Temple of Swoon
Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura is $1.99! I think this is a standalone, but might be related to Segura’s debut Raiders of the Lost Heart.
Her mission: find the Lost City of the Moon in the Amazon rainforest.
His mission: protect the holy temple . . . and his heart.While her mentor may be the world’s most badass archaeologist, the only thing bad about Dr. Miriam Jacobs are her corny jokes. But when Miri is charged with leading an unmapped expedition through the Amazon for the fabled Lost City of the Moon, she finally has her chance to prove to her colleagues that she’s capable—and hopefully prove it to herself, too.
Journalist Rafael Monfils has joined the archaeological team to chronicle their search for the lost city. Or at least, that’s what they think he’s doing. Rafa’s real goal? Make sure the team does not reach the Cidade da Lua, stopping the desecration of the holy city and protecting his mother’s legacy. All he needs to do is keep them on the wrong path.
If only the endearingly quirky Dr. Jacobs wasn’t so damn tenacious—each of Rafa’s tricks and purposeful wrong turns only seem to fuel her determination. Even worse, he’s charmed by her goofy attempts to channel Lara Croft as they traverse the dangerous Brazilian rainforest. But they’re not the only crew hunting for the lost city, and soon the untamed jungle—and their untamed hearts—might be the least of their worries…
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Slightly Married by Mary Balogh is $2.99! This is the first book in the Bedwyn Saga, which is a favorite amongst romance readers. It also has a cover updated, which is…fine? I kind of miss the red and gold.
Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters—men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality…Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Aidan Bedwyn, the marriage-shy second son, discovers that matrimony may be the most seductive act of all.…
Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart—and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier’s request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man’s sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection…nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart. And when a relative threatens to turn Eve out of her home, Aidan gallantly makes her an offer she can’t refuse: marry him…if only to save her home. And now, as all of London breathlessly awaits the transformation of the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, the strangest thing happens: With one touch, one searing embrace, Aidan and Eve’s “business arrangement” is about to be transformed…into something slightly surprising.
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RECOMMENDED: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is $1.99! New cover! This is a gritty fantasy with an anti-hero protagonist. I loved this book and it’s a lot of fun. I also believe it was recommended by Sarah’s husband on a previous podcast episode. It’s a lot of fun, but definitely is heavy on violence and some gross stuff.
The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a ghost that walks through walls. Half the city believes him to be a legendary champion of the poor. The other half believe him to be a foolish myth. Nobody has it quite right.
Slightly built, unlucky in love, and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. He certainly didn’t invite the rumors that swirl around his exploits, which are actually confidence games of the most intricate sort. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else, pray tell, would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny of it. All of Locke’s gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards.
Locke and company are con artists in an age where con artistry, as we understand it, is a new and unknown style of crime. The less attention anyone pays to them, the better! But a deadly mystery has begun to haunt the ancient city of Camorr, and a clandestine war is threatening to tear the city’s underworld, the only home the Gentlemen Bastards have ever known, to bloody shreds. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends will find both their loyalty and their ingenuity tested to the breaking point as they struggle to stay alive…
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The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Wagonner is $1.99! This is a described as a cozy fantasy mystery and I know we’ve mentioned this on the site before. Have any of you read this one?
A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.
Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she’s concerned by just how many killers she’s had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count…but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. But when someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town’s new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the “Demon-Hunting Society,” Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers.
Never mess with a librarian.
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SLIGHTLY MARRIED was fine, but not really my jam. Which is odd because I usually love a marriage of convenience.
I loved LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA, but it is super violent. I haven’t read the other books in the series (apparently there are now 4) because of misconduct allegations against Lynch. I am unsure if those allegations were substantiated or what, but at the time it was enough for me to say, “Eh, there are many other books I could read.”
Thanks for profiling the Spicy Librarian! I had no idea there was a romance bookstore in Denver and I’m super excited it’s a hop and a skip from where I stay when my employer forces me to work from the office rather than my home in NOColorado.
Jo Segura’s books are all connected and she refers to them as a series, but I think book 2 (and I’m assuming book 3 when it’s out next year) stand alone well. I really enjoyed them if you’re looking for action-adventure and history/archeology!
$.99:
– Best I Never Had: A Friends to Lovers Second Chance Romance
by Jeannie Choe
– Yo Ho Ho: A Christmas Hockey Romance (The Detroit Pirates Book 3) by Jenny Redford
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$1.99:
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– On Shadow Beach (Angel’s Bay Book 2) by Barbara Freethy
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– The Baby Blitz: A Surprise Baby Enemies to Lovers Romance [College Football Player, Girl Next Door] (Varsity Dads Book 3) by Lex Martin
I am currently reading The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society and I am having the BEST time.
Only 40% in, but already recommending it to my friends and planning to buy physical copies for a few folks. It’s ridiculous with a bit of a kick, like a hammer wrapped in a Muppet onesie.
(I said what I said.)
My copy is from the library and I am immediately one-clicking today’s deal so I can put this in my regular re-read rotation.
It took me awhile to realize that I generally like Mary Balogh because the first thing I read from her was her Bedwyn saga, which I hated; it turns out that this was simply because I hated the Bedwyns. But this book was the exception; this one I liked enough to keep and reread. I think the moment that won me over forever is the hero’s reaction when the heroine tells him she’s not a virgin.
LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA is an odd book for me. I read it when it first came out. It’s good, it’s one of the types of fantasy I like, and I defintely enjoyed reading it. But then I found myself reluctant to reread it or read further, which is atypical for me: I don’t consider myself to have read a work of fantasy until I’ve read the full series twice, so if I enjoy something even modestly, I will reread it a few years later. Also, LIES came out during a period when the genre was publishing very little that met my tastes (at the time, the men were mostly writing grimdark and the women were mostly writing urban fantasy), so I especially clung hard to whatever did come out. So I was baffled.
Ultimately I concluded that there’s something about how Lynch treats female characters that bothered me. I’m not sure quite what it was, especially now when it’s been so long since I read it, because it was subtle, and it was less about how the characters themselves were written and more about how the narrative treated them, if that makes sense? but whatever it was apparently left enough of a sour taste in my mouth to put me off even though I did enjoy it. But I will say that I was able to pinpoint the thing that bothered me only because I later saw Lynch at a con, and both my BFF and I agreed that he gave off a sleazy vibe. NOT a creepy vibe, to be clear!, just a sleazy one.
I have no idea how intelligible any of that was, so I apologize if it isn’t.
I have an entire collection of books in my kindle that’s purely archaeology/anthropology based romance. Everything about Jo Segurra’s books should be my jam. I bought Raiders of the Lost Heart on release day and couldn’t make it past the 3rd chapter. I have a whole ‘that’s not how academia works!!!!’ rant that I’m going to attempt not to get into, but what really made me stop reading was the MMC actively attempting to undercut the FMC as he introduced her to his team. In a remote location, with minimal resources. In a situation where she’s the expert. The description of book 2 looks like more of the same, but I haven’t read the book so maybe he doesn’t actually endanger the team with his ‘tricks’. I’m totally here for a conversation about the ethics and history of archaeology and some of the real and enduring wrongs done in the name of ‘discovery’. But this just makes me want to yell about internalized misogyny.
Slightly Married is sad and gentle and seems to be the only book in the series with a cover re-design. Why? Those covers are so striking.
I was curious about The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, but who could pass up ‘hammer wrapped in a Muppet onesie’? Absolutely buying that now, thank you.
Completely off-topic but I know this will be appreciated. I currently have a separate browser window open while I debate buying yarn instead of going shopping on prime day. ALL OF THE ADS on this page are for that yarn company. Thank you, SBs, for giving me the sign from the universe of what I need to do.
@Star – I started Lies of Locke Lamora and really liked the writing and the story. but never finished it because of the ick I got about the way the women were written. Similar to the vibe I get from Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind. Really well written, everything I should like, but I get a very strong feeling that women aren’t quite people to them. It’s very hard to describe, but it ruined a book I really liked otherwise.
@Ely – They seem to keep doing that to Mary Balogh. They also redesigned ONLY the first book of the Westcott series so that it now doesn’t match the rest and also features a couple who don’t remotely resemble the protagonists’ actual descriptions (which are mentioned a LOT). Also the Survivors’ Club series changed cover styles AND title formats a few books in. IDK what her publishers’ deal is!
I love Mary Balogh but the Bedwyns are hit and miss for me. This one, however, is definitely my favorite of the Bedwyn series and among my favorite of hers in general.
$.99:
– All I Want is You this Christmas by Codi Gary
$.99:
– Her Missing Marquess, Her Errant Earl, Duke with a Reputation by Scarlett Scott
@Sophydc, you nailed it. Locke’s OTL, Sabetha, is written very much like Dina/Dianne/Deanna from Name of the Wind. Placed on a pedestal, manic pixie dream con artists who would just be SO HAPPY if they only ditched their stubborn independence and let the main character rescue them like the lovely damsels they are, dammit! (/s)
I liked the first two books because of the plots-within-plots and fast-paced banter and violence – it’s in the same wheelhouse as Tarantino – but the third book is a lot of Locke pining over Sabetha, who is like you said, less a person and more the author’s dreamgirl.
Not crazy about the new covers for the Bedwyn series either. I liked the red and gold on this one too. The Bedwyns are a favorite series of mine, and Slightly Married and Slightly Dangerous are in my top ten all time list. Her characters resonate with me emotionally and that’s what I’m looking for. The other two books of hers on my list is Only a Kiss (the conclusion of that book blew me away) and Someone to Wed.
I enjoyed The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society. I recommended it to a friend (she liked it too) and she asked me based on the title if it was going to be scary. I told her, not one bit. It’s more cozy.
@Cora, I still remember the first time I noticed that in a book. I read Lorna Doone when I was about 10 and the hero’s cousin is awesome and she’s in love with him but he’s in love with Lorna, who I thought was absurd. It’s been a deal breaker for me ever since.
Star, Sophydc and Cora:
So that’s what bothered me so much in the Gentlemen Bastards series: woman characters are not exactly people!
Like, Scott Lynch tries. He has female characters who are badass, some even take advantage of projecting helplessness… and yet the men always end up better.
Sabetha is rightfully angry about things Locke got, and yet the narrative never gives a reason why Locke got them instead of her.
The Spider in book one? Reveal is played as this amazing thing… which only works like that if woman are naturally lesser.
And that mom in book three… the narrative believes so much of what is going to go wrong it’s her fault instead of the son who is the one taking the actions!