Happy Saturday! Here’s how we’re wrapping up June:
Lara: My friend Kylie and I have long been fans of the crime novelist PD James. For years we’ve been threatening to do a podcast on her books. We’ve finally decided to give it a go. I’m reading book one, Cover Her Face, ( A | BN | K | AB ) in the Adam Dalgliesh series. Her writing has the feel of a well-maintained clock. Not the staccato beat of an alarm clock but the sophisticated tones of a mantle clock with chimes on the quarter hour. It’s writing to savour and revel in.
Sarah: That’s very cool – congrats!
Elyse: I’m reading Six Wild Crowns which is a fantasy based on the wives of Henry VIII.
Sarah: I am listening to Homemaker by Ruthie Knox and Anna Mare. I have now lined up 3 different projects and puttering chores I will do so I can listen to it more.
Shana: I’m reading This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I thought I wasn’t a fan of romantasy or dark romance and this is both. But I like it so far. The writing is gorgeous!
Susan: I read a manga that used the words “legendary snatch” way too many times so maybe I will never read again.
(Q: How many times is too many?
A: They used it more than once!!!)
In “books that I actually finished” news: I just finished Deathly Anniversary by Ishikawa Oreo, which was nothing like what I expected! It turns out it’s about a woman finally learning to assert herself after finding out her perfect life isn’t what she thought! There just had to be attacks with a hammer to get there!
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
I’m so grateful for my ereader, because it’s been too hot to turn a damn page. Even reading is heavy lifting when it’s 100 degrees, and there’s no ac. Everytime I over-swipe the weather app on my phone and Cupertino comes up, I’m, like, grrrrrr, curse, whinge, I’m so jealous.
Virtuoso by Grace Burrowes
The third Book dealing with the Duke of Moreland’s surviving adult sons focuses on his youngest, Valentine, who is a master of the piano keyboard suffering from serious pain and swelling in his left hand. After winning an estate in a card game, Val opts to ruralize in the country where he meets an appealing widow. Despite continuing anachronisms and a raft of improbably touchy-feely aristocrats, this was my favorite of this subset of Windham romances.
The Playing Game by Ainsley Booth
I believe @DiscoDollyDeb mentioned this hockey romance series in the last WAYR post, so I decided to take a chance on it. I started with book one, and it was solidly ok. I liked the hockey guy who is so sure that he found and lost the One after a one night stand two years ago, but I really liked the nurse FMC who shows up at a home game two years later and accidentally reconnects. I liked the balance between hockey stuff and romance stuff, though I did skim all the sex scenes. The characters were pleasantly down-to-earth, but also a little bit bland. I plan to continue with the series, but I don’t see myself rereading.
The Dark Hiss of Magic by Helen Harper
The second of the Cat Lady Chronicles features a paranormal mystery set in Coldstream a magical city on the river Tweed. In some ways, this is a cozy urban fantasy, but the body count is actually pretty high. Kit, the cat lady in question, and Thane, her werewolf friend, set out to identify a nameless murder victim and end up unraveling a convoluted plot and a trail of violent deaths. All in all, this is a light, entertaining puzzle with multiple corpses. The writing and characterization are good, and the cats are excellent. I look forward to book three.
The Scoring Secret by Ainsley Booth
The second book in the On the Ice series has less focus on hockey than book one–cuz post-season play–so it was less interesting for me. This is the story of midseason transfer Ty Connor and Kylie Forge who is bff to the previous book’s heroine. Kylie is in a long slow recovery from a bad break up, but Ty is smitten. There is a kind of dual relationship between the two as they interact in person while carrying on an anonymous flirtation via text. Again, once the masks are off, the sexytimes take up a lot of space and run to dirty talk and mild kink. Oddly, I’m starting to feel like I have a stake in the fictional team, but the individual couples seem kinda meh. Definitely a case of YMMV.
Summer Romance by Anabell Monaghan
This book is my second book by Monaghan, and I really enjoyed it. I found Ali’s voice extremely appealing as she recounts her unresolved grief over her mother’s death, the subsequent end of her admittedly miserable marriage, and the sheer overwhelm of raising three kids mostly alone. There’s something about people with dark messy lives, who manage to respond with a lacing of humor, that just gets to me. This is also my favorite flavor of small town romance with a not cute, not quaint, not fake, yet supportive community that feels honest. After her tiny rescue dog marks the man of her dreams at the local dog park, Ali begins to pull herself together piece by piece over the course of one hectic summer. Definitely recommend.
Heating It Up by Elizabeth Harmon
This novella is part of the Red Hot Russians series, but is only vaguely figure skating adjacent. Set in a tiny research community in Antarctica, there is a great deal of fascinating background as the community’s director encounters a mysterious stowaway at the newly built, state of the art lodge overlooking Amity Bay. This is not a harrowing tale of survival; it’s a people story. Alexei and Nora are attracted to each other in spite of their trust issues, but the heat level is pretty low.
Overall, a short, soothing read in a very dramatic setting.
Live and Let Grow by Penny Reid
I saw this 2021 short story and realized that I didn’t have it, so of course I had to remedy that. I’m glad I bought it, but it is short and very slight. Characters are very typical of this author; each is deep in their own feelings, but unaware of the other’s feelings. At 53 pages though, it’s a tease. Maybe I’ll reread one of Reid’s novels.
Homecoming King by Penny Reid
Reread.
This is the first in Reid’s Three Kings series and contains a number of elements familiar to fans of this author’s work. No, there are no STEM characters, nor is there a flock of bearded country boys. What this story does have is quirkiness, goodhearted characters, and a second chance at love for a couple who were in school together from kindergarten through high school. Both MCs are near thirty and mostly act their age, but both also needed to use their words more. Reid is one of my favorite authors to reread, but this is the first redo for this book. I did enjoy it, but it’s not in the top tier of my faves. I’m planning to reread the second book too, and live in hope that the third book will happen before too long.
Drama King by Penny Reid
Reread
The second book in the Three Kings series focuses on another couple with roots in the small town of Alenbach, Texas. The MMC, Cyrus, is another hometown boy made good, as a successful actor. The FMC, Beth, also from Alenbach but somewhat (not squickily) younger, is part of Cyrus’s security team. While Cyrus and Beth are never enemies, they are very different personalities and initially seem pretty incompatible. Cyrus is warm, outgoing, indulgent, impulsive, and occasionally an asshole. Beth is organized, professional, kind, stern, and a little rigid. Their personalities often clash, but time and understanding help them reach detente. The burn is slow but intense. I really enjoyed this reread. It was an original take on bodyguard/celebrity romance with delightful supporting characters and interesting twists. Recommended.
Not in My Book by Katie Holt
DNF @ 8%
I really disliked the first person narrator’s voice in this one. The hostile interactions between the two adult MFA candidate main characters were about as entertaining as two toddlers fighting in a sandbox. Neither showed an ounce of self awareness or self restraint. There were some additional minor issues of telling instead of showing and bland side characters as well. My TBR is huge, and I haven’t the patience to wait for this to get better.
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
This book is a 2025 release and has a slightly different vibe than the two earlier books I’ve read by this author. The focus is on Jane Jackson former child actor and current studio executive with a screenplay she’s passionate about. Her nemesis is Dan Finnegan who trashed her earlier proposal but is just as passionate about this screenplay as she is. They travel to Dan’s Long Island hometown on a quest to get the go ahead for their movie and end up rewriting their own story. At the heart of this novel is the realization that love is inherently messy and complex and that romance needs to honor that. Recommended.
Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria
This romance features a pair of mature protagonists (33 & 41 years old) who meet on the day that Ava’s divorce is finalized and spend one night together. Over the following months they meet at random intervals until a family/friend’s wedding increases the frequency of their encounters. Roman sees Ava as she really is and as noone in her large unruly Puerto Rican family sees or appreciates her. Ava’s need to earn love and security clashes with Roman’s desire to freely give her everything until each learns that love can be neither earned nor bought. The wedding itself provides a juicy twist to this love story. Recommended, especially if you find mean people entertaining. The fam is a lot!
The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
I found this title while searching for books released in my birth month and of course I had to buy it because it came out on my actual birthday last year. It might also have been the cover. Don’t laugh; it’s beautiful. And so is the book.This is one of those rare books where I fell instantly and happily in love with the voices of both main characters. Each was so distinctive, and the reader gets an immediate sense of why the protagonists clash, and how they have the potential to support each other. Frenetic celebrity chef Kieran and calm professional writer Ellie are unlikely coworkers on the surface, but both are committed to Kieran’s cookbook project. Sadly, they and the people close to them are tangled up in their own misperceptions. In scenes full of vivid color, sensual impressions, and finely drawn characters, the joy of this story lies in unraveling that tangle amid the beauties of the Bay area and the pleasures of the kitchen. And the bedroom. So, so delicious. Heartily recommended.
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
I’m attempting the Summer Romance Bingo for the first time, and this book is a possibility for at least three categories. My Bingo card kept me going and kept me honest. I loved the title characters in this book; in fact, all the characters were great. The writing was masterful as well with a very effective use of first person present tense in a dual POV. However, I really disliked the use of multiple timelines. It wasn’t so much confusing as it felt affected and manipulative. It certainly affected my mood as I read, and not in a good way. I also hated the touches of humiliation humor. I would never not recommend this book, because it is absolutely well written, and I don’t regret reading it–problems and all. It’s just that these particular problems tap dance on my last frayed nerve.
[CW/TW: bullying] Jax Calder’s THE REVENGE GAME is billed as a rom-com—and it certainly has its share of witty banter and amusing observations—but, beneath the surface, it’s a much more serious look at the long-term consequences of bullying and what causes people to become bullies in the first place. Andrew is now a tech billionaire, but his high school years were hellish because of the constant bullying he received from a group of guys, one of whom was Justin, the captain of the football team and all-round big man on campus. Fast forward a decade, Andrew has just sold his tech company for an enormous amount of money and is living in England trying to figure out his next step. When Andrew encounters Justin at a pub—and is distraught that the person who made his high school years so awful doesn’t even recognize him—a revenge plan is born. Newly-minted as Help Desk worker “Drew”, Andrew takes a job at the sports equipment company where Justin works and then proceeds to implement his revenge plan (helped immeasurably by his tech skills). In alternating chapters, Calder carefully dissects the backgrounds, family dynamics, and motivations of both Andrew and Justin. It becomes obvious that Justin (who still has no idea as to the real identity of “Drew”) is both ashamed of his past bullying behavior and has never felt able to be true to himself. It’s also clear that both men are lonely and need friendship and support. Eventually, Drew & Justin grow closer, but of course the revenge plan looms large—with Andrew trying desperately to work his way out of the lies he’s been telling. What a tangled web indeed. As long as bullying and its consequences will not be triggers for you, I highly recommend the intricately plotted and very well written THE REVENGE PLAN.
Emmy Sanders’s BRIM OVER BOOT is not only a very hot antagonists-to-lovers-with-double-bi-awakening romance but it also introduced me to the occupation of farrier (someone who cares for the feet & hooves of horses)—a job with which I was completely unfamiliar but Sanders gives plenty of details while avoiding info dumps (and I have now watched several very informative YouTube videos on the subject). Noah and Colton are rival farriers in their Montana ranching community. They are not only business rivals (although they both freely admit there’s enough work in the area to keep them both busy) but they have also personal antagonists for years: disliking each other but always aware of each other. Sanders does a really good job of showing how the men’s antagonism possibly masks something deeper. After a spontaneous kiss, Colton & Noah have to realign their beliefs about many things (including their sexual orientations). I liked the way Sanders slowly built the sexual tension between the two men and how, as their sexual relationship developed, it took on a definite D/s quality. As Noah thinks of Colton, “…he looks like a lost lamb. And I don’t know if my instincts are one of the shepherd…or the wolf.” Possibly both. If I have a quibble with BRIM OVER BOOT, it’s that
However, that’s a small matter in such a solidly good book. Highly recommended.
PATERNAL INSTINCTS is the 8th and final book in Nicky James’s Valor & Doyle series of m/m romantic-suspense books featuring now-married detectives Quaid Valor and Aslan Doyle. With their new baby due any day, the guys are about to start parental leave, but at the last minute, a child goes missing and the two men are thrown into a case that is a race against time—not only to find the missing boy but to wrap things up before their friend & surrogate goes into labor. I enjoyed this last outing with the mismatched but somehow completely compatible pair (uptight, by-the-book Valor and the much more laid-back & flirtatious Doyle). While investigating the case (which is full of family members who are lying and won’t reveal secrets even if it would result in the recovery of the missing child much faster), Valor & Doyle are assisted by Costa Diaz (whose journey from homophobe to ally and good friend has been charted over the course of the books). The time deadlines loom large in PATERNAL INSTINCTS, and there’s a strong sense of anxiety as we get closer to the baby’s delivery date while seemingly no closer to finding the missing boy. There’s a lot going on and James keeps meticulous track of everything. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to these guys, but they’ve earned their HEA. Highly recommended.
Three recs this time, which is solid because I feel like most times it’s just me reiterating my undying love of KJ Charles. Which remains, of course, but these are three books I hadn’t already read!
Thoroughly enjoyed THE CORRUPTION OF HOLLIS BROWN by K. Ancrum. It is pushing the far end of what I can tolerate in terms of horror, but the sweetness is so damn sweet I managed to hang in there with some judicious skimming. It’s about a teenager falling for the ghost that possesses him. So it’s also YA which also remains not my jam, but wow the longing and the UST.
I think I mentioned last time that I liked ADVOCATE by Daniel M Ford, but I might have finished it after I did my roundup. Third in a fantasy series, which should be read, and in order. Maybe I am not in love with them, but it’ll do until the real thing comes along.
I read THE BELLAMY TRIAL by Frances Noyes Hart, a golden age murder mystery based on a trial of the century (one of the characters notes a trial of the century comes along every couple of years). There’s a great side romance between the reporters reporting on it, but everything that happens happens in the courtroom. It would make a phenomenal movie or miniseries. The one from back in the day was lost.
I found that book through an Otto Penzler Presents rabbit hole, so I have also read a lot of less awesome American golden age murders. They’re interesting historical documents that have a lot to say about class and mainstream povs at the time, so you know, brace for all the shitty -isms to be casually deployed if you too find yourself irresistibly tempted by the blurbs. Did not find delightful sounding cozy CAPE COD MURDERS or THE PENGUIN POOL at all cozy or delightful as a result of the hateful (I wish I could say dated) biases on display, for example. But how was I supposed to resist the cod fish Sherlock?! I should have resisted.
Everything else was the kind of mediocre I saw coming, nothing noteworthy.
My reading life is very enjoyable but solidly boring to report. I’m trucking along with WAR AND PEACE. We’re at war right now and we spend some time with Napoleon and I’ve got to say? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Egomaniacs and dictators (and the people that cling to them) are definitely a “type.” Take that as depressing or reassuring as you see fit.
I continue on with the Sister Frevisse mysteries set in 1400s England, all published about 20+ years ago. I tried to read something else, and I was like “nope, back to these.” I wish I could reread books (I know a lot of the Smart Bitches enjoy it) and I can’t. I can, however, glom onto a mystery series and not let go. They just don’t write them like this anymore. The mystery plots are so-so. Some I would even classify as very slow (for a mystery) but the people and the setting *feel* historical. People worry a lot about religious and class things that would never occur to modern people. The author uses words I don’t recognize.
The main character also helps. Sister Frevisse feels sympathetic and a little ahead of her time, but not much. I was thinking about why I like her and she just doesn’t feel “gimmicky.” I feel like so many mystery series are trying so hard to have a hook these days that the main character doesn’t feel like a real person. Sister Frevisse has a strong sense of justice and her own flaws and she tries her best to do the right thing, but sometimes fails. Picture someone you know who is middle aged, competent, observant, sometimes cranky, sometimes witty, but not a laugh a minute and who often keeps her best comments to herself. Maybe it’s you (!) but it’s also the vibe of Sister Frevisse. She also hews closer to the classic mystery tradition where her backstory is pretty lightly sketched and her life as a nun is routine. I find I crave that right now. She’s not suddenly going to get superpowers or fall in love with a priest or discover buried treasure. There’s some minor characters that have ongoing storylines and that have added to the pleasure of reading them in order, but it doesn’t feel like you have to track a bunch of things. I work a 12 shift as a receptionist and I need something to pick up and put down when it’s slow. Plus, no cupcake bakeries I’ve made it an unofficial goal to read the whole series this year, since most of my other reading goals have been swept away but just plugging away at this series consistently.
I’m reading EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS by Heather Fawcett. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I like how devoted Emily is to her work.
I’m also looking forward to SAVE ME by Mona Kasten, which is the first book in the Maxton Hall series. I loved the show, and the books are being released in English.
I also want to check out THE WREN IN THE HOLLY LIBRARY by K.A. Linde.
Stay cool out there, everyone! 🙂
Still reading Mineko Iwasaki’s GEISHA, A LIFE
Just started Edith Wharton’s THE GLIMPSES OF THE MOON, which is…possibly a romcom? Definitely a social commentary in comedic form about a conveniently-married couple using their connections to the Upper Class to live the high life. I’ve only just started it but I’m enjoying it so far
It’s been a busy couple of weeks at work which unfortunately cut into my reading time. Next week should be better!
Dark Mafia Prince: A dark mafia romance (Dangerous Royals Book 1) by Annika Martin (KU)
Wicked Mafia Prince: A dark mafia romance (Dangerous Royals Book 2) by Annika Martin (KU)
Savage Mafia Prince: A dark mafia suspense romance (Dangerous Royals Book 3) by Annika Martin (KU)
So, yes, dark mafia romance. That being said, have you ever wondered if an author is just messing with you? Now, I know this author is better known for billionaire romcoms, so maybe this is just their style, but … let’s just put the bullet points behind a spoiler tag.
– The book acknowledges that the prophecy driving all of this is ridiculous, but just handwaves “as long as enough people believe it, it matters.”
– Book 2, the FMC is a religious novice with amnesia. The MMC recognizes her as his Bratva assassin lover that he threw off a cliff sometime before book 1. (He had some bad intel that she had betrayed them.)
– Book 3, the MMC was literally raised by wolves.
– One of the bad guys is a murderous sociopath, but when he ascends to the head of his organization, he decides to hire an executive coach to help him be a better leader. His coach thinks he’s an accountant. These chapters are hilarious, though I’m not sure I’d want an entire book of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I had fun reading these. I’m just letting you know that Choices Were Made. The cover text for the books indicates that they are standalone, which in the sense that each book covers a different romantic arc is true, but the books are interrelated enough that if you actually wanted to read this they should be read in order.
(For the bingo card: First book in a series, spies/assassins, cover without any people, June/July/October publication)
Fan Service by Rosie Danan (Library)
Cute story about an out of work Hollywood actor who thinks he might be turning into a werewolf, just like the character he played on TV. He seeks help from the moderator of the show’s fan forum, who he managed to insult a convention at the height of his popularity years ago. I liked it, but I’m not sure that this book will work for everyone. There’s a lot of references to internet fan culture. The author also has a very conversational voice that occasionally references current events, which is fine but I worry will rapidly date this book. As an example, a description of the heroine’s work with the local community center:
(For the bingo card: Small town, paranormal, main couple who are 30+, Book that received a B+ or higher, March publication)
My Inconvenient Duke (Difficult Dukes Book 3) by Loretta Chase (Library)
Our heroine is driven to make the world a better place, even if it means putting herself in danger. Our hero wants to protect his best friend’s sister. There’s some adventures and greedy relatives and plucky urchins. Over all, it’s a sweet historical romance. I think I preferred the first two books in the series, but it’s still decent. You could read this one as a standalone, but it will have more impact if you’ve read the other books in the series.
(For the bingo card: maybe friends to lovers, January publication)
Style of Love (Gay 4 Renovations Book 1) by AJ Sherwood (KU)
Have you ever wanted a romance with a queer eye for the straight guy kind of flavor? Enter Asher, a campy gay interior designer with Gay 4 Renovations, a company specializing in remodeling homes in Plymouth, Michigan. He’s also got a straight best friend, Zar, who works on the local police force. Zar has broken up with his last couple of girlfriends because they just didn’t understand his close twenty-eight year friendship with Asher. The town has a betting board on which of them will declare their love first. So, this one is very sweet and almost too cute with very low stakes. It’s funny, but the humor is trying really hard. It’s like the characters are communicating with memes. I’m sure this will work better for someone else, but I wasn’t in quite the right mood for it.
(For the bingo card: friends to lovers, small town, maybe renovation, maybe yellow cover, maybe first book in a series but the second book isn’t out yet, March publication)
Happy Saturday, SBTB!
I have been away on vacation, so I hit the books hard over the last two weeks. Thank you all for supplying me with so many good recommendations – I really took advantage of them!
Highly recommend — COPPER SCRIPT by K.J. Charles – M/M, post WWI London, detective novel, where one protagonist is a police detective, and the other is a graphologist (person who can tell personalities via handwriting). Similar to the spy M/M’s from the same period that Charles has written, but more middle class setting. Excellent writing, character and emotional development, and plotting that we have come to expect from K.J. Charles. I say it every time, but I wish I could drop baked goods off at Charles’ home – love, love, love all their books.
Highly recommend — SONGS TO BREAK UP TO – Julie Kriss – M/F contemporary musician romance. I don’t love all of the Road King and Road King adjacent books, but this one really worked for me. Characters were both really fleshed out, and I truly believed the arc of their relationship. Enjoy, if you haven’t already!
KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS – Deanna Raybourn – Action adventure of four retirement age assassins. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and this was more of the same. Greater familiarity made some of the plot holes a little more obvious, and it is what it is – an action movie put to page. If you are in the mood, you will enjoy it, but probably wait for a sale or the library.
WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman – detective/mystery, contemporary, from the author of Thursday Murder Club. Good plane read. Not as good as previous books. Set up for a new series. I left it at the hotel, so it was good enough to read, but not good enough to regift, if you get me.
WRITING MR. WRONG – Kelley Armstrong – M/F contemporary hockey romance. I echo everything in the SBTB review. All the elements were there, and I liked the book, but it did not blow me away. One complaint – it felt like a book that was going to be spicy, and those scenes started well, and then fade to black. Odd choice. I read a lot of romance that are closed door, but that did not make sense here. Partly because the door was ajar, and partly because the rest of the book read like it was leading to some spiciness that we did not get, if that makes sense.
Highly Recommended — THE AERONAUT’S WINDLASS – Jim Butcher – Cinder Spires series — Steampunk, ship battles in the sky, large cast of characters, complex world. If you liked Butcher’s Codex Alera books (which are high fantasy, not steampunk, and great, though a little YA), or you like steampunk, you will like this. The plotting is not like his Dresden files books, which really don’t have overarching plots. Codex Alera books had a plot arc that is deeply satisfying, and this promises to be the same. Second book of the Cinder Spires is already out, and I believe the third is coming sometime next year (fingers crossed). I will be reading all of these books.
Have a great weekend! Thank you all again!
Forgot to mention — in the Aeronaut’s Windlass the cats, who are just like regular cats, but can communicate with people, save the day. I really enjoyed that element, even though I don’t particularly like cats. Check it out!
I’ve been devouring the FRED, THE VAMPIRE ACCOUNTANT series by Drew Hayes on audiobook. Each books is basically loosely tied short stories with an overarching theme — it reminded me a lot of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer series but with less sexism. Dry humor and strong women, along with supernatural elements. I really like them.
I read BODIES FROM THE LIBRARY, VOL. 1, edited by Martin Edwards, which is a bunch of short mysteries from the Golden Age of Murder. I had fun reading them in bursts in between other books.
I’ve started THE POTENCY OF UNGOVERNABLE IMPULSES by Malka Older. It’s the third in her sapphic Sherlock-and-Watson on Jupiter series. I’m having a harder time getting through it because a lot of it (outside the mystery) is about Mossa, the Sherlock character, being in a deep depression and how Pleiti, the Watson, navigates this. It’s being done with love and nuance, but it’s still hard to read. I’ll finish it, because Older is a fantastic writer, but it’ll just take me longer than usual.
A lot of my friends have recommended GIDEON THE NINTH, by Tamsyn Muir, so I’m partway through that. It’s a queer, dark fantasy with necromancers and humor. I’m liking it so far.
I read A Shipwreck in Fiji by Nilima Rao which is an entertaining and not too gory mystery. The characters are well developed and the storyline is entertaining. A solid B+. Great for vacation reading.
Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler is about two rival tennis players who are soulmates. The writing is mediocre and the book rests too heavily on the miscommunication trope. I would advise people to skip it.
Finally I read A Rare Find by Johanna Lowell which is an historical F/NB romance. Just lovely. I adored this book.
I am not reading anything now as my glasses broke. Sad! But I am going to start Make it Ours by Robin Givhan and The Girls Who Grew Big when I can see again.
I also need to be able to sit up. I am having a sciatica flare.
Happy reading everyone!
Where was I? Oh, the totally insanity of reading two really good books at the same time. I survived the competing Bad Decisions Book Club and have come out the other side with the resolution to never do that again. And we all know how resolutions go…
Ever since menopause flipped my Circadian rhythms, I can get a good hour or more of reading before leaving for work. GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE from Emily Henry made me late more than once. Features writer Alice Scott receives a tip that leads her to the reclusive last member of the formally rich and infamous Ives family. Margaret Ives, the original tabloid princess disappeared from public life more than four decades ago after the death of her husband, an Elvis-like singer. What starts as the opportunity of a lifetime, takes a turn when Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Hayden Anderson shows up for the same job. The story then shifts from a third person telling of the Ives family history to Alice’s first-person experience of getting to know both Margaret and Hayden. They are forbidden by an iron-clad NDA from discussing their interviews with each other, but being in a small town makes interacting unavoidable. It becomes apparent to them both, even without discussing their interviews, that Margaret may not be the most reliable of narrators. The story gets twisty. I’m usually pretty good at spotting foreshadowing and red herrings, but I honestly did not see it coming. As a side note: I have been known to drift back to sleep during my morning reads with the spine of the book against my lower lip. For some inexplicable reason this book smelled ineffably better than other books. Seriously.
Having finally figured out the Libby thing, this was my bedtime Kindle read. It was also reason I didn’t get nearly enough sleep because I wake up at zero dark thirty regardless of when I fall asleep. See Circadian rhythm mention above. SWEPT AWAY is peak Beth O’Leary. A tipsy one-night stand turns into a harrowing adventure when Zeke and Lexi wake to find that his houseboat has drifted out to sea. No power, no bars, limited resources. Cast adrift can these two ill-equipped strangers survive? Zeke was lovely. He’s been re-examining his life – including his serial one-night stand lifestyle. Lexi has just had her well-ordered life turned over. She’s closed off and hurting. Proximity leads to intimacy -the sharing your deepest thoughts kind. Once they are finally rescued, another out of nowhere twist threatens their fledgling love. Again, I’m losing my touch, but I didn’t catch the clues to this one either.
How do you follow two really great books? Normally the next reads after a great one are lackluster by comparison, but not this time. I started my Goodreads review with I NEED MORE STARS!!!!!!! My only previous experience with Maisey Yates is in connection with the former commander of my father’s VFW post. She was one of his go to authors, a story I’ve related previously on this site. I don’t know how this ended up on my tbr, but it had to be someone on this site, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sometimes a book just sits up and smacks you in the soul. I told my romance reader co-worker, when I was about 80% through that I didn’t even care if there was a HEA or even a HFN. I was loving being in Amelia’s head so much. Maisey Yates’ HAPPY AFTER ALL is a chef’s kiss of a book. Amelia has walked away from her life as a scriptwriter in Los Angeles to run a small motel along Route 66 and supplements her income by writing category romances. She’s healing and hiding and slowly coming back to life. Then one day writer Nathan walks into her lobby. He’s closed off, anti-social and he’s there for summer, and the next summer and the next. When disaster strikes the town, their stilted relationship starts to expand. There was nothing about this book I didn’t love. Amelia coming back to life is beautiful to read. The slow revelation Nathan’s past is wrenching. These two people who have good reasons to not get involved and are absolutely perfect together. Then there’s the secondary characters, mostly a handful of octogenarian and nonagenarian ladies who live in the motel. These are beautiful substantive characters who contribute some of the funniest and most heartfelt moments in the book. They are the wise old crones and madcap grey-hair don’t care agents of chaos. Theres’s also these great conversations about writing and genre fiction. Oh, and a Hallmarkesque Christmas pageant. READ THIS BOOK!!!
The 9th book in the Beyond the Veil series came out yesterday and I am almost done – LOVE KM Avery, and that the snarky elf from books 4-6 was back and slewing his usual profanity. Highly recommend this series, and it can sort-of be jumped into? It is 9 books, but there are trilogies within that each focus on a different couple. Books 1-3 are Ward & Mason; books 4-6 (where I started) are Hart & Taavi; and books 7-9 are Seth & Elliot. I am saving books 1-3 for a rainy day read, but loving the rest of the series. If you like paranormal, mysteries to solve, slow-burn romances, and flawed but lovable characters this is a great one.
Also part-way through:
Half-Drawn Boy by Suki Fleet – wonderful neurodiverse representation and asexual representation – she is such a heart wrenching author, love it.
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews – holy shit this prose!!!!!! Very dark and creepy though – think T. Kingfisher on steroids and queer. I am only half-way through, so stuff could still happen that might take it down, but as of right now it is on track to be 4.5 or 5 stars. (Seriously creepy though – I cannot understate that)
Finished and recommend:
Grave Situation by Louisa Masters – really fun read, lots of humor and adventure.
Over the past two weeks ~
— For my book group, The Measure by Nikki Erlick. I quite enjoyed this book which has a unique premise. One morning everyone on earth (aged 22 and up) receives a small box outside their home (or tent or cardboard box or…). All are engraved, in the recipient’s native tongue, with the words “the measure of your life lies within” and with the recipient’s name. Inside each box is a string. People soon learn that the length of one’s string reflects the length of one’s life. The story focuses on eight Americans — some have long strings, some have short strings, one has a very short string, and one has not opened her box — as well as what happens in the US and worldwide. We had a great discussion, and I will be recommending this to my other group.
— The science fiction romance This World Of Ours (Ransath Series Book 1) by Dixie Bysinger is set in the future when living on earth has become very challenging (crowding, pollution, poverty) and a new inhabitable world is being settled. One of the new settlers is overwhelmed with all the farming he is doing and is not feeding himself well due to fatigue, so he begrudgingly decides to seek the futuristic analogue of a mail order bride. The other lead applied as a farmer but was denied, so he disguises himself as a woman and applies as a bride under an assumed name. Some willing suspension of disbelief is needed, but I enjoyed this.
— also enjoyed Dixie Bysinger’s Hidden In Your World (Ransath Series Book 2), the sequel to the above. In this book, a man newly arrived to the colony planet finds a man and a young child (who we learn had stowed away) hiding in a barn on his property. The first man is seriously overwhelmed as he had come to assist his grandfather who he learns is near death.
— enjoyed Shots on Goal by Amy Aislin which featured a professional hockey player and a college student who works part-time at a library that is in danger of losing funding. This is a male/male romance.
— read and enjoyed The Househusband’s Guide to Domestic Bliss by Lance Lansdale. This contemporary romance features a young man, a librarian, who is given an automaton (specially trained to be a house husband) by his brother.
— reread with pleasure Heroes for Ghosts by Jackie North which is a time travel romance in which an American soldier fighting in France during World War I comes forward in time and meets a historian researching that time. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ character living abroad.
— enjoyed another time travel romance reread, Honey From the Lion by Jackie North. In this book, a man in the present day is vacationing at a dude ranch in Wyoming when he suddenly awakens in a snowstorm in 1891. He manages to make his way to a cabin whose owner takes him in and feelings gradually develop. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ Western romance.
— reread with pleasure The 5th Gender: A Tinkered Stars Mystery by G. L. Carriger which is a science fiction mystery romance. This book is set on a space station; the main characters are an exiled alien from a race that has five genders and a detective. They work together to solve a mysterious death on board a visiting spaceship. There is a lot of humor in this book and also some sadness. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ couple who are thirty plus.
— enjoyed The Loner by Riley Hart which is a contemporary romance featuring a bar owner/podcaster and an actor. The book begins ten years after the men meet; during that interval they have had a casual physical arrangement, but one now wants an emotional connection. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ character who works in audio.
— read an enjoyable paranormal romance, Because the Night: A Vampire Romance by Kylie Scott. This novella (is 200 pages a novella?) features a woman becoming a vampire after inadvertently awakening a vampire from a seventy year nap. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ paranormal romance.
— read with pleasure The Spencer Cohen series, Book One by N.R. Walker which is a contemporary romance featuring a fake relationship. It’s set in the US where an Australian tattoo artist is hired to make the other lead’s ex-fiance return to him. Feelings soon develop. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ first book in a series.
It feels like it’s been ages since I last participated, LOL! Was busy with celebrating the middle child’s college graduation and move home…
A few standouts in the intervening time:
First, a couple m/m hockey romances, each with a hero named Gavin, LOL…
BODY CHECK is the second in Brigham Vaughn’s Scoring Chances m/m hockey series. Gavin Racine is the Boaton Harriers’ general manager and president of hockey operations, and Dakota Crane is the team’s newly hired yoga instructor and trainer. They clash initially, as their first impressions of each other aren’t entirely flattering and it takes a few more meetings for them to recognize their attraction and begin building respect for the other’s work and competence.
Brigham Vaughn’s characters are beautifully written and their stories moving. I loved seeing how Gavin and Dakota grew to trust each other despite the damage their pasts have created and witnessing their tentative then bolder and more determined steps to choosing a different path for themselves brought tears to my eyes. I appreciate the universe Brigham Vaughn’s built and cannot wait for more in this series.
The other is BREAKING THE ICE, the fourth and last book in Beth Bolden’s Portland Evergreens series. Portland Evergreens’ assistant coach Zach Wheeler is on a mission. He is determined to get the team the best coach, and that person is Gavin Blackburn. And Zach never backs down from a challenge.
Gavin Blackburn has spent the last several years off the grid and out of sight, mourning and exhausted and barely surviving as he wrestles with the loss of his beloved wife. The sight of his former player on his porch shakes his reality, and begins a process of reconsidering his life again.
Beth Bolden’s slow burn story is beautifully written, and the care and consideration Zach and Gavin show each other as they navigate their evolving personal relationship and their professional roles is deeply moving. I adore this warm and supportive universe Ms Bolden has crafted and the love and care that imbue the friendships and relationships throughout. This is truly one for the keeper shelf.
I also really enjoyed SHELTER FROM THE STORM, the second in Mari Carr’s Perfect Storm family series. Brewhouse manager Theo Storm and new event coordinator Gretchen Banks experience that famed ‘lightning strike’ moment that the Storm family has come to refer to as love at first touch. But while Theo is ready to be all in, Gretchen has just managed to escape a horribly abusive situation and is understandably wary. Fortunately Theo can be trusted to consider the long game.
Mari Carr’s story lets readers witness Gretchen’s readiness to reclaim her life and her joy and relief at finding real friendship and support for seemingly the first time in her until now stark life. I loved the warmth and genuine love the Storm family and others in the Gracemont community readily poured out for her and the healing it nurtured as she flourished. Theo shows himself to be a supportive and considerate partner, and it is a real pleasure to watch Gretchen rediscover her true self and reveal her strength for the world to see. A stellar story.
Can’t wait to see what everyone else has been reading…
I’m enjoying the audiobook of Paula Sutton’s cozy mystery debut The Potting Shed Murder. Paula is known for her instagram feed Hill House Vintage where she shares her vintage wardrobe, cakes, table settings, garden and such a her rural home in the UK. Her heroine is a Black british woman, as she is, and she gets involved in a mysterious death when dropping by a local school official’s home with a copy of a BLM book she would like included in the curriculum. So far the book is a ton of fun with quirky village characters. Recommended for a light read.
Lots of Good Book Noise.
Beth Revis’s Chaotic Orbits novellas were so much fun: FULL SPEED TO A CRASH LANDING, HOW TO STEAL A GALAXY and LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE WORLD. The MCs are an alleged thief and the official trying to catch her. Ada is so devious, three steps at least a head of everyone else, and lies with out blinking. The story is so much deeper, however, and the stakes are the future of Earth. Highly recommended.
FRANKIE by Graham Norton is the tale of a young Irish girl, sent to live with uncaring relatives after the death of her parents. Over the course of her life and at great cost, she thrives in New York City for years until forced to return to Ireland. Now 70 years old and mending from a broken ankle (can relate), Frankie tells her story to her young carer. Exhilarating and heartbreaking at the same time. Also highly recommended.
POMONA AFTON CAN SO SOLVE A MURDER by Bellamy Rose is … can someone be so wealthy she’s absolutely clueless about how the world works? When Pom’s hotel-owning family is temporarily disinherited after her grandmother’s murder, Pom turns to her old nanny for help. She must solve the murder or all that wealth will go away. Yes, there’s personal growth and a romance, but it all came so quickly. Not easily, but this felt like too much wish fulfillment.
SERVICE MODEL by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a must read. The world has relied on robots for everything for so long that humans have lost the will to live. The lack of humans impacts the robots as well because they know only their programming; the need to complete their routines every day is paramount and increasingly desperate (if they felt emotions). A loyal robot valet kills his “master” one morning, only no one knows why or what to do. The summary references Murderbot and Red Shirts, and it is that ironically funny and life-changing. What comes after highly recommended? Just read it.
Alka Joshi’s (The Henna Artist) SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY is the story of nurse Sona who cares for a famous artist in a Bombay hospital. Sona is accused of negligence that leads to the artist’s death, but she was first tasked by the artist to deliver four paintings to old friends scattered across Europe. The ensuing journey is eye-opening and wondrous for Sona, who learns about the world, the people who truly care for her, and her own perceptions. Highly recommended.
BULL MOON RISING by Ruby Dixon: I had no real expectations of this book beyond “minotaur and wealthy female human join forces to find magical artifacts”. What is mawidge if not in aid of a woman needing a chaperon to enter the mines and a minotaur about to go into rut? Entertaining for sure and a former lady’s maid is a terrific secondary character.
I’m in a space where I’m not up for writing much about these, but I recently really especially enjoyed and recommend:
* Rachel Gillig, THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH, a mythic-feeling f/m romantasy, part 1 of I think a duology and while it’s a cliffhanger leading to the next book there is resolution to the first part of the story. Enjoyed the world building and the characters.
* These f/m contemporaries: Ali Hazelwood’s PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE; Jessica Joyce’s THE EX-VOWS; Lily Chu’s THE STAND-IN
* Alison Goodman’s regency, the second of the Ill-Mannered Ladies series, THE LADIES ROAD GUIDE TO UTTER RUIN
* Going on a kind of Celia Lake binge–I just need her thoughtful carefulness right now. My library has the Mysterious Powers series, though no others. I have collected a few over the years when they were on sale but never got caught up in them as I have now.
Read lots more that was good but I didn’t enjoy quite as much as these.
I had knee replacement surgery the second week of June, which contributed to ending a string of 1,000+ consecutive days of reading, and missing several SBTB entries. Rehab is going well so far (haven’t exercised this much in a long time), but my reading pace has slowed considerably.
Pre-surgery reads: Finished two books featuring FMCs who were writers dealing with writer’s block until the MMC helped them find their spark. ONLY AND FOREVER, the 7th and final book in Chloe Liese’s Bergman Brothers series, was fine but not great. It’s a grumpy/sunshine story where the grump is FMC Tallulah, a blocked writer trying to work on a thriller/romance, who teams up with/moves in with MMC Viggo Bergman, a self-described “hopeless romantic” who has just opened a romance bookstore and needs assistance running the store. These two first met in college, experienced some insta-lust they didn’t act on, and are now back in each other’s orbits in their early 30s. The plot seemed ho-hum but the character development kept me interested, and I liked revisiting additional Bergmans and their significant others (particularly in a scene where Tallulah gets advice from the eldest Bergman sister and the group of women who married into the Bergman family).
Lucy Score’s books keep showing up in my Kindle “you might also like” list, so I finally tried one, THE STORY OF MY LIFE– another grumpy/sunshine pairing. I liked the FMC, Hazel, an NYC-based romance writer whose painful divorce contributed to both her writer’s block and her need to find a new place to live– which is why she impulsively bought a house in the small town of Story Lake, PA. The house needs a makeover and MMC Campbell, the grump in this pairing, is a contractor (assisted by his two younger brothers, who seem destined to get novels of their own). The town needs a makeover, too, and Hazel is able to contribute to the revitalization. Although I finished this book, I don’t see myself rushing to read more Lucy Score. The plot seemed to meander numerous times, and the “zany” small town characters were too over-the-top for my tastes, starting with an early scene where residents verbally harassed Hazel at a town council meeting because she allegedly (but not actually) killed the town’s “pet” bald eagle, named Goose, during her arrival in Story Lake. However, I could possibly be tempted to read a novel focused on Hazel’s agent, Zoey, or Campbell’s sister, Laura. Both of those sidekicks had interesting moments in this lengthy book.
BURIED PROMISES is the 7th book in the “Don’t Call Me Hero” series by Eliza Lentzski (all available on KU). These books combine sapphic romance with mystery; the more recent entries have been predominantly mystery, along with continuing development of the relationship between MCs Cassidy and Julia, who I’ve seen described elsewhere as “golden retriever/black cat.” For anyone new to this series, I recommend starting at the beginning. Cassidy is a retired Marine coping with PTSD after serving in Afghanistan, who is trying to restart her life as a police officer in small town Minnesota (and in later books, in the Twin Cities, serving in the cold case division). In the first book of the series Cassidy meets lawyer/city prosecutor Julia, and over the course of the series, which covers about a year in the relationship, the connection of the MCs evolves from insta-lust to fiancés. Character development and historical research are among Lentzski’s strengths, and I’ve enjoyed each new entry in this series.
Post-surgery reads: I’m having trouble getting motivated to again start reading regularly, but pre-surgery I had started and had a strong positive reaction to the first two-thirds of Ali Hazelwood’s PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE. I returned to it recently, and when the romance between 23-year-old FMC Maya and 38-year-old MMC Conor started heating up (after several flashbacks to the start of their relationship 3 years earlier), I got bored. Just too much repetition of Conor’s hesitation to commit to an age-gap romance– it seemed like every other paragraph was a version of Conor listing reasons that a relationship was a bad idea… until he finally stopped doing that. However, as a follow-up to Hazelwood’s NOT IN LOVE, I thought this was a fine story. The Italian destination wedding of MCs Rue and Eli from the previous book was the organizing premise for PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE, and I enjoyed learning more about Rue, Eli, and others who were introduced in NOT IN LOVE, as well as meeting additional friends gathered for the wedding. The descriptions of the Italian setting were great also. Despite my letdown with the latter portions of this novel, I still think Hazelwood’s recent books (including NOT IN LOVE and DEEP END) have been her most intriguing offerings.
I saw a recommendation for the novella PLAYING HOUSE by Ruby Lang, and then discovered it was already on my Kindle. While I typically like the fake dating trope, this story was meh for me. Both MCs are urban planners, and I liked the descriptions of the apartments they visited while fake dating more than the descriptions of their romance.
Picked up an older (2019) Jackie Lau I hadn’t read, THE ULTIMATE PI DAY PARTY, which was an OK read but not as good as more recent Lau novels. I enjoyed the excellent descriptions of the sweet and savory treats provided by the FMCs pie shop, as well as other scenes involving meals prepared and consumed in various characters’ homes or in restaurants. The romance (and typical Lau drama involving relationships of MCs to their parents) was fine but not overly compelling for me.
Presumably as my knee strengthens, I’ll regain my reading mojo, too!
I just zipped through “Real Men Knit” thanks to the links here earlier in the week. Ate that, I finally opened up my other library book, “Long Live Evil”.
On my kindle, I’m mostly through “An American in London” by Louise Bay – breezy and uncomplicated. I finished Kristen Callihan’s “The Friend Zone” which was a little bit more dramatic. Another library ebook is “Celebrity Crush” by Christy Swift.
I’ve not done this column in awhile but I just read a book series that was both bonkers and stellar I had to post. Since I found Murderbot on this website I have been more open to sci-fi-sh and added it to my genre on Bookbub/Chirp. I’ve never heard of litRPG but was assured that DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL is just such a creature and the sample audible narrator was *chef’s kiss*. What a fortunate choice this was. The setup: Earth has been invaded and soon to be stripped of her minerals and assets. The alien syndicate that runs this takeover basically kills everyone overnight and the only survivors are anyone that was outside at that moment. This includes Carl who was outside in the middle of the night fetching his girlfriend’s prize-winning cat. In this ‘cat fetching’ emergency, Carl dashed outside (it’s snowy winter) in a heavy leather coat, boxers and his girlfriends handy, too-small slippers. Both Carl and Donut (the cat) now find that they must descend nearby stairs helpfully provided all over the world where they will be forced to participate in a televised dungeon crawl where they are expected to die with style. It’s “Running Man” with a talking cat and better humor and the ride is delicious. I highly recommend. Especially the Audible. I had no idea I would like this so much. I also read SOMETHING HUMAN which sounds sci-fi but is nothing like. This is the story of Adares, a roman soldier who is about to die on a battlefield. Probably from thirst because he is trapped underneath a fallen siege engine and can’t get out. Rus is a tribal warrior dying a slow but upright death from poison. He hears Adares and as a last act of humanity helps free him. Luckily Adares may know how to counteract that poison that is killing Rus by inches. This act of saving each other creates a bond. A LOT more happens and it was just lovely and had a few twists in there that were unexpected. The writing on this one is worth a look. Two looks!
I really want to read summery stuff, but it turns out most of the obviously summery books I have are romances, and I want other things to go between them.
End of HOW TO TAME A ROGUE by Julie Anne Long. Good but went a bit slower than expected because it wasn’t quite what I was looking for at the time.
More bits of some (mostly poetry) books that I’m slowly pecking away at.
USAGI YOJIMBO: YOKAI. by Stan Sakai (funny-animal comic set in feudal Japan). Got in some Humble Bundle & finally read it while trying to decide whether to get an all-USAGI bundle. Sadly wasn’t impressed, and at 56 pages it hardly qualifies as a “graphic novel”.
“Crawling from the Wreckage” by Andrew Lane in THE ULTIMATE WITCH anthology. Thumbs down. Folk horror with a nothing main character and some ableism.
THE SECRET OF HANGING ROCK by Joan Lindsay and others is the previously unpublished final chapter of PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK with background and commentary. I’d somehow gotten the idea that the chapter presented a specific explanation for what happened to the girls, but it’s still quite mysterious. Small book; it was OK.
HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS by Erin A. Craig. Just started today; OK so far.
@LittyN THE POTENCY OF UNGOVERNABLE IMPULSES is such a great title!
Just finished A DUKE TO REMEMBER by Kelly Bowen; I read the first book in this series a long time ago, and finally got to this one. The series revolves around the women who work at a private agency, not exactly investigators, but people who make difficult problems go away. The heroine is ridiculously accomplished. Bowen’s books are filled with action, adventure, and often some danger for the MCs. If you like that, they are very enjoyable.
Then I read THE LADY SPARKS A FLAME by Elizabeth Everett. This was recommended by one of my favorite reviewers, so I decided to read it in spite of the content warning. The heroine endured abuse during her childhood, and as a result engaged in self-harm(discussed in retrospect, not on page) so there were definitely some parts that were hard to read. But it was worth it for the hero, who should be the Cinnabon mascot. That’s how adorable he was. And the HEA was wonderful.
Hi all! It’s summer BREAAAAAAAAK!
I feel like I’ve been reading a lot lately, but I haven’t finished much aside from LONG LIVE EVIL and SWORDHEART. Long Live Evil is by Sarah Rees Brennan, whose writing I’ve loved since she was a Harry Potter fanfiction author. I really enjoyed the audiobook and it was fun reading while knowing the ending. I read SWORDHEART on a recommendation from my husband. The worldbuilding was interesting, but it felt a bit clumsy as a romance–has T. Kingfisher has written other romances? It also suffered from a lack of conflict; or rather, there were conflicts, but I didn’t find them convincing. I will definitely read the sequels if they are written, though.
Currently I have several books out from the library, including JANE AUSTEN’S BOOKSHELF. Rebecca Romney is a rare book collector and seller who wants to learn more about the female novelists who inspired Austen. As she says, they have basically been forgotten because they weren’t as good as Austen (but who is?), and of course the “canon” only has room for one early 19th century female novelist. The physical descriptions of the old books she buys are delicious. She convinced me to try EVELINA by Frances Burney and I’m enjoying it so far.
@KD
I think the “Saint of Steel” books (set in the same world as Swordheart) would be classified as romances.
@KD
(continued)
I don’t think T. Kingfisher has written that much romance genre (aside from the Saint of Steel books). Probably “Bryony and Roses”, and there might be something else I’m not remembering.
SEDUCING A BARBARIAN, the 3rd book in Amy Padilla’s M/M Not So Savage Barbarians. Simple, predictable stories with sweet ‘barbarians’ who can’t produce women so they need them from the non-barbarian population, which hates and fears them. They’ve worked out an odd system where each town offers one woman every year so the barbarians don’t attack. In the first book, a town sends a young man they want to get rid of because he’s gay and then more male tributes follow in the succeeding books. In the 3rd book, a sex worker gets sold off to the barbarians.
A FORGETTEN MISTAKE, the second book in Alice Winters’ Deadly Mistakes series. Snarky, obsessive vigilante serial killer cop (Liam) and his sweet partner (Gabriel) hunt a ‘bad’ serial killer. Liam’s OTT devotion to Gabriel and his constant sniping at everyone else gets annoying but I wanted to find out if I was right about the killer.
Both were entertaining but not completely satisfying. I’m trying my hand at writing my own m/m romance. I’ll let you know how it works out.
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I think I am finally off my Harlequin binge. Some of them, certain authors, are still pretty good but in some cases, I feel that the writing is going down hill. So I have branched out a bit.
A three by Lisa Kleypas. SUGAR DADDY which I loved. Lots of angst and tragic backstory, a teen crush revisited, an initial misunderstanding with a potential new love, leading to a triangle. BLUE EYED DEVIL with the leftover male from Sugar Daddy. The FMC goes through an abusive marriage between when she meets our MMC and when they get together. Also good. RAINSHADOW ROAD, set on an island, more angsty backstory, cheating ex-fiance, can they trust? A little on the quirky side for me. But not bad.
A bunch of re-reads. COME SUNDOWN by Nora Roberts, a stand alone on a Montana ranch with couples falling in love and a crazy dude kidnapping women. MFC is a strong woman and MMC loves it. One side character is healing from extensive trauma so lots of off-page trigger warnings. I do like this book, though.
Two books that are kind of romance, kind of romance adjacent. THE MARRIAGE AUDIT by Ashley Broussard. They are doing mandated counselling before the divorce finalizes. All in one long, engrossing day. As you see them fall in love, drift apart, lose hope. TW pregnancy loss, emotional affair. I did like it and felt hopeful at the end. The other was SIGNED BY MY EX by Ava J Jackson, a relative new author that I am kind of getting into though she does not pull her punches. This couple is divorcing but the paperwork that set up their co-owned law firm demands a 90 day attempt at reconciliation. No cheating but definite lack of communication, etc. I found it interesting in the way that a near miss traffic accident is interesting; no one dies but you can’t look away.
I just finished BEHOOVED by M Stevenson and really really enjoyed it. The first print book I’ve finished in months! What a delightful fairy tale romp.
Has anyone else’s reading been a bit on the bloodthirsty side?
Just me?
That’s probably not great. Oh well. Let’s see, this will start off with How Girls Are Made by Mindy McGinnis. It switches perspectives between three girls, with the common thread being their establishment of a secret club to help kids their age learn correctly about sexuality and safety (instead of the abstinence-only BS they’re getting at school) and how social media plays into that and into their lives. A few relevant trigger warnings for off-page rape (we know it happens, but it’s not explicit), gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, and suicide attempt. I tend to describe McGinnis’s writing as having teeth, and this one was no exception to that. It’s a pretty important book for this moment. Then I yoinked out my library copy of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. It was a little slow getting going, but once it did, it was one of the better vampire stories I’ve come across of late. It involves an indigenous vampire named Good Stab (GREAT name for a vamp, btw), his life and experiences, and his ongoing campaign of revenge against the people that tried to wipe his people off the planet, and the ones that did successfully drive the buffalo to near extinction. It was bloody and thoughtful, and Jones played around with both Native American mythology and vampire mythology to come with a pretty unique spin on both. Which brings us to now, in which I’m reading The Widow by John Grisham. It took a bit to get going, since I’m of the opinion that if you call a book a whodunit, you should drop a body reasonably early in the process, which is not what happened here. That said, Grisham remains a fairly straightforward writer, who has a pretty good skill for making the legal stuff actually interesting (he and Connelly are two of the better writers at this). It was also an interesting choice to make the narrator not super-likable. He’s greedy, annoyed by his clients (one in particular), going through a rather acrimonious divorce, and has a developing gambling problem. What he’s not is a murderer, and the book is giving us a perspective of “Okay, yeah, I’m not always great, but I’m not doing murder either”. I’m pretty close to done, and will likely finish it today.
On that note, everyone enjoy the independence and maybe don’t go too crazy with the fireworks.
Like @Sarah, I too am reading HOMEMAKER. I’m about halfway through and am loving the pacing and smart characters.
Sadly there are a bunch of negative reviews on GR from people who don’t agree with the political leanings. Since it’s a KU (with free audio) I’m here to recommend it. And if you like it, leave a good review. We need to combat those people who feel the need to punish authors who have different views than they do.
I’ve had kind of a meh couple weeks reading-wise. I read three 3.5 star books – none of them were bad, they just didn’t work for me.
Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens – YA graphic novel
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this emotionally compelling queer YA graphic novel about a late-blooming werewolf, even though the plot didn’t completely hold together for me.
(paranormal romance, small town)
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
3.5 stars – I loved the premise – queer YA about Robin Hood’s granddaughter! But I found the execution exhausting to read. The main characters are both A LOT and the tone is relentlessly quirky and anachronistic. And the plot didn’t always make sense. (to be fair, I don’t think it’s meant to, but it still bothered me). Not a bad book but not for me.
(book released in my birthday month – November)
Her Lovely Champion by Mariah Rae Birch
3.5 stars – I wanted to like this Sapphic fairy tale a little more than I did.
(cover without any people)