Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here are the books kicking off our April:
Lara: I’ve been dying to tell people about the book I’m reading: Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey. I’m obsessed with it! Full review coming.
Elyse: Oh that’s on my TBR! So excited it’s good!
Lara: I recommend going into it as blindly as possible because the reveals are great! My favourite thing: each layer of the onion peeled back beautifully
Carrie: I just finished The Antidote by Karen Russell ( A | BN | K | AB ) – what an amazing, powerful book. Not a romance, lots of very painful and tragic events, but overall it felt hopeful thanks to the bonds that characters made with each other and their commitment to the truth.
Elyse: I read that one too and it didn’t work as well for me.
I think it has to be a deliberate choice, but I’d love to talk to Russell or her editor about it because I don’t understand it.
Carrie: That was interesting – I know from the introduction and afterword that she worked closely with Indigenous consultants but I haven’t read any interviews so I don’t know why she structured the book the way she did.
Elyse: Yeah that’s why I kind of want an interview or something to explain it better.
Shana: I’m reading Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown. I don’t always agree with the book provocations but I’m finding it an easy read.
Sneezy: I’m reading one of WB Yeats’ folklore collections. I’ve become a baby DnD player, and I built a character that’ll let me play with fae stuff. So far most of what I’ve found about fae stuff in DnD lore has been this over bleached mush of the original folklores with disappointing moral binaries, so I’m hoping the book gives me some inspiration and guidance.
(And… fae probably don’t care about table top games, but it still can’t hurt to check if they have any no fly zones. )
“How did you get cursed?”
“My DnD play pissed off Tinkerbell.”
Susan: I have read so much manga since the start of March, so much, including accidentally falling into a rich vein of “Oh no I have been reincarnated as the villainess of this book/video game, better change the plot so none of the main characters notice me!” and it’s given me a craving to go back to the first one of those I ever saw. Soooooo I’m finally reading My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom! ( A | BN | K | AB ) after adoring the anime. Katarina, the protagonist, is so blissfully oblivious to the fact that she’s acquired a bevy of love interests! I love her!
I’ve also started reading The Decagon House Murders, ( A | BN | K ) because I fancy a proper manor house mystery, but all of the male characters are obnoxious so far.
Whatcha reaching? Let us know in the comments!
Just finished To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, which I bought after seeing it here. Devoured it in 2 days, so will have to read again slowly, to savor it. Many thanks!
After seeing her books recommended here many times I finally checked out a Julie Kriss novel and was very impressed. Duet is a musician romance rather than a stereotypical rock star romance; the hero is a rock star but not a walking ego. It’s smoothly written, funny and romantic. AND it’s well paced; so many contemporary romances are sadly in need of editing, in my opinion. I often feel like a kid on a long trip, saying ‘Are we there yet?’ I will be reading the rest of this series and probably many other Kriss books as well.
I just finished Sarina Bowen’s The Last Guy on Earth, which was very enjoyable. I’m not usually keen on second chance romances but this one was well structured, with a few short flashbacks to fill in the past without interrupting the present day timeline too much. The characters complemented each other well. I haven’t read every Bowen book, and some of the ones I have read have underwhelmed me in terms of the storyline, but this has been a great series.
I just finished the new Deanna Raybourn Kills Well With Others. Now I am having a serious book hangover. Need to find something as good as the female assassins to read.
I feel as if most of my comments this time are of the “damning with faint praise” variety, but here goes—
I’ve said before that the books in Alessandra Hazard’s Straight Guys series are, objectively speaking, not particularly well-written: settings are generic (New York City, London, and Dubai are interchangeable locations); there’s little to no social understanding (I still chuckle about an earlier book in the series in which a working-class boy becomes childhood friends with a youngster who is 11th in line to the British throne—how in the world did they ever meet?); and, regardless of native country or tongue, all the characters speak—and think—in colloquial Americanisms. And yet…and yet…I find myself completely invested in the series’ wild setups that involve at least one MC experiencing a bi-awakening as Hazard creates relationships that irl would have “co-dependent” or “dysfunctional” written all over them. In JUST A BIG GUARDED (the 15th—!—book in the series), bodyguard Will is hired to protect 19-year-old Gadiel, the neglected son of a sheikh. Gadiel is gay, but only occasionally manages to escape his closely-monitored life in Dubai to meet up with other closeted men. Will (who has always been straight) initially takes the bodyguarding job as a favor to his cousin—who has a crush on Gadiel—but as time goes on, Will begins to understand a lot of Gadiel’s behavior (in addition to him still being a teenager) springs from his being ignored by his family and feeling trapped in a place where his sexuality is a crime punishable by execution. The book is very much a slow-burn with Will only gradually coming to realize he has romantic feelings for Gadiel at about the 80% point of the book. Despite having all of the series failings I’ve pointed out, I still enjoyed JUST A BIT GUARDED and recommend it—but you have been warned of its shortcomings.
Although I’ve enjoyed all the previous books in the Hockey Ever After series of m/m hockey romances from Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James, I struggled with the latest, TEXTBOOK DEFENSE, in part because the MCs—while pleasant and well-meaning—had little chemistry or sexual tension between them. This felt like a friends-to-employer/employee-to lovers romance that should probably have stopped at the second step. Jordy is a hockey player and single dad; when his nanny (who has been with him since his six-year-old was a baby) has to leave suddenly, Jordy engages Rowan, a librarian who is about to lose his job, as a manny. I never felt much of a frisson between the characters—and, in light of the recent Neil Gaiman revelations, are any of us really in the mood for an employer/nanny (or manny) romance? I also struggled with the presentation of Jordy’s six-year-old daughter. Admittedly it’s been a while since I had children of that age, but Kaira felt simultaneously too young (meltdowns, tantrums, and daily naps) and too old (inordinately large vocabulary, the ability to stay focused on something for long periods of time)—and, frankly, there was just too much of her on the page. TEXTBOOK DEFENSE is not a badly-written book, but it’s a bit of a slog. A lukewarm recommendation from me.
Marley Valentine’s WITH YOU is a post-HEA novella featuring Deacon & Julian, the MCs from Valentine’s WITHOUT YOU (which was one of my favorite reads of 2020). You cannot read WITH YOU unless you’ve read WITHOUT YOU first. WITHOUT YOU is an angsty romance with bi-awakening in which Deacon falls for Julian, his late-brother’s boyfriend. There’s a lot of dysfunctional family dynamics going on in WITHOUT YOU (Deacon’s mother, who has always favored her late son, is stuck in a cycle of complicated grief and has ignored Deacon for most of his life). WITH YOU begins five years on, with Deacon & Julian planning their wedding and looking to start a family through adoption, fostering, and/or surrogacy. Deacon has gone no-contact with his mother although he is still in touch with his father and sister. As he prepares for his wedding day, Deacon has to come to grips with “the notion that my happiness is reliant upon my brother’s death”; although eventually he comes to the conclusion that, “There’s a reason we don’t have eyes on the back of our heads, because we can’t look back. We can’t change the past, we can only live in the moment.” The story then continues in increments of large chunks of time as Deacon & Julian have children and eventually come to tentative truce with Deacon’s mother: I liked how Valentine refused to make the story a kumbaya with Deacon forgiving everything and his mother understanding how she’s always marginalized Deacon—there’s still a lot of ambivalence and jagged edges between mother and son and undoubtedly there always will be. WITH YOU ends with a vignette that implies Deacon & Julian’s now-adult son will be a MC in a future book. I recommend WITH YOU, but read WITHOUT YOU first.
Kaje Harper’s THE REBUILDING YEAR (published in 2012) had been sitting on my kindle for years until I recently got around to reading it. The book is a slow-burn, double bi-awakening between two men in their mid-to-late-thirties: John, a divorced dad who is the head groundskeeper at a local college, and Ryan, a former firefighter who is attending med school at the college where John works. The guys become friends and then roommates and, ultimately, lovers. But Harper also brings in some other plot points: John’s teenaged son coming to live with him and joining a musical group, two unsolved student deaths, and lots of hostility between John and his ex-wife and her new husband. I recommend THE REBUILDING YEAR: it’s a serviceable romance with an interesting suspense subplot, but keep in mind it is 13 years old and, in places (especially where technology is concerned), feels rather dated. If you can stop yourself from wondering why characters don’t call for Ubers or have meals/groceries (other than pizza) delivered, you’ll have a good time with THE REBUILDING YEAR.
Amber Huxley’s 2022 Roman-Barbarian romance, INTO THE NORTH, was recently mentioned here in WAYR. It sounded like something I would enjoy (Roman soldier captured by the warlord of a “barbarian”—Germanic—tribe as the Roman empire is crumbling), and I did enjoy it despite characters saying things like “okay” and “maybe” and the approach to sex & sexuality being rather modern. Marcus, a Roman soldier, is captured by Agnar and becomes his “thrall”. The book moves at predictable beats from that point onward. Although nowhere near as good as my favorite Roman-Germanic historical m/m pairing (in Mia West’s Into the Fire series), INTO THE NORTH is a worthwhile enough read. Recommended.
Hello, SBTB friends! Thank you for all your recommendations!
Over the last month I read four great books — WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN by Stephanie Burgis was excellent. F/M fantasy, really moved along, a lot of great characters and I can’t wait until the next book. That Stephanie Burgis is a fabulous writer!
IN A RUSH by Kate Canterbary (already discussed in this space – M/F sports romance, friends to lovers/fake relationship), YOU GIVE ME THAT FEELING by Julie Kriss (also discussed here, M/F Rock n Roll/Actress fake relationship) was also great.
THE TRAITOR’S CURSE by Eliot Grayson (fantasy, M/M, enemies to lovers – third book, but stands on its own and I liked it much more than the first two).
I also read a bunch of Zoey Draven alien romances, which are solid, and Mallory Dunlin’s Monsters of Faery series, which was also good. SWEETLING by S.E. Wendel was very sweet (it’s in the name) F/M fantasy. THE SERPENT AND THE WOLF by Rebecca Robinson was also a good book (M/F fantasy, gives Poison Study vibes, but given the situation the characters in general should have had more angst? The heroine was the only one who seemed consistently concerned by how much danger they were all in?), but I am annoyed that I have to wait for the next one. Cliffhangers just piss me off at this point in my life.
Still trying to figure out if I should abandon Goodreads. On the one hand, obviously I should. On the other, it sounds like a lot of work. Will continue to look to this community for advice.
Hope you are all safe and have a great weekend!
Nothing new has been drop everything and read this immediately excellent, but three solidly good definitely recommend reads is nothing to sneeze at.
I enjoyed POINT OF HEARTS by Melissa Scott, latest in a series that should definitely be read in order. Idk what genre it is – fantasy historical mystery? There is a m/m romance element to them but I would not describe as a romance. They are not what is termed cozy mystery but the matriarchal kinda Netherlandish world with astrological magic is absolutely catnip for me.
Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette/Katherine Addison’s THE COBBLER’S BOY is an enjoyable read despite being kinda YA and not really having an ending. I think it’s the start of a series. They’re both good enough writers to get away with drawing me out of my comfort read zone. It’s Christopher Marlowe as a teen being drawn into spy conspiracies. So it also has historical mystery vibe although I don’t think there’s magic. Also has an m/m romantic component, also sadly minimal.
Third good book is DREAMER’S POOL by Juliet Marillier, which I would call a fantasy novel, start of a series. It’s kinda grim but righteous in a good way, and there’s definitely a mystery to solve even if it’s not very mysterious. The world has a kind of historical vibe but also a bit more of a modern feel, and I don’t *think* it’s a m/f romance, I *think* it’s gonna be a really decent friendship/partnership, but idk.
Plus a lot of KJ Charles, because of course there has been. I am beyond thrilled that there are going to be new ones soonish. I’m back in the Society of Gentlemen again, wondering again how it’s possible to love Silas so very much and still want him to be with a Tory (it’s because he should have absolutely everything he wants).
On the warnings I wish I had had side, TJ Alexander’s A GENTLEMAN’S GENTLEMAN. was full of me problems. Like chock full of them. If a pair of unique things gives you pause, beware of this book. There’s a throwaway line about needing an army of gardeners to hack back primroses every month, and I know it’s a small detail but why even include it if it isn’t meant to mean something to me? That’s just not how primroses work? They’re these dainty little shade tolerant much beloved wild flowers. You couldn’t hack at them if you tried, they’re like 6” high. They are not a type of rose, they are not thorny or aggressive, and while I am at it, you know how roses come in a variety of colors but if something (dawn’s fingers say) is described as rose colored it’s a shade of pink? Since apparently primroses are not a plant anyone has ever seen, just as a public service announcement, primrose=yellow. Anyway, I was so confused trying to picture it that I went down a whole rabbit hole of primrose research (Japanese primrose can get as tall as 20”!) and this set the tone for me to spend the rest of the book questioning everything. There’s a whole thing about the valet wearing livery which I was pretty sure one of the important perks of the jobs is that you don’t, you get the master’s clothes to make over/sell so that is where the cloth for your clothes comes from, and it undermines what I understand about reality. When one of the main characters is a valet I want to feel secure that the author knows what that means. I could not believe in the character as a result, like everything felt all sketched in and poorly at that. Also, a will does not and cannot dictate a title, that’s just not how primogeniture works and head kabloom emoji. Write a fantasy novel where you make up your own system and I will love it but if you’re writing a regency you kinda need to bother to make it regency? Tl;dr I am baffled and shocked to report that a trans male regency romance with a valet main character was in no way satisfying to me.
Since the “Murderbot” trailer dropped earlier this week, I started a reread of the series on Thursday evening. I’m well into the fourth book, “Exit Strategy”. I’d never gotten around to reading the most recent book, “System Collapse”, so I’m looking forward to it.
Now we need a new edition of “Network Effect” to match the paperback editions that came out last year. (I really hate it when books in a series don’t match.)
I hope everyone’s April is off to a good start. My reading has been OK so far, though considering the number of books, I’m clearly not reading anything in depth.
All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries 1 by Martha Wells
With the trailer releasing last week, I moved this reread to the top of the TBR. Still good.
Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy Book 1) by Stephanie Burgis (KU)
Several folks recommended this one during the last WAYR after Carrie’s review. You all were right, it was worth reading.
The Wild Wolf’s Rejected Mate (The Five Packs Book 5) by Cate C. Wells (KU)
@DiscoDollyDeb has recommended this paranormal werewolf series in the past, and I’ve enjoyed this interconnected series as well. The books haven’t been light weight reads, though I found this one a little less dark than previous entries. I agree with her that the author is using romance and pack dynamics to play with bigger ideas, and I came away from this one with thoughts about “what does an ideal government look like.” This is on the darker side of romance, so read the author’s note for content warnings if applicable, and I think you need to have read at least book 1 in this series before reading this one to get the world building.
Arrogant Boss by Olivia Hayle (KU)
It was a fine contemporary romance but not terribly memorable. Good meet cute followed by “he’s her new boss” and “he falls first” tropes.
The Proposal Play (Love and Hockey Book 3) by Lauren Blakely (KU)
Cute contemporary friends to lovers with some hockey references on the side. If “I can’t talk to my best friend about my developing feelings because it might ruin the friendship” is your thing, this one is for you.
My Dark Beast: a Sleeping Beauty retelling (Wicked Retellings Book 1) by Olivia Wildenstein (KU)
This fairy tale retelling with a magical mafia twist had similar vibes to Rebecca Zanetti’s One Cursed Rose. There was lots of soap opera twisty goodness. On the plus side, he’s the one trapped in sleep and she’s the one working with his family to find and save him. On the minus side, I felt like our hero’s personality shifted once he woke up and that we are told more than shown how impressive he is. You probably already know if this is your jam. It’s sufficiently entertaining for what it is.
Finders, Keepers: A Dark Scottish Mafia Romance (The MacTavish Heirs) by Arianna Fraser (KU)
Look, these guys are mafia kind of like the Cullens are vampires. Yes, there are car chases and gun fights and evil human traffickers, but there’s also romcom family vibes. It’s so farcically over the top that I can’t take it seriously and it’s more like an action-dark comedy popcorn flick. Fun, but maybe not objectively “good”. (On the down side, it really deserves a better editor. The timeline is a little funky in spots, and I’m pretty sure that some characters are in two places at once.)
River Marked (Mercy Thompson Book 6) by Patricia Briggs
I’m continuing my reread of this paranormal series about a coyote shifter auto mechanic and her supernatural world. In this one, Mercy and her werewolf mate’s honeymoon is interupted by them needing to fight a terrible monster while coming to terms with Mercy’s native American ancestry. I think I’ve got one more book to go before I get to new-to-me material.
Dragon Bound (Elder Races Book 1) by Thea Harrison
I think I would have enjoyed this paranormal romance more if I’d read it back when it was published in 2011. It’s fine, but it’s a little dated. Spoiler text for American politics.
Apples Dipped In Gold (Fairy Tale Retelling Book 2) by Scarlett St. Clair
The story line involves fairy prince who falls in love with a beautiful mortal and a quest to remove this curse. It’s not quite as dark as the first one (Mountains Made of Glass), but yes, there’s a section for the content warnings. I’ve enjoyed these books (novellas?) more than the Hades X Persephone series (which I read the first one of but wasn’t inspired to read further). This novel blends elements from a lot of different fairy tales, which gives it sort of a familiar feeling, but looking at the author’s note, I’ve actually read very few of the main inspirations, which draw from lesser known tales in Grimm, Andersen, and Lang.
Someone on the radio referred to our weather as “sprinter” and it has certainly lived up to it. Winter yesterday back to spring today. The sun streaming through my windows next to my reading chair makes up for the whiplash. I might even be able to turn the furnace off again for a few days.
Where did we leave off? I jumped on the Rosie Danan train and wallowed in FAN SERVICE. What a delightful, original take on paranormal romance. Lately everything I see is overworked pack dynamics and abuse. And knowing where the term “alpha” actually started just makes me roll my eyes every time I see it used as character’s title. Everything about this book was perfection. The character development, the setting, the friendships, the trials – although I feel that the basketball game was more of a submission trial than the one Alex devised. This is a love letter to fandoms everywhere. My little nerd heart sang through the whole book.
I’m currently knee deep in Lucy Score’s STORY OF MY LIFE. The book is a brick, and I am here for all of it. Small town on the verge of financial disaster, old house renovation, handsome, surly contractor with handsome brothers for sequel bait, ride-or-die BFF, blocked writer giving herself a do-over, a free-range pig and an asshole bald eagle. It has been a delightful way to start the day this week.
My wish from earlier this week came true: the GBPL came up with the new India Holton, GEOGRAPHER’S MAP TO ROMANCE. The first book in the Love’s Academic series was a low angst, madcap delight and I’m hoping this is the same.
I read The Geographer’s Map To Romance by India Holton in spite of never liking a single Holton book. People, this book was a hot mess. I couldn’t follow it for love or money.
I read Any Trope But You which was very very good. A FMC outside her comfort zone always appeals to me. I cried for the last 30 pages straight so heads up.
I am currently reading A Drop of Corruption which is the follow up to A Tainted Cup and it is excellent. Great pacing, compelling mystery, excellent world building.
I have also just started the new Jasmine Guillory but lack an opinion on it.
I’ve read several “good enough to finish” books this time around, and a couple that were much better than just good enough.
When I finished Farah Heron’s JUST PLAYING HOUSE a few weeks ago I discovered other previously-purchased Heron novels on my Kindle, so I continued with her first published book, THE CHAI FACTOR. The storytelling seemed a bit more brisk to me than JUST PLAYING HOUSE, which lagged for me in spots. However, the themes of Heron’s 2019 book were depressingly similar to today’s news. FMC Amira, a Canadian woman from an Indian Muslim family, deals with a variety of forms of bigotry– racism, religious intolerance, homophobia– both within her family and in dealings with others, including being profiled at the U.S./Canada border. I liked the antagonists-to-lovers romance of Amira and MMC Duncan, a “farm boy” and member of a barbershop quartet, but this story didn’t feel like escape reading.
Next (in celebration of March Madness), I read a novel set in the world of men’s collegiate basketball: ONE ON ONE, the first book by author Jamie Harrow. I liked the book a lot, but it comes with CW/TW– many of the plot points emerge from the aftermath of misconduct/abuse of power by a coach who FMC Annie worked for eight years before this story begins. Annie, who feels like she’s drifting and unfocused at age 30, has returned to her alma mater, Ardwyn U, to work as the producer of “hype” videos for the basketball team. MMC Ben is an assistant coach for the basketball team, and is still peeved that Annie abandoned the team, and him, when they were co-workers during their senior year. It’s an antagonists-to-friends-to-lovers story, and it’s also much more, since Annie’s first-person narration reveals what I thought were important insights into the lingering impact of past trauma. The novel also has a lot of humor and many well-developed characters, including members of the basketball team and a variety of distinctive friends, family members, and others in Annie’s and Ben’s orbit. A second book from Harrow is scheduled for September and I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve reported here more than once that I’m not a fan of paranormals– but I’m learning that when my favorite authors choose this direction, I like the genre, for the same reasons I like their other books: well-developed characters and intriguing, surprising stories that are well-told. That certainly applies to FAN SERVICE by Rosie Danan, and I’m happy to join the crowd of readers saying good things about this book.
I just finished another book that stems from deep appreciation of fandom and fan fiction, BIG NAME FAN, by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare. According to their author bios, this writing couple uses the Knox and Mare names when they write mysteries; they also team up as Mae Marvel to write contemporary romance. (I enjoyed the first Mae Marvel, EVERYONE I KISSED SINCE YOU GOT FAMOUS.) BIG NAME FAN is primarily a mystery, paired with an underlying F/F romance. Bexley Simon and Samantha Farmer, past co-stars on the TV detective show “Craven’s Daughter,” are reuniting five years after the show’s last episode to co-host a rewatch podcast as a lead-in to a TV reunion show. One of their first podcast guests points out that the fanfics written by CravingCraven appear to provide an insider’s look at relationships among cast and crew. Additional exploration of these fanfics (combined with non-fictional detective work by Bex, Sam, and others) reveals information about the accidental death of makeup artist Jen Arnot during the final season, and possible reasons that the network wouldn’t allow an on-air, fully developed queer romance to become canon. As Bex and Sam investigate Jen’s death, they also become increasingly invested in giving fans of the show the queer HEA that launched a thousand fanfics– and perhaps giving their own real-life relationship a chance to thrive, too.
The mystery has a lot of characters to keep track of, and a lot (like, really a lot) of backstory and plot twists that need to be narrated at length by Bex (mostly), Sam, or others. As a result, the pace of the story bogged down at times. However, I was interested in many of the characters (especially Bex’s sisters, who she raised after their parents died), and I thought the resolutions for the mystery and romance storylines were satisfying. I was hoping for more romance than this book delivered, but I understand that wasn’t the primary focus for Knox and Mare in this book. There’s another Mae Marvel book scheduled for June, and I hope that one will meet more of my expectations.
I picked up BEG, BORROW, OR STEAL by Sarah Adams when it was on sale recently. It’s the third entry in Adams’ “When in Rome” series about the four Walker siblings and their significant others, set in the small town of Rome, Kentucky. This series continues to disappoint me (or exasperate me) although I’ve enjoyed other books by this author– but I liked this segment of the series better than the first two. MFC Emily has been sparring with MMC Jack for more than a decade when the book opens. They met freshman year of college when Jack spilled coffee on Emily and then flirted with her, which she took offense to because she was still brooding about a breakup with her high school boyfriend. They continued as each other’s nemesis (Emily’s description) throughout college, and as co-workers at Rome’s elementary school. Jack moved away with his fiancée, but now he’s back, single, and living next door to Emily.
The banter and “pranking” between Emily and Jack that takes up the first third of the book seemed juvenile (both characters are in their early 30s) and often not credible, even in the quirky small town setting. (An example: Jack is renovating his house; Emily sneaks in and steals all of his nails, and then persuades the owner of the only hardware store in town to tell Jack there are no replacement nails available.) For reasons that initially have to do with mutual physical attraction and some plot twists related to Emily’s secret life as a would-be romance writer, Emily and Jack start to help each other and move from antagonists to friends (with slightly better banter) to lovers. I liked the final third of the book, where we learn a lot about why Emily is “prickly” and a lot about her relationship with her younger sister Madison, who seems like the most interesting of the Walker sibs. So I’m sure I’ll read the fourth “When in Rome” book, whenever it’s available, and on sale.
Where Dreams Begin, by Lisa Kleypas. (I want a home library like the hero’s.)
This year so far, 56 books read and I am tantalisingly close to finishing two others.
Not a particularly stellar couple of weeks since the last report though. I’ve been just dallying with the easy stuff, rather than committing to anything with real heft. And several DNFs which isn’t like me.
LUCY SCORE’s latest: THE STORY OF MY LIFE is probably the most Lucy Score book ever. Almost a parody. The usual array of (bordering on alphahole) hunks and the (strong but in a difficult phase of life) women that need saving, plus the whole *waves hand* small town thing. If you like that stuff (I do, in the right mood) you’ll enjoy it but I don’t think it’s her best.
Also, I finally got my paws on the paperback of NALINI SINGH’s PRIMAL MIRROR. It’s not an understatement to say that discovering the Psy Changeling series got me through the first lockdown – it was one of my gateways into Romancelandia – and I have eagerly consumed and enjoyed every book since. But this one – what a disappointment. Absolutely no chemistry between the leads, both of whom were cardboard cutout characters, and dragging the main story arc beyond breaking point. It really felt like she phoned it in. I will very carefully dissect the reviews of the next one before buying.
OK, trying to finish on a more positive note: I enjoyed the first in MEGAN E O’KEEFE’s Devoured Worlds trilogy, THE BLIGHTED STARS. An intriguing piece of off-world sci-fi with the beginnings of an F/M romance.
Also ELSIE SILVER has not let me down with books two and three in the Rose Hill series: WILD EYES and WILD SIDE. Her recipe of brooding men, feisty women, angst and high-emotion sex hits the spot every time.
So a mixed bag overall. Onwards and upwards. Happy reading, all.
For some reason my post was up, and now it’s disappeared. Should I repost?
@EditChief – BIG NAME FAN sounds interesting. I liked Ruthie Knox’s first book RIDE WITH ME, but kind of lost track of her.
I’m back on a mild Harlequin Medicals binge with HIS SURGEON UNDER THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS by Robin Gianna and REUNITED IN THE SNOW by Amalie Berlin, both set in the same Antarctic research station. Enjoyed the setting a lot. The characters and relationship in SURGEON were a bit more relatable and believable than in REUNITED–that’s a couple in need of some serious therapy. Not sure which book to pick up next.
Also read KILT TRIP, a first novel from Alexandra Kiley, about a travel consultant who goes to Scotland to help a tour company boost its flagging business. Good writing and fun characters, but it could have been a lot shorter. I will probably pick up the sequel SCOT AND BOTHERED at some point.
KADE: Accidentally Bonded: An MM Sci-fi Alien Romance (Rogue Bonds Book 1)
by Laura Taylor is a book I’d normally skip based on (imo) its snark-worthy cover. It showed up in my Amazon recommendations last week I found myself in the mood for complete brain numbing so I looked at the book page, saw that the author is trans and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I did. WARNING – this is an alien slave/human master story but the normal arc you hope for is actually impossible. It was an interesting twist that is only possible in sci-fi with appealing characters and mild steam. I read the second book (DAX) and will probably read the 3rd book when it comes out.
I’m reading again. Yay! I have the time since I’m avoiding news and social media. I finally ditched fb, before the ai brouhaha emerged. Suckerberg’s gonna suck. Bluesky’s better, but it’s pretty grim. Though I like Kinzinger in schadenfreude mode. So imma lurk in the fiction section.
Sexy as Sin by Julie Kriss
Everything about this book annoyed me, starting with the title. This trope-fest has a great deal of sex and unresolved secrets, but I’m not sure where the sin comes in unless you’re a dyed in the wool church lady. None of these characters qualify, that’s for sure. Instead you have grumpy Dane whose programming brilliance provided the financial foundation on which Tower Venture Capital is built. You have Ava, a faltering fashion consultant and the sister of one of Dane’s four partners. Of course, her brother is also his best friend. Back when the couple was young and poor, they had a brief secret liaison that they never forgot. When her brother Aiden hires Ava to whip his best friend into shape for a client meeting, Dane and Ava inevitably revisit their past. Though generally well written, the story suffered from an unbalanced sex to everything else ratio, at least to my taste. To be fair, part of this issue might have been the relatively short (174 p.) length of the book. Besides the sexytimes, there was a lot of angst on Ava’s part over her past and present woes. Then she does something so irresponsible (and nonconsensual) that I just about plotzed and not in a good way either. I had so much trouble with Ava’s character, and her actions ended up being so 1967 that I couldn’t deal. Dane, however, just ate it up with a spoon after the fact. I like to see personal growth in a character, but though the ending was tied up in a pretty HEA bow, I felt that if these characters weren’t acting like grown ups by their thirties, it wasn’t ever going to happen. Having a shite tonne of unprotected sex while your personal life is crumbling doesn’t say adulthood to me. Welp, I’ll stop now before this summary is longer than the actual book. I finished it, but do not recommend unless you adore best friend’s sister and second chance tropes to the exclusion of all else. (cw: discussion of past miscarriage)
Kin of the Wolf by Lindsay Buroker
The third book in Buroker’s newest series is dragging a bit for me. There’s lots of banter interspersed with periods of intense wolfy action. There’s also magic and mystery and a sense that nothing catastrophic will descend on these characters. I had to take a break midbook due to my current distractability. So this installment contained some interesting revelations and furthered Luna and Duncan’s relationship. The Big Bad still lurks in the north, and the ending is a slight cliffie. I’ll definitely be reading the next in the series.
Recollection by Noelle Adams ( DNF)
This book is the first in a series that was recommended on SB-TB in the comments, I think. It’s a fairly sane take on amnesia with a generous side of age gap and accompanied by a flagon of dual timeline. Scarlett wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the six months since her crooked father’s death. At her bedside is her father’s friend who was apparently employing her to catalog his library during that gap. There’s a kind of bland formality to the writing and a lack of scene setting or social context for the story that felt a little weird to me, so I checked the release date and was shocked to see ir came out in 2023. It seems much older than that. I’m at 44% and I’m not feeling much motivation to find out what happens or happened as the case may be. Anyway, I’m done.
Dirty Talk by Julie Kriss
Annnd she’s back! I’m glomming this series organized around Tower VC finance guys and their search for–no, stumble into–love. Book 2 had a couple of tropes that put me off, but 3 is much more satisfying. Boss Bitch Emma (sister of Sam in book 1) runs into some business problems with an LA client, and the solution draws her into the orbit of Noah, the “lazy” partner in Tower VC. Personal secrets make this book surprisingly angsty as well as passionate. Unexpected sparks ignite the relationship, and the writing in this book is pretty sparky too. Recommended.
Constancy by Tillie Wallace
Thanks to whoever mentioned this book here on SB-TB. Altered history is one of my favorite subgenres, but the addition of extremely personable dragons as well as a romance based on Austen’s Persuasion create an unbeatable trifecta of excellence. Moire’s tribulations with her selfish and exploitive family are only bearable with the comfort of her love for Naval Lieutenant Oliver Hartford. When their relationship ends, Moire must find the strength and motivation to pursue her lifelong interest in dragonkind. Not only is Constancy true to the spirit of my favorite Austen, it is also an absorbing adventure that never loses its gentle tone. Recommended.
Wicked Dangerous by Julie Kriss
The fourth book in the Filthy Rich series is Alex’s. As the fourth partner at Tower VC, he is based in Dallas, and readers of the earlier books don’t see a lot of him. He’s a tatted ex-con with an ex-wife whom he never discusses. After a vicious attack, Kat, the ex, is reunited with Alex, and the old passion reignites. Good writing, moody adult characters, a touch of suspense, and lots of steam are featured prominently in this second chance, faux hate fest. I enjoyed it almost as much as the first one. Would recommend.
Cold Dark Heart by Julie Kriss
The fifth and final book in this series is more like Filthy Rich adjacent–which is not actually a bad thing. Neither of the protagonists is rich at all. Damon is the reformed bad seed brother of Alex and makes a brief appearance in book four of the series. Offered a job working security at a bar by a former DEA colleague, Damon is greeted by the agent’s soon-to-be ex-wife Andie, who is not thrilled to meet someone sent by the ex who ditched her and their thirteen year old son. Damon convinces Andie to hire him on a trial basis to sort out issues with the bar. There is a slight suspense plot, but the main focus is the developing relationship between the MCs. Like a few of the other books in the series, some of the plot threads are tied up with undue haste, perhaps due to the short page count, Otherwise, this is a pleasant read.
Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows
Thanks go to @Elaine on the last WAYR post for this recommendation. This book was a springtime delight. Millie’s dream is to head the Entomology Department at the natural history museum where she works. The one major obstacle is scowling Finn who heads the Astronomy Department in the same museum. It doesn’t take long to leave the grumpy/sunshine trope in a cloud of dust. Every time something trite and tropey rears its head, the story takes a little turn and shows the reader something new and fun. There are dark chapters in both Millie’s and Finn’s lives, but our brave protagonists face them down with grit and sass. There’s all kinds of warm fuzzy family support from Finn’s five year old nieces and Millie’s extended farm family. The backstory is laden with nerdgasms, foodgasms. and the other kind of -gasms as well. In short this is a pitch perfect romance for these perilous times.
Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron
Thanks go to SB Amanda for this excellent rec. I was blown away by the sheer creativity of the world building in this book. The magical and religious systems are intricate, with their own internal logic making them solid and believable. Add in an excellent cast of characters and this urban fantasy ratchetts to the next level. In this tale of demons and witches, heaven and hell, nothing is quite what you expect it to be. One of the reasons Amanda suggested this book for me, was my profound love of all things Ilona Andrews, and Hell for Hire does indeed contain many of the elements that I love in the Andrews’s work.
Best of all there are two more books available in this series. Highly recommend.
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
Ireland and all things Irish both draw me in and trigger my most cynicallly suspicious nature. Not surprisingly, Love at First Book inspired extremely mixed feelings because it is steeped to the gills in feckin’ Erin go bragh. In the end, I was won over. Em is in Ireland to give herself a fresh start and to work with her favorite author. The author’s son Kier has strong reservations about this arrangement and, as Em’s boss at the village bookstore, is the opposite of welcoming. Cue the slow and reluctant burn. The story is told from Em’s POV, and she proves to be a most observant and sympathetic narrator. While the tone of the novel is generally upbeat, there are threads of past abuse in the backstories of the MCs, as well as cancer and grief. I actually cried a little. But, most of all, this is a book about books–the joy and solace they provide and the tools they offer for dealing with sorrow and disappointment. Recommended.
Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews
Reread. The first novella in the Wilmington Years sequence picks up the story of Kate Daniels, her spouse Curran Lennart (“former” Beast Lord), and her eight year old son Conlan, after the family departs the Atlanta area. A plea from a bereft father sends Kate on a quest to rescue a kidnapped teen while Curran and Conlan stay home to defend the family “fort” from a mob of disgruntled magical criminals. Good times!
Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews
Reread. The second story from the Wilmington Years picks up a short time after the events of the first with a familiar sequence. A stranger appeals to Kate and Curran for help dealing with a mysterious supernatural bully. Needless to say, the Lennarts take up the challenge, and as they protect their new clients, they reassess their own family’s needs and their relationship with the post-shift world. And, once again, the Big Bad bites the dust. In the meantime, I cultivate patience in hope that the future brings more entries in the Wilmington Years sequence.
Diviner’s Bow by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
The 27th? book in the Liaden Universe series deals with the Trade ventures of Korval’s Tree and Dragon and the opening up of Colemeno, a planet that has been isolated by a cloud of space dust and is populated by a people with a varying range of psychic gifts. I am enjoying the measured prose and the story told in short vignettes from many points of view. The structure of short chapters punctuated by mini cliffies is surprisingly engrossing. This series is best known as an exploration of the interactions between and within cultures, and this is especially true of later series entries, including Diviner’s Bow. That said, I don’t think that this is a logical entry point to this series, given that there’s a huge amount of backstory and a cast if thousands. If you are an up-to-date fan, DB is both well written and tightly constructed. It’s actually a pretty soothing read and suits my current mood very well. Recommended for fans.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
I loved the hell out of this book, but it was so hard to read. There is a content warning at the beginning of SYRM; heed it well. For me, the toughest part was reading about Sam’s Mom’s dementia, but it was essential to the over-arching theme of memory that shaped the whole novel. I’m usually pretty sceptical about love at first sight, but it really worked in this book, mostly due to the circumstances that tested it. Since those circumstances included a long distance relationship, I couldn’t imagine how the author would manage to sort things out, but she did it without ever straining my credulity or resorting to some kind of serendipitous intervention of luck. I will not reread this book, because my tolerance for stress is at an all time low, However, I do recommend it unreservedly to anyone who is up for spending time with memorable characters and shedding some cathartic tears.
40 and (Tired of) Faking It by Ella Sheridan
I grabbed this on sale due to the allure of mature protagonists, and I was not disappointed. This small town romance features the “lady mayor” of Black Wolf’s Bluff and a New York City developer hoping to convert his recent inheritance into a resort. Lily and JD interact like adults doing adult things–like work and problem solving. There are steamy adult things as well. The writing is solid, and the characterization, on point. I found it an enjoyable quick read, and picked up the next two books in the series.
40 and (No Longer) Fighting It by Ella Sheridan
The second book in the Silver Foxes of Black Wolf’s Bluff series is a foodie’s dream as bakery owner Claire Taylor finds a second chance at love with celebrity chef Lincoln Young. Despite their thorny relationship a decade ago when Linc and Claire met as teacher and student, they must cooperate to develop a star studded menu for the new Black Wolf’s Bluff Resort. Again, adult competence is a big part of this mature love story and results in lots of luscious food descriptions. I had some reservations when the MCs go from zero to sixty despite their quite legitimate personal issues. The sex–of which there’s a lot–is hot yet pedestrian, but I frequently feel that way about the on page lovin’. I would have preferred more detailed character development to the sheer volume of sexytimes. This was a decent book, but I don’t expect to read it again,
40 and (So Over) Fixing It by Ella Sheridan
The third partner developing the Black Wolf Bluff Resort is stern single dad Carter Deveraux. Visiting the small town with his ten year old son Thad, Carter has a close vehicular encounter with the project’s general contractor, Erin Jenkins. Before too long, their initial hostility begins to transform into something quite. . . friendly. This is yet another well-constructed small town romance that satisfied the yen for a HEA without quite making my socks go up and down. Would recommend, especially if you like well written kids and if the woman boss contractor appeals to you.
Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
I had so much trouble finishing this book, and I only did it by skimming the steamy yet interminable sex scenes. So the first half of this story was the two MCs taking turns bemoaning their mutual attraction because they could never be together due to reasons. There’s a fair amount of Lena’s delightful family and a bunch of Christmasy scene setting. Former foster child Gavin frames his internal monologue as an emo lament. And the drama! OMG, Gavin’s tear doesn’t fall, it “crashes” to his cheek. Then they hit the “one” night only sexytimes and turn it up to eleventy-’leven for endless chapters. The MCs are 29 and 39, but they read like early twenties, tops. There was so little character building or plot, and personal growth was limited to the big “I love you” moment. I felt like all I knew about these characters was their inadequacies and their food cravings. I had trouble grasping the timeline or understanding the above-mentioned “reasons.” This book was not badly written, and I suspect that these are me problems more than book problems, but this was very different from the author’s previous book, and I didn’t have the patience for it. I would def read the author’s next book though.
Hillbilly Rockstar by Lorelei James
Reread. I thought this book was favorably mentioned on SB-TB back when it was released, since I wouldn’t otherwise have been attracted to the country western music setting. This came out in 2014, barely a decade ago, but there are little moments of disonance when read now. Still, I really enjoyed reaquainting myself with the bodyguard heroine and the mellow musician hero.. After a rocky first meeting, the protagonists share banter, personal revelations, and increasingly erotic encounters. The relationship develops in an organic, believable way, and the reader gets to understand and appreciate Devin and Liberty as they uncover each other’s layers. I loved that neither of them fits neatly into the personas that they start out with. There is a suspenseful subplot, but I found the resolution somewhat dissatisfying, and that was my biggest gripe with the book. However, the relationship stuff is prime. It’s staying on the keeper shelf. and I would absolutely recommend.
Because the Night by Kylie Scott
DNF. Is urban fantasy back? I made it partway through chapter three of this new vampire romance and I had to put it aside. The
book features Skye, one of this author’s snarky Everywoman heroines and Lucas, a gorgeous, powerful bloodsucker who jumps her and then turns her. I had to put it aside because even in the short span of three chapters, I felt it was really leaning into traditional vampy stuff way more than I had patience for. I don’t mind vamps, but I don’t want another pastiche of undead lurve stories. I may pick it up again some time in the future, but, for now, no.
ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros
I had fun in spite of the fact that I couldn’t remember a lot of what happened in previous books and had to go find some book summaries. I also could not keep track of at least half of the side characters. Someone died quite dramatically at the end and I must say that I have no idea why this person is important. BUT the book kept my brain interested in reading, so success! Honestly, who doesn’t like dragons, romance, and mayhem?
A FATE INKED IN BLOOD by Danielle L. Jensen
Put this one down mid-story. The FMC was jarringly modern sounding even though she lived in a Viking-like town. Not my jam.
MURDERBOT DIARIES by Martha Wells
Like many others, I am re-reading Murderbot. Finally bit the bullet and bought the three I didn’t already own. About to start book 3.
Ah, yes. Spring. A time of renewal. A time of watching the colors explode. A time of also having my sinuses explode because YIKES THE POLLEN.
Anyway. I started things with Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. I knew there was a focus on grief in the book going in, and I’m glad I did. It was handled with compassion, and I liked the straightforwardness of the hero when it comes to how he helped the heroine as she managed hers. Then, because the news was getting stupider by the day, I pulled out The Ten Worst People In New York by Matt Plass. In this one, someone is going around offing the subjects of the aforementioned list and staging their deaths to look like suicides. The list was televised by a late-night television host (think Fallon, but arguably smarmier). I figured out pretty quickly who was behind the killings, but the text does a good job of yanking that knowledge out from under the reader and convincing them otherwise for a bit. Also, the killings were fun to read, and the people on the list were *ahem* closely inspired by some real-life figures, so reading about them getting got didn’t hurt my feelings. Which brings us to now. I felt like I was teetering perilously close to a reading slump, which I’m attributing to the fact that we’re living through just the dumbest apocalypse. So I broke the glass on my ARC of Olivia Dade’s second upcoming release. YES BABY IT’S DOUBLE DADE FOR THE FALL. She knew we needed her. She came through. Anyway, it’s called Second Chance Romance, it’s the second book in her Harlot’s Bay series (home of the Fighting Floozies!), and thus far it’s HILARIOUS. The hero and heroine met in high school, but couldn’t quite get it together to ever get together, and in a really great confluence of events if you need a laugh, she lands in their hometown right around the time of the high school reunion. I was ready to die for Karl the incredibly grumpy baker in the first book, and I am ready to die for him again. Also, a huge guy who bakes like an angel and has reddish hair and a reddish beard, and says f*ck a lot? Yes, baby. So that’s helping with the impending slump.
So until next time, may you have the books that you need to fend off the existential dread.
@PamG: I really enjoyed your reading selections and comments. My wishlist has expanded and my library has some of the titles. 40 and (Tired of) Faking It by Ella Sheridan is free on Kobo US, so bonus.
Day job misery. I like being busy but I hate feeling like I can never, ever catch up and stress and insomnia and the daily news, well, you all know. Anyway, escaping into fiction is my lifeblood right now. I’ve been reading a lot and want to get back to it so my reviews are going to be short. Not bothering to mention the DNFs or the ones I felt like I was slogging through to the end because they were just not my catnip and someone else might love them.
The one I loved:
Abby Jimenez’s f/m contemporary SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME. What @PamG said–the only exception being that I loved this enough that I will read it again someday. One of the most affecting books I’ve read in a while. Great characters!
Loved but not quite as perfect:
Really enjoyed Lucy Parker’s currently Audible-only f/m contemporary MISDIRECTED. Had much the feel of her London theatre series, which I re-read every so often. I liked the P&P overtones of the story a lot.
2.5 (still reading) of the 3 books released so far in Penn Cole’s m/f fantasy romance 4-book series The Kindred’s Curse, SPARK OF THE EVERFLAME, GLOW OF THE EVERFLAME, and HEAT OF THE EVERFLAME. Long, involved fantasy to get lost in. Magic and danger and lots for revelations. A FMC that starts young and is growing into her role rather than staying stagnant. It’s killing me that the 4th book isn’t out yet.
The ones I liked:
Nina Levine writes some of the few millionaire romances I’m still willing to spend my reading time on. I enjoyed her f/m contemporary YOURS, ACTUALLY.
Beth O’Leary’s f/m contemporary SWEPT AWAY felt a little unlikely, but I liked the characters and the relationship they built a lot. The 3rd act break-up was set-up well but still didn’t quite work for me though I overall enjoyed this trapped-in-a-boat-on-the-North-Sea romance.
I found an ARC of Katherine’s Center’s m/f contemporary THE LOVE HATERS (due out next month) in a local little library. I hardly ever read on paper anymore, but raced through this. It felt slighter than her most recent books and I didn’t love it as much but still enjoyed it.
Victoria Lavine’s m/f contemporary ANY TROPE BUT YOU, set in Alaska where a romance-impaired romance writer runs into a man with way too many romance hero traits. There’s more to this which helps what makes it worth reading: she has a chronically ill sister to keep above water and his father is wheelchair-bound due to an accident. But I had a few ‘Are we there yet?’moments (thanks for this one, @oceanjasper).
Katee Robert’s m/m fantasy SWEET OBSESSION in her Dark Olympus series. I agree with whomever said (apologies to you for my poor memory!) that I read it this series now due to my investment in the overall story arc than the individual romances.
I completed my audio re-read of Devon Monk’s urban fantasy Allie Beckstrom series. That’s the way to end a series! So many of the threads pulled together and it all felt like it feel into place naturally. I was impressed.
I liked Elle Kennedy’s f/m/m contemporary THE CHARLIE METHOD way more than I anticipated–I’m not generally a fan of the depiction of poly relationships in novels but I liked the characters. The ending felt a little rushed, though.
Natasha Bishop’s m/f contemporary ONLY FOR THE WEEK was a little ‘Are we there yet?’ for me, but was otherwise enjoyable. The FMC is the long-suffering maid of honour for her annoying sister who is marrying the FMC’s ex (though the FMC doesn’t care about that–she cares that everyone thinks she does care and won’t leave it alone) and shares an attraction with her ex’s best man.
Having a pretty good reading month so far.
What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill
5.0 stars. I have no idea how to review this beautiful and powerful book that I spent almost 2 months reading / savoring / avoiding.
Part call to action, part memoir, part how to guide, it’s an invitation to heal personal trauma and work for social change. It’s an invitation that I want to accept and am sure I can’t possibly live up to. But reading this makes me want to keep trying, gives me tools to keep showing up.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar – queer fantasy
4.5 – I really loved this one. There is a love story in it, with what I consider a happy (if unconventional) ending, but I wouldn’t call it genre romance. The focus is really on the relationship between two sisters, 18 and 20. It’s a take on old folk ballads and fairytales – it definitely reminded me of an older style of fantasy, with an opinionated and omniscient narrator. And gorgeous illustrations! I did not listen to the audio book but I am tempted because it apparently includes the songs mentioned in the book.
Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson – fantasy, short stories
4.5 – a stunning and imaginative collection of short stories, written over a long period of time. There’s no real romance and a full range of types of fantasy. The author is Jamaican-Canadian and draws from many traditions.
A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell – m/f trans Victorian historical romance
4.5 stars – I didn’t realize this until I finished the book but it’s the 4th in a series, but it worked as a stand alone for me. The set up is pretty thin (an artist and a botanist who’ve just met, go on a bicycle tour of Cornwall together for ~reasons~) but once I suspended disbelief and relaxed into it, I really enjoyed the romance.
World Running Down by Al Hess – m/m SF
4.0 stars – Heartwarming and hopeful m/m romance between a trans salvager and an AI android in a post apocalyptic, Mad Max like world. Be warned that the blurb is too spoilery. Seriously, only read the first third – stop after the sentence that ends “…the exceptionally handsome Osric.”
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander – m/m trans historical
4.0 – I enjoyed it, although it didn’t particularly stay with me.
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite – queer space opera / mystery novella
4.0 – I wanted to like this more than I did, but I think that’s because cozy mystery really isn’t my genre. There’s no romance, but it seems like one will develop in later books. I did really enjoy Sarah’s interview with Olivia Waite and I am definitely planning to read the next one.
Having finished my Lenten Readings, I’m back to rereading some of my older faves to see if they hold up enough to remain keepers. This time it’s TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD by Sarah MacLean, and it is definitely standing up as a continued fave so far. I expect it will go back to the keeper shelf.
For those on the WEBTOON train with me, my latest fave is I’VE FALLEN FOR THE EMPIRE’S GREATEST VILLAINESS. They hooked me with the fun trope inversion: the Villainess is a reputedly cold-hearted healer witch who is actually very tender-hearted but trying to stay emotionally distant because everyone treats her terribly, including the awkward ML who is a consummate flirt but totally inexperienced in bed. They are stuck in an arranged marriage which she is OK with and he is terrified of. Fun times.
MOLLY MALLOY AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH – love it so much. This one’s made me laugh out loud as well as cry (in a good way). Also re-listening to PENRIC’S FOX.
Hi, everyone,
I’m surprised to find that it’s mid-April!
I spent a fair amount of time rereading favorites this past few weeks: Beth Bolden’s Food Truck Warriors series–a queer food truck collective community in LA, then her Piranhas football series, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed; the first couple in Erin Nicholas’s Hot Cakes small-town bakery series, which are as entertaining and delicious as they sound; and finally Amy Lane’s Granby Knitting series, which is the small-town crafting community of my dreams, LOL.
As for new reads, I loved Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey’s ROAD TRIP, a friends to lovers, bi-awakening, NA, road trip story. Matt Landers and Jacob Mercer have been BFFs for years, so when Matt suggests a cross-country road trip before they start college, Jacob’s all in. Road Trip is a tender, funny look at a couple guys who have the fortune of a deep, loving friendship that holds up under serious mileage and a transformation that gives them everything they’ve ever could have dreamed of. A fun one.
And I also really enjoyed Jax Calder’s THE REVENGE GAME, the first in The Revenge Club series. Andrew Yates is by all accounts a very successful man—wealthy, well respected, at the top of his field… but after selling his latest company he still feels at loose ends and when he stumbles across Justin Morris, the guy who helped make his high school years an endless torment, he can’t help but feel he needs a little closure, which he’s happy to have a hand in providing.
Jax Calder creates a very real feeling story with Justin, now a sports equipment salesman, and Andrew, who decides to reinvent himself as Drew Smith, IT grunt, while he determines how to best give karma a helping hand. What I loved was getting to know both of these guys and learning as they do, how layered people can be and how often what we see isn’t all that there is to someone. Jax Calder deftly handles these deeper issues with a lighter but effective touch.
As Justin and (An)Drew develop a friendship with the potential for more, they learn about each other and being vulnerable and what it means to build trust. A genuinely wonderful read.
As always, love seeing what everyone else is reading, and thank you for being here!
@flchen1, I’m glad you enjoyed THE REVENGE GAME and it’s giving me hope. I’m a handful of chapters in, and while I’m a huge fan of Calder’s this one is making me a little bit uncomfortable with how driven Drew is to get revenge on his high school bully. He’s in his late 20’s and I feel like some in-the-moment revenge might have been satisfying, but this premeditation and the lengths he’s going to…well, it’s nasty and also, my disbelief can only be suspended so far in terms of how he positions himself to get close to Justin.
Still, I always like Calder’s writing so I’m definitely going to continue.
MAGIC BINDS by Ilona Andrews – the Graphic Audio adaptations of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series continue to please. I’m also looking forward to GA’s upcoming dramatized adaptations of the Hidden Legacy books (Burn for Me releases on April 25)…though if I remember correctly, the Baylors do a fair amount of socializing around food and beverage, and incessant slurping is where Graphic Audio and I part ways. #misophonia
MURDER IN MERCY is the 21st book in Anne Cleeland’s Doyle & Acton series, where I’ve long since lost track of the continuing threads of conspiracy and just follow along to see what the family is up to (I think Doyle has been pregnant with their daughter for three books now??). Still, I think the first three books in this series are worthy recommendation for tropey romance found in an unexpected publishing corner. It’s surprise!retro romance in paranormal police procedural form.
Which leads me to a not-romance that my libraries (or, at least, the Overdrive catalog) presented to me as a romance: Beth Revis’s Chaotic Orbits trilogy concluded this month with LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE WORLD. A chaotic neutral (with a bend toward good) FMC and a lawful good MMC find themselves on the opposite but same sides of a government-approved corporate effort to restore the climate of a devastated “Sol Earth” (aka our home, the origin point for humanity’s colonization of other, now more viable planets).
The good: that relationship dynamic is my jam. I love seeing a smart, by-the-book MMC being spun dizzy by a smart, freewheeling FMC. The FMC is both fiercely competent and daring. And the villain is basically Elon Musk, so I could read the FMC’s internal monologues on his incompetence for days.
The disappointing: romance narratives end with an HEA or HFN. They do not end with
Lastly, re-read Sally Thorne’s THE HATING GAME because I finally got around to watching the (entirely meh) movie…okay, meh except for their contrasting office aesthetics, but I feel like that might be a proxy for what was wrong with the movie. It was all aesthetics (cozy/business, big/little, flamethrower red lipstick) and no chemistry. The thing that I love about Thorne’s book is the way it captures the turbulent intensity of first love. I suppose it was too much to hope that Lucy’s evolving narrative and perceptions about Josh could be conveyed visually.
I picked up a copy of Huda Fahmy’s new graphic novel, “Huda F Wants To Know?”, at a book festival yesterday and she signed it for me. She’s a delightful person, and her books are funny and relatable. The newest one is about her character Huda’s parents getting a divorce – it starts out light but I was just getting to a part where I felt like it was going to start stomping all over my feels when I put it down last night.
My recent reads have been all historicals. I read TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT THE DUKE, need I say Loretta Chase? It was fun and frothy.
I finished Minerva Spencer’s ACADEMY OF LOVE series, #6 THE STORY OF LOVE(big age gap!) and #7 THE ETIQUETTE OF LOVE(I identified with the heroine’s secretiveness. Wow, she’s keeping a lot of secrets, even from those closest to her). Although the previous book(#5, DANCING WITH LOVE) really was my catnip, the last 2 didn’t enthrall me so much. But I was invested in the characters so I had to read them, plus I was trying to finish all my KU books since I cancelled the subscription. I also have to put in a good word for Minerva Spencer’s blog. It’s the only way to keep up with her, since she’s given up social media, and it’s a fun read, lots of stuff about crafting.
I loved Y.S. Lee’s 3rd book in The Agency series, which is YA Victorian mystery with romantic elements. The title is THE TRAITOR IN THE TUNNEL, so I immediately went on to #4, RIVALS IN THE CITY. Another very secretive heroine!
This list sounds skimpy, because all my other reading has been DOGE exposes on WIRED, and political articles in The New Yorker and Zeteo and Substack.
@Big K – switching from Goodreads over to Story Graph was so easy! They have a tool that imports your books.
I like Story Graph better, esp. the helpful descriptors for books. For example, Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (which I loved) is labeled fiction, contemporary romance, sports, emotional, funny, lighthearted, medium-paced
Well, I lied to y’all. Not on purpose, though. This WAYR popped up after I started Scott’s Because the Night and had decided I was going to put it aside. Anyway, I was dealing with some insomnia and too enervated to start something new, so I ended up finishing it after all. In fairness to the book, I felt like I needed to revoke the DNF. Because the Night is a short, entertaining read. Skye’s sarcastic narrative is undeniably funny and is an amusing take on vamp romance. Some of the side characters (Henry) are an absolut hoot. My biggest issues are the quantities of casual violence, the rather meh world building, the alpha vamphole’s ignorance of consent, and the grammar, especially punctuation and sentence fragments. I always notice grammar, but I try not to fuss unless it’s a major distraction. In this case, it was.
So, overall BtN is a brief, snarky, fun take on the vampire variety of urban fantasy. I probably won’t reread it, but that’s because it rubs my book biases the wrong way. A clear case of ymmv.
Got a new kindle and some KU with it so lots of stuff I might not otherwise have read.
Completely fell into Maya Alden’s backlist. If you like old school romance, this is it. I started with Kiss From a Rose. They are married; he does not appreciate her at all. Finally, on her 40th birthday, she has had enough and leaves. And he realizes that he loves her, misses her, wants to back. And here comes some pretty decent grovel. Many of the books follow the same formula but I found them well done and enjoyed them. I definitely have Kiss and also The Wrong Husband on my list of books to buy when I get a little more cash. Wrong Husband, btw, has a heroine with a chronic illness that is nicely portrayed.
I also caught up on the Elsie Silver I had missed. The latest, The Wild Side, is good. They don’t like each other but marry for the sake of an orphaned child who is more than a plot moppet. He has a secret life. They find they have chemistry. Would recommend.
RS Grey’s backlist was also on the menu. I put To Have and to Hate on the to buy list. Arranged marriage, he doesn’t even want her in his home but she becomes homeless and crashes with him and things proceed from there. She also has family drama.
Rush by Emma Scott. She is a musician who has lost her muse and takes a job as an assistant to an angry and badly wounded man. Would also recommend. And I enjoyed several of her other books.
Boss in the Bedsheets by Kate Canterbary. He is a difficult boss having trouble keeping a PA. They meet on a plane, fight, she tells him she is going to take the job. Liked this one a lot, too.
@LadyVox, I confess that the whole setup made me nervous too–I agree that the whole premeditation for me was reaching the level of like whoa, buddy, maybe it’s time for therapy, not at all to minimize his pain nor the effectiveness of therapy. Anyway, I appreciated the direction that Calder ultimately took, and I ended up enjoying the story quite a bit. Curious to hear what your experience ends up being!! Happy reading!
Trying again with two posts this time. First week ~
— quite enjoyed The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison which I read in one day. This is the third book in a fantasy/mystery trilogy featuring the witness for the dead who was first introduced in the author’s The Goblin Emperor.
— enjoyed When Stars Light the Sky by Elizabeth Camden which is set primarily in Berlin as World War I is beginning. The main female character is secretary to the American ambassador to Germany, and the male lead is the embassy’s chief of staff. The book includes some Christian content.
— quite enjoyed The Speed of Souls: A Novel for Dog Lovers by Nick Pirog; the book begins with a much loved pet dog being reincarnated as a kitten. The story is about his determination to find his way back to his human and his dog sibling. There is a lot of humor and also a good amount of grieving; we also see the human, an author, struggling with writing and dating.
— enjoyed Pieces of You (Missing Pieces Book 1) by N.R. Walker. This is the story of two men who have been in a relationship for four years and what happens when one is left with amnesia (thus losing five years of memories and all memories of his partner) and other injuries after a serious vehicular accident. This is the first of three books, and I would happily read on.
— quite enjoyed Deep End by Ali Hazelwood; this is a contemporary romance between two college athletes, a swimmer and a diver. They begin a relationship when they learn that one is dominant and the other submissive.
— enjoyed The Cowboy and the Dealer by Jackie North which featured a cowboy and a man serving parole on a ranch after serving a five year sentence for drug dealing.
— enjoyed Love Language by Jax Calder, a contemporary romance novella about a computer coder and a marketing guy who share an office and an admiration for each other.
— enjoyed the contemporary romance The Cowboy and the Hacker by Jackie North which featured a retired (by virtue of being thrown) bronc rider and a parolee who intentionally went to prison to try to escape an abusive partner.
Second and third weeks ~
— For my online book group, I read The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. (As with so many of my book group reads, this was a rather depressing story.) It is the story of a husband and wife who are refugees from Syria seeking asylum in England. It is set primarily in 2015/6; curiously, my library has the spine marked as historical fiction.
— finished two more science fiction books in the Liaden universe and enjoyed them both — The Gathering Edge and Neogenesis by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
— enjoyed the contemporary romance The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid which featured two men, previously best friends, reuniting after ten years. One man has just retired from hockey after a stellar career, the other left hockey years earlier due to a mix of issues including depression and alcohol.
— enjoyed Unacceptable Risk by Kaje Harper, a contemporary romance featuring a veterinarian plus a gay werewolf in a pack that is not friendly to homosexuals. They meet when the vet finds a very large badly injured ‘dog’ on the road. This is currently FREE for US Kindle readers.
— enjoyed the Australian set contemporary romance, Outrun the Rain by N.R. Walker, which featured a fulminologist and his backcountry guide who chases storms as a hobby.
— enjoyed a novel and a novella in a contemporary romance series I began previously, Unexpected Demands and Unwanted Appeal both by Kaje Harper. These romances feature werewolves who are homosexual while such is not well accepted in most packs.
— I was visiting a friend from early Monday through late Friday so did very little reading. I finished one book as I read most of it on the plane. The Wedding Ring Quest by Carla Kelly is a historical romance set in England’s regency era. It featured a young woman sent on an errand to retrieve a wedding ring baked into one of four fruitcakes and mailed to various destinations. She encounters a widowed ship captain (on leave) and his son who happen to share her last name. They join her on her quest. I liked most of this book, but one part rubbed me the wrong way.