it’s the last in a series of like 5 books but is set several years earlier.
What Will You Do if Trump (or Harris) Wins? by Daniel Hunter and Choose Democracy.
Choose your own adventure type book designed to give readers tools to organize against autocracy. It’s engaging and well researched – some, but not all, of the adventure paths end with democracy winning over autocracy. And now I know that during an attempted coup, mass protests and demonstrations are key, but once an autocrat is in power, protests are much less effective than direct action (like general strikes).
https://whatiftrumpwins.org/
@Lara: have you read any of Elizabeth Hunter’s Elementals series?
Well, let’s see, since last time…
We’d have to start with The X-Files: Perihelion, by Claudia Gray. A well-done continuation of X-Files, with some fun callbacks to the original TV series and an intriguing path established for this franchise into the 21st century. Then I read How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler. It was a very funny, very violent story about a young woman, Davi, that, after a millennium of being the Hero of the Story and dying violently with every life (she’s in a very Groundhog’s Day-style time loop), decides “Screw it, I’ll be the Bad Guy, see what happens”. After 1000 years or so of dying a lot while trying to save the world, our heroine is a lot pissed off, pretty nihilistic, but also possessed of god-tier archery skills (lots of practice), a knack for leadership (see under archery), and a blackly hilarious sense of humor (the Deadpool comps are apt). Quick trigger warning: if things aren’t going well and she needs a new chance to run through the dungeon again with a new strategy, she kills herself. Again, it’s very reminiscent of Groundhog’s Day, in that she knows she won’t die permanently and is resetting the game, so to speak, but it’s only fair that people go into it knowing she does this (the author himself puts a trigger warning at the beginning of the book). Which brings us to now, in which I am reading You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian. It’s a bit more slow-burn than I’m used to, but the main characters are such cutie-pies and the dialogue is so good that I can live with it. I’m having some fun working out what books Mark is giving Eddie. For example, he gives him one book with the description “everyone in this book is gay and terrible, as is the author”. I initially figured Talented Mr. Ripley, but a reference to a train in the next chapter gave it away as Strangers On a Train (I was right that it was Highsmith, though, rarely has she been described so well in so few words). So on that note, off I go, occasionally sniffing suspiciously at the Florida air hoping for just a whiff of fall.
@PamG Margaret Maron is one of my comfort reads, and you posted has prompted me to revisit both her books. JI read most of the as they were released and at the time was blown away as to how she dealt with some very heavy issues in a mystery series.
Looking over the books I’ve been reading lately, I’m noticing a theme related to recovering from bad starts.
I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited (KU), so I sometimes succumb to advertising for popular books. Which is how I found myself reading THE BONUS by T. L. Swan. It didn’t take very many pages to realize that this book wasn’t going to be good, but that had the potential to be entertaining in a soap opera kind of way, so I kept going. He’s a billionaire CEO, she’s his PA, which apparently involves going over his daily schedule while he gets dressed after his morning workout. It would be an HR nightmare, but she’s into it, so I guess that’s why the book is an Amazon #1 Best Seller in Romantic Comedy. Eventually she realizes that it’s not going anywhere, so she quits and makes plans to move to Maine. Before she leaves, they reveal a mutual attraction and have sexy fun times, ending with him telling her that it’s been great but that there is no future for them. Once she realizes she’s pregnant, she makes some token attempts to see him but he ignores her phone call (singular), and she can’t get an appointment on his calendar. (SHE WAS HIS PA FOR YEARS. SHE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO GET AN APPOINTMENT. Is this the author’s way of telling us that she was really bad at her job?) Anyway, she decides that if he won’t talk to her, she won’t tell him about the twins (yes, twins) and moves on with her life. And she is understandably bitter about the whole thing. When he inevitably finds out about the kids, he shows up ands wants a relationship with them. And that leads to chapters of her being mad at him and wanting a drink and him being overbearing, which were a slog to get through unless your idea of humor her is putting weird things in his food when he invited himself to dinner. When they finally decide to try to make a go of it, it’s because she realizes she has a choice to “Forget the past and live in the present or end this relationship before it turns toxic.” (Honey, I’ve got some bad news for you.) There was some potential, but the pacing didn’t work for me and the book often felt like scenes from different books that had been stitched together which really messed with the required suspension of disbelief. But with 12K+ ratings and 4.4 stars, clearly it works for someone. (TLDR: boss/PA, secret babies, popular doesn’t mean good)
I then moved on to THE HEIR APPARENT’S REJECTED MATE by Cate C Wells (book 2 of The Five Packs series). And this is an excellent book. The Moon Lake pack has managed to become quite profitable since Werewolves went public. But, there is a division between the pack members who adopt a more human like way of life and those who either choose not to or can’t afford to called the Scavengers. In this world, the werewolves see themselves as having both wolf and human parts of themselves. And there are fated mates, with a strong biological need for sex between the fated mates when the females go into heat. But, the human side can still reject parts of the bond. Our FMC is a Scavenger, and when she goes into her first heat, she realizes that her mate is the heir apparent to the pack. He can’t claim her for political reasons leading to the rejection in the title. It takes some time, but they work their way to forgiveness through both words and deeds. (KU)
I followed that with book 3 of The Five Packs, THE LONE WOLF’S REJECTED MATE by Cate C. Wells, which has us going back to the Quarry Pack setting of book 1 of the series for Mari and Darragh’s story. Darragh’s wolf is dangerous and sees everyone as an enemy. He’s scared he’ll hurt her if he claims her. She’s hurt that he doesn’t want her. And by the end of the book, Mari believes “I don’t know what love is. I had ideas when I was young that mostly revolved around a palette of faded pastels, bittersweet acoustic songs, and the vague notion that love would be pretty and delicate and simple. I don’t think I had the right of it at all. I think it’s the opposite–ugly and messy and tough as gristle. It’s not a miracle, not a gift out of nowhere, not a vibe. You make it out of thin air, from nothing, by what you do.” (KU)
Otherwise, I read
— Bittersweet and Bountiful by Sarina Bowen. Both part of the True North: Small Town Romance series. Both were good contemporaries, but if I had to rank them, Bittersweet was the better of the two.
— The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews. Enjoyable regency romance.
— Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin. YA, more fantasy with romantic elements. I’m not familiar enough with Chinese folklore to say more than it reminded me of the Disney series American Born Chinese. (KU)
— The Bride Test by Helen Huang. Romance involving a neurodivergent man and the woman his mom picked out for him. From the author of the The Kiss Quotient. (KU)
— Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. First book in the Psy-Changeling series. It was fine, but I think I would have appreciated it more if I had found it years ago.
— Here for the Right Reasons by Jodi McAlister. Pandemic era romance on the set of dating show where due to covid restrictions, the contestants can’t leave the compound after they are eliminated. I enjoyed it.
— A Deal with the Shadow King by Anya J. Cosgrove. The blurb promised Beauty and the Beast vibes, which I think it delivered on. I was entertained. (KU)
Slave to Sensation and The Bride Test were both on the Time Magazine list of 50 Best Romance Novels that came out in August, so I really feel like I should have more to say about them.
I read several books over the last week or so, after a long slump where I rarely pick up anything but comics/manga.
1) “The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks” by Shauna Robinson – I really liked the characters. I knew it was women’s fiction, not romance, going in, so that was fine. It did have the “outsider comes in and in like 3 months knows a ton of people who will risk their jobs to help her so she can save everyone” trope, which annoyed me.
2) “The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst – the main character here was born on her island, but moves away as a child and comes back as an adult. Nobody really knows her, but it has the same trope as above. The “villain” felt forced into the story to provide some conflict. Super cozy, but maybe a bit TOO cozy? I was a big fan of Caz, though.
3) “Daughters of Olympus” by Hannah Lynn – alternating POV between Demeter and Core/Persephone. Well written, compelling, I stayed up until very late to finish it in one night. I think it’s one of the better Greek retellings that have cropped up in the wake of Madeline Miller’s excellent books.
4) “The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish” by Paula Brackston – historical fiction with a supernatural/fantasy/magical realism element. It’s clearly marked on the cover as the first book in a new series, so it ends with a lot of unresolved plot threads. I really enjoyed the MC and the setting and her relationship with her family. Looking forward to the next, but rather wish I’d waited until at least the second book was out before reading it. Now I have to wait for the next book, which is at least a year out.
5) “The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood For All Of Us” by Rachelle Bergstein – a great look at Judy Blume’s influence on children’s and young adult literature. The chapter that covers backlash and banning of her books in the 80s sounds exactly like what’s happening to authors, librarians, and booksellers today. I read some of her books as a kid, and although she’s not as popular with kids today, her books are still foundational for Millennials and Gen X kids who had thoughts and feelings and questions that adults never seemed to understand or take seriously – but Judy did. The cover design is great, too. It makes me want to go read the Blume books that I didn’t as a kid.
“Queen of Shades” novella series (4 of them) by Eli Hinze – based on Mesopotamian mythology. Kigal (later Ereshkigal) is a very interesting character and it was well-written. I enjoyed reading something different, rather than the very Greek-Roman-Eurocentric versions of mythology that are usually focused on.
Like Laura, I’ve been wanting romances that are more like the Old Skool ones – fun, over the top, definitely fantasy. I’m feeling a bit tired of “wallpaper historicals” where the characters feel very modern. Let me have my bananas fun! So I’ve started “Whitney, My Love” by Judith McNaught and also “Kingdom of Dreams”, since I’ve never read anything by her.
As far as vampire stories go, I was contemplating a re-read of the original “Vampire Diaries” quartet that I adored as a teen, and also the four vampire paranormal romances that Linda Lael Miller wrote in the 90s. Oh, and to revisit the Sookie Stackhouse books, because I always enjoyed those (until that hot mess that was the last one, anyway).
@C: I’m always baffled by the sheer number of contemporary romances where it seems like neither the heroine nor hero have even a concept of birth control, but they’re all “shocked Pikachu face” when she gets pregnant. Like… can we not? Can we set a better example in this as a genre, please? It’s the 21st century, a whole lot of us have better access to information than ever before in history, regardless of what is (or isn’t) being taught in schools or at home.
So now I need a rec league where we list titles/authors whose characters aren’t idiots or ignorant and not only know how to use BC methods, but actually use them and use them properly – especially if it’s a “no strings attached”/”one night-weekend-week-summer fling only” situation. Having her get pregnant and bear his secret baby (or babies) because it’s the easy way to get the couple back together in a few months or years is incredibly stupid and lazy. Also, in a genre that should be empowering and intelligent, the constant surprise pregnancies totally undermine that. I hate stupid characters, especially ones that are reckless and dumb in ways that will impact their life going forward.
I haven’t posted in a while, during which time I’ve been doing a lot of rereading old favorites and some mostly forgettable reading in Kindle Unlimited. However I did have a few highlights this summer, including: THE FRIEND ZONE and THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST by Abby Jimenez. This author has quickly become a must-read for me. I love her combination of humor, banter, and solid friendships between the characters, mixed with some serious angst. Also enjoyed SECOND DUKE’S THE CHARM by Kate Bateman, another new author for me this year. Be warned–I am not a reader who is bothered by modern language use in historical romance, but if you are, this book may not work for you. And I absolutely loved UNDER YOUR SPELL by Laura Wood. Just a solid contemporary romance–I laughed out loud at the dialogue at certain points and loved the relationship between the 3 sisters, but this story also dealt with some serious topics in a sensitive way. Finally I’ve been reading The Inheritance Games trilogy by Jennifer Lynne Barnes with my 14-year-old daughter. Book 1 was amazing, we were both reading it on the beach and just eating up each new plot twist. Books 2 and 3 were somewhat more disappointing and as she so succinctly put it: “it got weird” but I do love the experience of sharing books with my kids so it was worth getting through all 3!