It’s our last Whatcha Reading of July. Here’s what we’re reading as we reach the end of the month:
Lara: Inspired by my best friend, I’ve been reading old Tessa Dare books obsessively and voraciously. It has brought me a tremendous amount of comfort with trumpetings of Good Book Noise.
Shana: I’m reading Single Player by Tara Tai. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I love the setting—a queer romance in a video game company—but I’m feeling kind of meh about enemies to lovers romances these days.
Amanda: I couldn’t get into The Governess Game by Tessa Dare. The heroine meets the hero for all of five minutes and spends her days fantasizing about marrying him. I’ve moved onto King of Wrath by Ana Huang, and that’s hitting much better. The dark and dark-adjacent romances are really doing it for me right now.
Susan: I’m reading The Silent Concubine by Qiang Tang and Bai Li Jun Xi, ( A | BN ) and I’m not sure how I feel about it. The translation is Bad, and the protagonist is both passive and oblivious, which is a bad combo in a palace intrigue book.
But the love interest is unhinged and I do want more queer palace intrigues, so…
Update: protagonist has lost his temper, none of the love interests were prepared for this
Sarah: I read Liars Like Us ( A | BN ) and the romance was missing from my romance novel. You know the unclean hands doctrine, where evidence is declared inadmissible because the means of acquiring it weren’t valid? This guy has, forgive me, unclean peen. Not that his peen is itself unclean (there is at least one shower scene) but everything about this relationship is supremely fucked because of how it began.
There was a lot of horniness though.
Elyse: I finally had to DNF Soulgazer ( A | BN | K | AB ) because after six chapters I still didn’t understand the magic system or the world. It felt like a lot of Romantasy word salad.
Lara: You lasted longer than I did. I made it about a chapter before I gave up.
Tara: I’m reading Relationship Material by Rachel Spangler and I’m enjoying it. It’s an f/nb romance and the author is nonbinary.
Susan: I’m also reading a webtoon called Sealed With Lips, and it’s very silly. The protagonist is on a revenge spree after being reborn, and there are regular reveals of new Horrors that she’s been through. But she and the love interest match each other’s level of ruthless and vengeful, and it’s very dramatic with all of the face-slapping, so I’m enjoying it
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
Have mostly been reading old children’s books or non-fiction. Other than that, ones that might be of interest to those here: Storm Pegs: A Life Made in Shetland, a memoir by Jen Hadfield, which I enjoyed. Re-read Elizabeth Goudge’s The Rosemary Tree, which I’m still not sure what I think about. Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts, which I had been unsure about because of sections from the killers’ viewpoint; actually that relationship was strangely sweet in a twisted way. Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard – really enjoying this series.
It’s been a month since I’ve last posted. Read a lot. Here are some of the highlights.
BY MARSH AND BY MOOR by Annick Trent – mm, historical
4.5 stars – Lovely, emotionally satisfying queer romance (1st in a trilogy) set during the Napoleonic Wars between two working men looking for a fresh start. I’m not calling it a Regency romance, even though it’s set in the era, because it’s so far from the typical balls and fetes of the genre. It’s rare to find one, let alone, two working class heroes in a Regency romance and I enjoyed learning about their worlds. It’s similar to some of Rose Lerner’s and Cat Sebastian’s Regency set romances, but grittier.
It’s told mostly from the POV of Jed, who just escaped from the Royal Navy, five years after being captured by the press gangs. He just wants to get home, back to his village, with his family and his horse, and resume his life delivering goods across the moors and marshes of Somerset. He’s aided by Solomon, who finds him washed ashore after his escape. The two are headed in the same direction and agree to travel together. Solomon’s willingness to help a stranger (and obvious deserter) required a suspension of disbelief but I’m glad I went with it and it did fit with what we learn of his character.
There’s a lot going on with the plot – there’s the danger of the press gang capturing both of them, Jeb’s quest to reclaim his old life, plus the reason Solomon left London. I think the romance sometimes took a back seat to all of the suspense but I enjoyed the story and the characters enough that I didn’t mind much. And based on the author’s blog, I have hopes for a more solid HEA at the end of the trilogy.
Bingo: inclement weather
Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield – ff, YA
4.5 stars – Emotionally satisfying time loop YA with a lovely Sapphic romance.
Bingo: time travel, friends to lovers
Aubrey Mcfadden Is Never Getting Married by Georgia Beers
4.0 stars. This fluffy sapphic, bi romance was cuter than I was expecting based on the blurb. It has a bit of a Four Weddings and a Funeral vibe – it’s organized into 5 parts, one for each of the 5 weddings that the titular Aubrey attends in less than a year. All the weddings involve her college friend group and Aubrey surprises herself by being drawn to her college nemesis Monica.
It’s told from Aubrey’s 3rd person POV. The character development went a little deeper than I was expecting but was still pretty light. There was one reveal towards the end of the book that I thought was unnecessary but overall I liked this couple and enjoyed hanging out with them.
bingo: left at the altar, cover without any people, main couple who are 30+
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
4.0 stars – Delightfully tropey and over the top sapphic YA romance between a basketball player and cheerleader. The characters read like believable teens, which means I definitely had to put the book down in annoyance at their poor impulse control a couple times.
Bingo: sports romance that isn’t hockey, American football or baseball, small town
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
4.0 stars – Heartfelt trans YA novel with believable teenagers, a lot of teen angst and a low key gay romance. I think this works best as a coming of age story rather than a romance. The MC has a couple love interests and I was relieved by who they ultimately ended up with.
A few parts felt a little heavy handed and some of the conversations had a queer 101 / trans 102 quality.
Bingo: friends to lovers, orange cover, class differences
Reader Harder 2025: banned book
I also read two books by Celia Lake (Goblin Fruit and On the Bias). I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author but I’m not sure I’m going to read more by her. There’s something about the writing style, an emotional distance to the writing in these 2 books that didn’t quite work for me.
Listening to TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Leong. I’m always a little suspicious about cozy fantasy (too sweet is not for me), but this one is making me very happy. Also a kids picture book – the story took me completely by surprise and I’m still thinking about it – THE DARK by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen.
Nothing much to report, despite the fact that I am on vacation. My daughters and I have been trading Sarina Bowen books back and forth – Ivy Years and her more recently written hockey romances. All very sweet and solid – check her work out if you haven’t already. Going to jump into some V.E Schwab today for a change of pace. Also am behind on T. Kingfisher books. I love her stuff and there are a couple of new ones on my TBR pile. Emily Henry’s books are ubiquitous at this point, so may fall into one of them- I have a love/hate relationship with her work, but I inevitably circle back. Enjoy the rest of your July! Happy reading!
I thoroughly enjoyed RUNNING HOTT, the latest in Serena Bell’s Hott Springs Eternal series about a family-run destination wedding business. If you’ve been reading the series, you are already aware of the premise: in accordance with the terms of their grandfather’s will, five brothers (last name Hott) have to carry out specific tasks related to the family business (run by their sister) or else the business will be sold to a mining company. In RUNNING HOTT, Rhys Hott—a cynical divorce attorney—is charged with planning and carrying out a wedding. Coincidentally, the wedding he is assigned to plan is that of divorcee Eden whose ex-husband Rhys represented in their divorce. Obviously, things don’t get off to a great start, but then Eden’s fiancé flees on the morning of the wedding, taking a number of quilts Eden needs for an installation she is staging. So off go Rhys and Eden on the trail of the fiancé to retrieve the quilts (and, at least as far as Rhys is concerned, get the couple back together so that he can fulfill his assignment). As the road (and plane) trip continues, Rhys and Eden start to thaw in their feelings toward each other. What’s nice about RUNNING HOTT is not just the very slow burn between Rhys and Eden (the couple do not have penetrative sex until fairly close to the end of the book), but also how the two individually experience a lot of emotional growth and increasing self-awareness. I also liked the information about quilts that is lightly sprinkled throughout the book (my dear mother-in-law, who recently passed away, was an avid quilter, and I found that aspect of the book comforting). I applaud Bell’s decision to not have Eden & Rhys run full-bore into a new relationship: Eden is twice bitten and three times shy about marriage, and Rhys (previously very skeptical about marriage, but now a changed man) is willing to wait until Eden decides she’s ready for them to begin their HEA. A rom-com with a serious center. Highly recommended.
Julianna Keyes wrote one of my all-time favorite comfort re-reads, TIME SERVED (a second-chance romance between an attorney and an ex-con), along with a number of other good books (particularly two baseball romances, TEAM PLAYER and BENCH PLAYER). Keyes excels at presenting flawed (even somewhat dislikeable) characters who have enough self-insight, an display enough emotional growth, to make us root for them. For some reason, I had not read Keyes’s romantic-suspense, ALL THE MISSING PIECES (published under the name J. Keyes), but a rave review at All About Romance had me running to grab it from my tbr. In ALL THE MISSING PIECES, former nepo-baby/party-girl Reese has been living as a recluse since her father was arrested for embezzlement and her brother was killed in a car crash (that also injured Reese). Police are convinced that Reese knows the whereabouts of some of the embezzled money that was never recovered, but her lonely, spartan existence seems to belie that. Other than her father (who she regularly visits in prison) and her coworkers at the food bank where she works, Reese has no human connections. Whenever Reese feels the need for some “company”, she dons a disguise (the book is full of themes of disguises, costumes, acting, and camouflage), assumes a fake identity, and goes out with men she meets on dating websites. On one such date (masquerading as dental hygienist “Denise”), Reese is more interested in the mysterious man sitting at the next table than she is in her date. This man, Chris, seems to be as open and honest as Reese (or, as he knows her, “Denise”) is secretive and closed-off. But as time goes on, it’s obvious that Chris is also keeping secrets—and also that the police aren’t the only ones interested in the whereabouts of the missing money. As Reese tries to unravel the mystery of Chris (using some very clever strategies to do so), she misses how much she, in turn, is revealing herself to Chris. As she later notes, “I’m terrified he can see how much I want something. If I want something, he can withhold it. If I have something, he can take it.” The action and suspense escalate as Reese has to decide whether she can trust Chris (and that’s an iffy proposition). The book ends on a somewhat ambiguous note—but I can live with that in a romantic-suspense that leans more heavily on the latter than the former. I still highly recommend ALL THE MISSING PIECES.
Over the past few years, Willow Dixon has become one of my go-to writers. Her m/m romances full of bi-awakening, found family, strong male friendships, and the economic challenges faced by Millennials and Gen Z are total catnip for me. However, Dixon’s latest book, WICKED GAMES, goes both darker and younger, as she starts a new series, Silvercrest U, set amongst the monied class at an exclusive university. WICKED GAMES features stepbrothers, Felix and Killian. Although Killian is initially antagonistic toward Felix (by school policy, because of their family connection, they are roommates), they grow closer after Felix is attacked, and Killian, along with two friends (obviously destined for their own future books), take steps to protect Felix—who is being targeted by a rather hapless but determined assassin. Unfortunately, I got turned off by the levels of casual violence, outsized retribution, and info-dumps about secret college societies in WICKED GAMES, not to mention the youth of the MCs (Felix is 19, Killian is 20). Much as I said about Leslie McAdams’s NOTORIOUS earlier this month, the violence is WICKED GAMES, although intended to be cathartic, actually just comes across as extraordinarily gratuitous and nasty. Plus the supposed protective instincts of Killian are really much more like psychopathy (and his two friends present as being even more disturbed). There’s also an unexpected vein of misogyny running through the book, particularly as it relates to Killian’s ex-girlfriend (an admittedly unsympathetic character) who is presented as grasping, gold-digging, faithless, and whiny. I think Dixon could have made the girlfriend unpleasant without leaning in so hard on dreary stereotypes. WICKED GAMES is the first in a new series, but based on the book, I don’t think I’m interested in continuing with it. I cannot recommend WICKED GAMES. Instead, I recommend reading any of Dixon’s earlier books.
Tessa Dare audiobooks on a loop was my pandemic comfort reading.
I’ve been on the reading struggle bus lately. I tried YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED by Andie Pliego and if it had not been recommended to me, I would not have finished it. Basically AND THEN THERE WERE NONE but set on a writer’s retreat. I found it a sloppy, disjointed mess with multiple narrators that all sounded exactly the same even though they were different ages, genders, and ethnicities. Also, I think I’m just very burnt out on meta stories. I couldn’t help thinking of lots of other books and movies that had similar premises and were better done and more interesting. This is the author’s first story and I think there’s room for improvement, but I’m not sure I’ll be back.
My other read was very different from that and it was a delight, thankfully. AGE 16 by Rosena Fung. This was a graphic novel about 3 generations of Asian women, weaving back and forth of where they were at age 16. A lot of unexamined issues come to a head when Mei Laan, the matriarch, comes from Hong Kong to Toronto to stay with her daughter and granddaughter after years of estrangement. This has a lot to say about mothers and daughters, intergenerational trauma, and body image. It gets a little heavy at times, but ends in a fairly optimistic place. I really enjoyed it, particularly Roz, the 16 year old girl in 2000s Canada. I am a little bit older than her, but it brought back a lot of memories of that era.
I’m reading two books, one promising, the other semi promising, but I won’t say anything and jinx myself.
I just finished WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN by Stephanie Burgis and am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Not sure what I will read next. Maybe TEXT APPEAL by Kylie Scott or THE DEAL by Elle Kennedy.
I am ready for fall and less humidity, but it’s still about two months away. Sigh. Stay cool out there! 🙂
I just finished the audio book of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science and if you just need Kate McKinnon to read you a book (and her sister) while doing alllll the voices and being supremely silly, highly recommend.
Can’t let the middle grade kiddos hog all the fun after all.
I read WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS which was excellent and visceral, and hit harder than I thought it would.
I liked SCALES AND SENSIBILITY way more than I thought I would. It was really cozy and lovely.
And I GOT ABDUCTED BY ALIENS AND NOW I’M TRAPPER IN A ROM COM was excellent, as expected, since I loved her that time I got drunk series. This one was much spicier, but without sacrificing the fun.
Part the First.
Over the past couple of weeks, I realized that I had made great progress on the same 4 bingo squares and without actual effort on my part, I wouldn’t actually complete anything. Also, when did the word “mewl” start showing up in romance novels and can I sign a petition asking for that to stop?
Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (library)
Bingo Options: Cover w/o people, Weather, Roommates/neighbors (maybe)
Smokejumpers + Romantic suspense
Solid tale of romance with a touch of mystery amongst a team of smokejumpers based in Missoula, MT. I picked this one up because someone in the last WAYR really enjoyed it and thought this would work for the Western bingo square. It’s a good book, but it didn’t feel sufficiently Western for bingo.
American Queen (New Camelot Book 1) by Sierra Simone
American Prince (New Camelot Book 2) by Sierra Simone
Bingo Options: Book 1 of a series, Why choose, Class differences (maybe)
All the angst + BDSM
This is a retelling of the legend of Arthur, Guinevere, and Mordred/Lancelot in an American politics setting and with everyone in bed together. Long but not terribly spoiler-y comments behind the tag.
– I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me until halfway through the second book that at the end of the legend/musical, Arthur is dead and Camelot has fallen. So far, things feel close enough to the source material that I’m pretty sure that there’s not going to be a happy ending. Maybe file this one under erotica instead of romance?
– I’ll probably pick up the third book in a few weeks just to get closure and see how the author modernizes the legend. But I need a little space. The first two filled up my angst meter completely, and I need a break.
– Even I was thinking, “Maybe we could tone down the sex a bit, eh?” It’s a lot, both in terms of quantity and intensity.
– Initially I was a bit concerned that with all the crazy in the current American political landscape that setting a romance in the White House wouldn’t work. For me, these characters are far enough removed from reality that that turned out to be a non-issue.
– As each book focuses on a different character, the same scenes are revealed from different points of view, which is both fascinating in revealing how the characters lie to each other but also kind of repetitive. I know this wouldn’t be an issue if I’d spaced them a bit, but then I would have had to live with the cliffhanger ending of book 1 for awhile. Choices!
– I really love the thought that Lancelot is French self-insert fan fiction.
From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata (KU)
Bingo Options: Cover w/o people, Sports (figure skating), Class differences
Rivals to Lovers + Insults as a love language
I enjoyed this grumpy/grumpy slow burn sports romance. I do have some very spoiler-y comments, but that’s what the tags are for.
Like, dude is clearly manipulating things to convince her to be his partner. And, that’s not wrong in and of itself. It’s perfectly OK to offer someone a job because you believe that they are a great figure skater, but to offer them a job when you are attracted to them is at least problematic, even if you also believe that they are a great figure skater. And by the end of the book, it was unclear to me if the motivation starts as personal or professional. Like, the scene where he convinces her to pose nude for the “Anatomy Issue” of a major sports magazine is probably a case of both things can be true. He can believe that participating in the photo shoot is good publicity and also want to see her naked for more personal reasons. But it is problematic. Going through her dresser drawers is also problematic, even if she also goes through his when given the chance. I’ll grant that inviting himself to dinner with her family is more rude than dark, but as part of the larger pattern seems suspicious. Maybe he was meant to be more socially awkward than truly manipulative? And let’s not forget that he called her former partner and threatened to ruin him if he tried to get back together with her. That’s dark and is making me rethink every prior interaction.
Anyway, if I was hosting a book club, we’d be discussing where the lines between dark, creepy, and romantic are. (With a side of whether motivation matters and where consent comes into play.)
For the record, I don’t have a problem with reading dark romances, but I start to question things that market dark behaviors as normal.
Part the Second.
The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels Book 1) by Kerrigan Byrne (KU)
Bingo Options: Book 1 of a series, Yellow cover
Historical romance + Dark mafia
I picked this one up because it was mentioned in a daily deals post, it was kindle unlimited, and I assumed that a historical would be on the lighter side. And somewhere in the middle of our heroine being kidnapped by a criminal kingpin, I realized that it had the plot of a dark mafia romance but with more petticoats. That’s on me for not really paying attention to the blurb before getting started. There should be CW/TW related to sexual assault in the guy’s backstory. It was fine.
A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (The Lord Julian Mysteries Book 8) by Grace Burrowes (library)
Lord Julian, his fiancee, and his godmother solve a puzzle involving a marquess whose life is being threatened for mysterious reasons. I like this mystery series, but book 8 is not the place to start.
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell (KU)
Bingo options: Western, Weather, Small town
Western + World’s Worst In-Laws (on both sides)
I haven’t read an actual western romance in a long time, so I picked this one based solely on it being Kindle Unlimited and near the top of some goodreads list for the bingo square. It features Anne, a spinster, and Cord, the half-Cheyenne half-brother of a local ranching family. He’s got a bad reputation for fighting, but when he finds her taking shelter from the storm in his barn, he invites her inside. Which is when her father and a mob show up looking for her. Turns out, she’s trying to runaway before her dad can make her marry his friend. The mob decides there’s going to be a wedding, and then they do their best to beat him to death. He doesn’t die, and they decide to make a go things, and there’s a decent story as they fall in love with each other. I actually enjoyed several aspects, including the horses and the feeling of community. On the darker side, there’s racism (portrayed as bad, but it’s there), sexual assault, kidnapping, and the threat of a forced abortion.
Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson Book 13) by Patricia Briggs (library)
Bingo options: n/a
Mercy and friends continue to protect their corner of the Tri-Cities from supernatural threats. I enjoy this series, but book 13 is not the place to start.
Latte Darling: Book Two of The Darling Series by S.J. Tilly (KU)
Bingo options: Small town, Main couple 30+
RomCom + “Daddy”
Look, compared to the mafia stuff by this author, this one barely registers as red flags. Sure, there’s a 20 year age gap, some jealousy issues, and he likes it when she calls him “Daddy”, but no one gets kidnapped or anything. It was fine, but I’m not quite sure that I believe in the HEA. (She’s still got a lot of understandable but unresolved trust issues making me worry for any relationship. He’s probably got as good a chance of helping her work through them as anyone.)
Man Hands (Man Hands Book 1) by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby (KU?)
Bingo options: Renovation romance, Main characters 30+, 1st book in a series
Foodie + Home Improvement
I spent a lot of time laughing while reading this book. Sure, the humor is kind of low brow, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny. The plot involves a divorced woman looking to get back out there whose friends convince her to kiss the next guy she makes eye contact with at a party. That turns out to be Tom, the host of a renovation themed show on cable TV, and sparks fly.
The Kingpin’s Call Girl by Annika Martin
Bingo options: Cover w/o people, Spies/Assassins
Dark Mafia + ?
This is set in the same universe as the author’s kinda bonkers Dangerous Royals series that I read a couple of months ago. That’s the series where one of the characters was literally raised by wolves. I’ll admit to being a little disappointed that this book did not have the same over the top sense of humor. What this book did have was Edie and Luka. Edie is a college student who is being blackmailed by a cop who wants her to pretend to be a hooker for a night to get info on the local Albanian mafia clan. (Don’t think too hard about the setup.) Luka would be the head of the aforementioned local Albanian mafia clan. And while I’m delighted that Edie’s background in medieval history is relevant to the plot, the book was mostly a perfectly reasonable example of its tropes. (That is, there’s nothing really wrong with it, but if you aren’t into this sort of thing, it’s probably not going to change your mind.)
I just started two romances: LET’S MAKE A SCENE by Laura Wood and Pugs and Kisses by autobuy author Farrah Rochon. Too early to have an opinion on either.
I am loving MISBEHAVING AT THE CROSSROADS by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. The prose is gorgeous, the structure is impressive and each part is braided perfectly with the others. Going to be a five star read!
Read A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping which I disliked. A lot.
Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath was cute except for the character contortions at the end. Hanging a lattern on it doesn’t make bad characterization any better.
A Shipwreck in Fiji by Nilima Rao was a fun historical mystery. A solid B.
Finished Mary Balogh’s Westcott series mid month. They were nice, uncomplicated reads. Just what I was looking for this month. Decided I was still in a historical romance mood. I grabbed a 3 free month KU subscription and found a book called THE PERSOPHONE CODE by Julia Golding. An actress/forger and army officer/ex-adict team up to find our who killed her brother. I’m just a couple of chapters in but loving the vibe. Description says Bridgerton meets Da Vinci Code. But the protagonists are much more sarcastic and messy than a Julia Quinn protagonist usually is. More of a Regency action adventure romance novel. Really fun so far.
Honestly, not reading much of anything right now. I have a big pile of aspirational books from the library, but will I actually read any of them? Meh.
I am looking forward to the new C.S. Poe book in the Memento Mori series, “Hudson River Homicides”. It comes out on July 31st, so just a few more days until I can maybe actually read something.
In my early July WAYR post, I briefly mentioned my reactions to the first two books by Ava Wilder– HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD and WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY. Both are celebrity romances; HOW TO FAKE IT is built around a fake dating trope and WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY uses a second-chance romance premise. Both sets of characters and both plots contain a lot of nuances that elevate these books beyond other books I’ve read that use similar characters/tropes. I appreciated that Wilder’s celebrity characters deal with a lot of career insecurities, unlike some celebrity romances where everything is nearly perfect for the TV or film actor MCs.
HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD starts with fake dating between two celebrities– FMC Grey Brooks is 27 and hoping to restart a career that began when she was 8 years old; now she’s looking for new options after starring in a long-running teen drama that has ended. MMC Ethan Atkins is nearly 40 and a past Oscar winner, but when the story begins he’s a divorced dad, struggling with alcoholism (but mostly giving in to excessive drinking) and still grieving the death of his best friend, who was also his creative collaborator. Ethan and Grey agree that the fake relationship could help them achieve short-term professional goals… and eventually, both feel attraction for their fake partner. But there’s a lot of angst in this story, too, and the route to the happy ending has a lot of significant and sometimes painful twists and turns. Both characters experience good and bad moments as they navigate their way through professional and personal issues, and the resolution after the third act breakup is particularly heartfelt.
WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY presents FMC Lilah and MMC Sloan, who met 9 years before the book begins, at the audition for what turned out to be a successful TV series in which they are co-stars. They hooked up during the first year of the series, then broke up and barely spoke outside of work. Lilah left the TV series to pursue a film opportunity that bombed, and has returned for the final season of the series, which is where this novel begins. As in HOW TO FAKE IT, these characters have multiple layers that make the road to romantic reconciliation complex, but I enjoyed traveling with them on the journey, I’ll definitely return to this author in the future– her third book is scheduled for October release.
I read two books by new-to-me author Sarah Adler. Greatly enjoyed MRS NASH’S ASHES, a road trip romance with underlying angst. FMC Millie is headed from Washington, DC, to Key West, where she hopes to deliver cremains of her former neighbor/roommate, Rose Nash, to Rose’s long-ago lover, Elsie Brown, who is in hospice care in Florida. Travel complications cause Millie to accept the car ride to Florida offered by MMC Hollis, a past antagonist for Millie during their college days. The novel includes several touching flashbacks to Rose and Elsie’s story (F/F relationship complicated by 1940s attitudes) and amusing as well as insightful complications in Millie’s and Hollis’s relationship as they travel together.
Adler’s newest book, FINDERS KEEPERS, wasn’t as compelling for me, although I very much liked the voice of FMC Nina, particularly when she self-assessed (using the framework “what‘s the worst/best/most likely outcome?”) and when she contemplated about the unfolding events of the story. Nina and MMC Quentin, both in their 30s, were childhood friends who had a falling out as teenagers. Now both are back in their hometown, dealing with the aftermath of career disruptions and broken relationships. They agree to team up and resume the project that led to their breakup 17 years before: looking for a hidden treasure on the grounds of an estate once owned by an eccentric local celebrity. The story’s framing device, using flashbacks to “historical records,” was more complex than the similar device used in MRS NASH’S ASHES, and for me was less successful. All the parts of the story (historical and “contemporary” for Nina and Quentin) came together at the end, but it was a slow journey.
GUILD HUNTER by Nalini Singh
Finished re-reading all 17 books in the GUILD HUNTER series. It was interesting reading the whole thing over the course of a few months where previously I read the series over the course of many years. I have a terrible memory so some things made more sense this time around because I remembered more of the back story. I know this series focuses on Elena and Raphael, but honestly Adi and Blue forever!
ONE IN A MILLION by Beverley Kendall
You’ll see a lot of comments on goodreads about how smart this book is and they are right. The plot is a clever twist on the accidental baby. Both MCs are very appealing and they lack the drama of adults who haven’t learned to adult yet.
THE TWO WEEK ROOMMATE by Roxie Noir
Generally enjoyed this one, but it’s really much more focused on Gideon than Andi. The initial setup is great, but we never really explore how Andi ended up doing such a dumb thing and what was going on with her inability to form quality friendships. Gideon, though, is great. He struggles to maintain a relationship with his fundamentalist family, but finds himself in a much healthier place by the end of the book.
TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer
I was inspired to start re-reading this series by a much younger coworker, who recently read and enjoyed the series for the first time. These books were a guilty pleasure in my 20s, but they’re not quite hitting me the same way this time around. The first time I read them, the romance worked for me. This time around, I’m just not feeling the chemistry, so I’m leaning heavily into the camp. And it is such wonderful camp. I literally burst out laughing several times last night over the melodrama. Maybe I’m too far removed from being 17 these days to remember the emotional turmoil. And yes, I would say both of them seem to have the emotional maturity of teenagers, even though Edward is theoretically past the 100-year mark. Looking forward to disturbing half-vampire children.
Minimal reading this round. First was the annual trip to North Carolina with my Outlander peeps. John Bell (aka Young Ian) is a delightful agent of chaos. Then when I came back, it was to that sad moment when you know your dog is telling you it’s time. Well, my brothers’ dog, but my dog adjacent. It’s been coming for a while, and we spoiled her terribly this last month, but there I was weeping in my kitchen that night when I realized he’d brought her with when he did some plumbing work for me while I was gone and had given her the last pupper cup in my freezer. She was a very good dog. Sorry, I’m dwelling. On to books.
Normally I like to travel with a book related to where I’m going, or for the Outlander trip, time travel, but nothing presented itself, so I went with the second Midsolar Murder CHAOS TERMINAL by Mur Lafferty. Chaos being the operative word here. There are A LOT of characters, half of them new. More humans are headed to Station Eternity, which usually makes Mallory jumpy, but she finds herself strangely sanguine. When they do arrive, she’s shocked to find that two of them were her closest friends in high school. Friends whose existence she had completely forgotten. The inevitable murder happens only for Mallory to find her murder solving mojo has deserted her. How is that possible? Add in the return of the wildly unpredictable Tina, a station that is becoming more and more unreliable? Definitely chaotic, but great fun.
Next come a couple traditional choices: IT TAKES A PSYCHIC from Jayne Castle/JAK. A smoothly written romantic suspense in the Harmony series. Her style is so familiar and the dust bunny so amusing it was a comfort when I needed it.
@catscatscats, I am finding HIDDEN NATURE, not off putting, because it’s a good read, but uncomfortable maybe? The killers are really creeping me out. And the more time we spend with them, the creepier they get. It’s a bit of brilliant plotting when juxtaposed with the normality of the main characters’ lives and interactions because they only differ in that one crucial way.
Next up is either Anthony Horowitz’s MARBLE HALL MURDERS or Abby Jimenez’s SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME. No wait, the GBPL just notified me that ATONEMENT SKY is waiting at the drive through. Rainy afternoon and Nalini Singh’s falcon shifters it is. Timing is everything.
Last night I read WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN by Stephanie Burgis which was a total delight, a lovely gentle hero and a nice twist on fantasy cliches. Refreshing and comforting, one of those books I didn’t know I needed until I read it. Still on sale by the looks of it.
Not romance but I also read THE DROWNING HOUSE by Cherie Priest, which was more paranormal history than straight-up horror. It really hit the right notes for me about being in your forties and the way relationships with long-time friends change but still being there for one another. The bittersweet feelings about a crush you’ve had since childhood never ending up the way you wanted. On top of that. Still on sale for $1.99 this month.
Also not romance THE SILENT PLACES by Skyla Dawn Cameron which I think is still on sale. A few people described it as a female rage thriller but I was still not prepared for how cathartic it was. A woman in a remote Northern Canada village has her husband go missing and a year later, the mystery of it has potentially exposed her identity. Deals with domestic violence but didn’t feel gratuitous and it throws a lot curveballs.
I’ve also been doing a reread of Ilona Andrews’ HIDDEN LEGACY series. I love that world and I wish there was more in it. I’m about to start THE WITCHWOOD KNOT by Olivia Atwater.
Over the past two weeks ~
— read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher for my book group. This novel for young adults was a quick and compelling read; it was sad as it tells the story of what drives a teen girl to kill herself. She records the thirteen reasons on cassette tapes (seven A sides and six B sides) that each recipient is instructed to listen to and then to mail to the next person or all will be released publicly. The teen boy who receives the tapes had a crush on her. We had a good conversation though there were mixed feelings about the book.
— enjoyed Carry On by Celia Lake, a fantasy romance set in an alternate magical Great Britain in 1915. The main characters are a healer sent back from the front due to an injury that left her with occasional but serious headaches and a major who becomes her sole patient at a temple of healing. This story has a mystery element as the two work together to figure out his circumstances. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ class differences.
— read Just for Fun by Rosalind James which is a contemporary romance set primarily in New Zealand some seven years after two people meet on a plane bound for Fiji. The young woman was on what was to be her honeymoon trip as her fiance decided just prior to their wedding to withdraw; the young man was a rising rugby player. When they meet years later, the woman is a single mother to a six year old son, and the man is a renowned rugby player representing his country. This book fulfills a summer reading bingo prompt ~ left at the altar.
— I don’t often read mysteries, but I’d heard favorable mention of In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan so asked my library to purchase it. I read this debut in its entirety in one day! This book is set in England and features a detective constable (widowed and now a single mother of a teen) returning to work after a leave of absence who is selected to take charge of a pilot program with a holographic AI detective and two other members. They begin investigating cold cases of missing persons. I will happily read the next volume in this series.
— enjoyed Weaving Hope by Celia Lake which is a fantasy romance set in the 1920s in an alternate England with magic. The male lead has just inherited a large house; he seeks out someone who can restore the tapestries on the property. The female lead, a widow, owns her own weaving workshop and takes on his commission. They are in their mid-forties and early fifties respectively; this was a charming romance.
— enjoyed Four Walls and a Heart by Celia Lake. This fantasy romance novella set in the 1880s featured two men who were apprentices together who reconnect after one of them is hospitalized after a battle injury.
— enjoyed a FREE prequel novella by Celia Lake who writes fantasy romances set in an alternate Britain in which some have magic ~ Forged in Combat by Celia Lake. This story was set in both Britain and India and had two magically talented people working together.
— enjoyed the contemporary romance Save the Game by J.J. Mulder though this covers some sad times. The prologue begins with one lead regaining consciousness in the hospital after having (we learn) been drugged and sexually assaulted at a campus party. The story begins a year later with that character much changed due to trauma; he meets the other lead (a college athlete working part-time at a diner) on a late night ramble.
— enjoyed Say You’ll Be Nine by Lucy Lennox, a contemporary romance. In this book, two men fake a relationship in order to obtain a summer sponsor for a YouTube renovation series. One is trying to earn money for his brother’s transplant; the other is hoping to obtain some independence from his family and buy a piece of property.
— reread a favorite fantasy, The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, and enjoyed it once again. One of the things I like about this book is that it features a main character who is a genuinely good person.
— enjoyed Funny Story by Emily Henry which is a contemporary romance; the title is apt because much of the story was amusing and had me laughing aloud. The book begins when the female lead is told by her fiance that the wedding is off as he has realized that he is in love with his lifelong best friend. She has a week to leave their home which is in his name; consequently, she ends up sharing an apartment with her replacement’s now ex-boyfriend.
— enjoyed a reread of Time Waits (Out of Time Book 1) by C.B. Lewis, an enjoyable romance with a strong time travel component in which a Hungarian soldier in 1943 ends up a hundred years in the future.
Most of my reading is still driven by Summer Romance Bingo, and I’m finding it an excellent spur to get out of my usual ruts. I found myself displacing a couple of completed prompts because I felt a different title was a better fit. Then there was that one prompt that was so far out of my wheelhouse, didn’t know if I could read anything in that category. Never the less, I persisted.
Oar Than Friends by Lulu Moore
I read book two in this series awhile ago, and decided that this one would be perfect for the Sports romance Bingo square. Both books are centered on the Cambridge-Oxford boat race and both seem to take place in a bubble of rarefied English air. Oar Than Friends is full of love-at-first-sight, UST, friendships, and boating lore. Yes, sex happens, but the reader desn’t get to perch on a windowsill and watch, at least not for long. Oz and Kate crew for their rival schools, and that provides most of the conflict. My one moment of dissonance occurred when Kate explained that she was from a coastal village in “northern Connecticut”. I think that’s called Rhode Island, sweetie. I loved this couple, their friend group, and this book. These books put me in mind of Wodehouse, Caudwell, and Sayers, though not as read-alikes. They just share small atmospheric or stylistic elements. Recommended.
Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst
This slow burn romance is a love letter to Paris. Maggie is struggling with writer’s block when her agent invites her to Paris in hope that it will stimulate her creativity. Once there, she meets Max, discovers much more than a muse, expands her circle of friends, and finds her writing mojo.The protagonists are mature (over 40), clever, witty, and shippable. Since my own brief encounter with Paris hit me the same way Maggie’s did, I revelled in the ambience. And–OMG–the food pr0n. Recommended.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
This is my pick for romance turned into a movie. I searched online to find a match for this category and was disappointed in the suggestions. The list makers sure do love them some Sparks. Did anyone find something really good for this category? I chose an Austen that I had never managed to read, and I’m liking it better than I expected to. I especially enjoyed the discussions of novel reading early in the book, but quite a lot of it made me chuckle. It was interesting to see such prime examples of mansplaining and gaslighting before those terms entered our vocabulary. I found myself rooting for Catherine and Henry, flawed though they were, but mostly I enjoyed spending time with Miss Austen herself. She really is peerless.
Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood
I chose this book because it received a B+ or higher from SB-TB. (This one was an A.) Also, I’d been really looking forward to reading it. This was my very favorite kind of celebrity romance. Cynthie and Jack sparked throughout the story from their angry beginnings to their fiery finish. The movie making background and its extensive found family provided a perfectly balanced setting for their romance. It has a well executed dual timeline that worked pretty well. Enthusiastically recommended.
Love on the Air by Ash London
This mostly light-hearted romance was a perfect choice to fill the “character who works in audio” Bingo prompt. Narrator, Alex York is a radio presenter in Sydney who’s given a second chance at her dream career after her life implodes. Her shiny new job includes an intriguing new boss in Leo Billings. I was put off by the brand name dropping that permeated the first half of this book, but that fades somewhat as the story becomes more invested in the radio background, social interactions, and Alex’s developing relationship with Leo. Despite some workplace angst, this is basically a very lively, positive romance with muted heat levels.
The Wedding of the Year by Jill Mansell
This one’s my pick for yellow or orange cover. It’s all orange, all the time. Basically, if romances were fireworks, this one would be the Grand Finale–so many relationships, coming together, falling apart, and realigning like an imperfect bonanza of HEAs and HFNs. Mansell is a very sharp observer of human nature. This story didn’t feature a lot of individual emotional growth on page, but it was ultimately, very satisfying and fun.
A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong
I’ve had this book for ages, but hadn’t read it because I’m ambivalent about time travel stories. They can be melancholy. Thanks to the Bingo, my doubts are soothed. This story of a woman returning to a house filled with joyful memories that ended in trauma was everything I could have asked of a time travel romance–or a paranormal or gothic romance for that matter. Bronwyn and William are an immensely satisfying couple, and the phantoms are just scary enough. Totally recommended.
Dead Witch in the Library by Gretchen Galway
I had hoped to use this to fulfill the paranormal romance prompt, but the seventh Sonoma Witches book is more paranormal mystery with romantic elements. Still this was a pleasure to read, though the finale was faintly reminiscent of King’s Carrie. The eternally underestimated hearth witch Alma Bellrose goes to extremes to seek justice and protect her loved ones, including Seth, her changling lover. Pretty sure this one could stand alone, but it’s a much richer experience if one has read the rest of the series.
Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh
Now THIS is paranormal romance! I particularly enjoyed this entry in the Psy-Changeling series because it does not dwell on the childhood trauma of the protagonists in the same way that some earlier books in the series did. I cannot imagine not reading this series, but sometimes the descriptions of abuse in earlier books were agonizing in the extreme. I started to wonder if the goal was to increase the angst level in each new book. I am relieved that it doesn’t appear so in this latest outing. I don’t need all that heightened angst in these parlous times.
Happy After All by Maisey Yates
Thank you to @DonnaMarie for mentioning this title in a WAYR post a couple of months ago. Also, I’m using this for the Small Town Bingo prompt. Happy After All is a lovely story of two lonely people dealing with sorrow in very different ways. Romance writer Amelia is reconstructing her life in the small, hot Arizona town of Rancho Encanto when surly author Nathan first books a room at her Pink Flamingo Motel for the summer. Nathan comes to Rancho Encanto strictly to write, but after three years of solitary retreats, he has somehow become part of Amelia’s little community. The burn is slow and intense, but is punctuated by some fairly substantive conversations about loss, grief, and writing between the MCs and their cohort of Flamingans. I really like that they aren’t butting heads over the merits of their genres. I get that romance gets a bum rap, but it doesn’t help when discussions become mechanical. Each chapter is introduced by a short description of a familiar romance trope, yet somehow this story mostly avoids the standard cliches. That right there says a lot about what makes a good romance work. If there is a flaw, it is that the book gets very talky towards the end as Amelia and Nathan wrestle with their grief and their future. Recommended.
The Hostage Bargain by Annika Martin
I’ve enjoyed Martin’s humor in her Billionaire series, so I was hoping that I’d be able to tolerate this Kinky Bank Robber series entry for the “Why choose?” Bingo prompt. This is not my thing at all, but needs must when the devil drives. Hate it so far. At least it’s short. Still need a mental health break. On second thought, DNF.
First-Time Caller by B. K. Borison
This book is first in a series, and I am a first time reader of this author. It also has a radio setting, so it could fulfil the audio Bingo prompt. I liked the protagonists in this book, especially Lucie. It was easy to relate to this single mom parenting a twelve year old daughter, working full time as a mechanic, maintaining her found family, and yearning for a loving relationship. Aiden, on the other hand, is less approachable as a jaded radio host of a romance hotline program. Turns out that there’s more to Aiden’s story than generic burnout. The story revolves around Lucie’s on air search for love, and the closeness that develops between Lucie and Aiden. While writing, characters, and settings are very appealing, I found the course of Lucie and Aiden’s story arc to be just a tad predictable. Otherwise, recommended.
Well, I’ll say one thing for being on antibiotics for the second time in under 2 weeks; you do get a lot of time to read when you’re sitting in urgent care again. Ughhh. But anyhoo, I had noticed that my reading over the past two months has been…dark. Not necessarily a bad thing, I read some stellar books over that time, but I needed a change. So I fired up How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin. It was funny and smart, and the throughline of trying to take down a MLM (may they all tumble) provided just the right level of intrigue. Then, because I still wanted something less heavy, I went right into A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. I loved the arch British tone to it, the way everyone in it is so focused on caring, and it still had the right amount of bite. Also, there was some autism rep in the book that was sensitive and smart, and as a parent of two young adults on the spectrum, I always appreciate it when that is done well. Since I didn’t really want to leave that world right away (because, well, look at the one we’re in), I started her previous book, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I’m finding that Mandanna does kids very well, and the cast of characters are loving and lovely to each other, and I also love the sheer prettiness of the magic systems (you can practically see the sparkles and smell the magical scents). I will probably finish it today, and then who knows? The brain ever wants what it wants.
Late to the party but read and loved RADIANCE by GRACE DRAVEN and am now reading the rest of the WRAITH KINGS series, including novellas set in the same world. (first book written back when this genre was called fantasy romance)
Read and enjoyed two contemporary mysteries by SUSAN JUBY, MINDFUL OF MURDER and A MEDITATION ON MURDER. The reluctant amateur sleuth is a Buddhist butler.
Very much enjoyed ATONEMENT SKY by NALINI SINGH.
I’m half way through a JD Robb, In Death, reread, not something I normally do. Currently reading the new Lane Hayes book, Something to Prove, then back to Eve and Roarke.
HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS by Erin A. Craig started well with worldbuilding thru a plot-relevant funeral, then treaded water before making with the magic and spookies. The narrator got so flummoxed meeting a hot guy that I sprained my eyes rolling them. She tells us she always gets weird around men, but she hasn’t, and doesn’t later. I’ve paused halfway thru because it’s getting to be winter in the story and I want summer.
“Crab Boy’s Ghost” in CRAB BOY’S GHOST: Gullah Folktales from Murrells Inlet’s Brookgreen Gardens in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Fine story but feels weird that this Black folktale was recorded from a white woman who had a gig telling stories in a garden built on a former plantation.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” in MIDSUMMER MYSTERIES, a collection of summer stories by Agatha Christie. Seemed dreamy & surreal when I glanced at it, but I don’t know why because it’s not.
BIG TROUBLE by Dave Barry: South Florida crime farce. Reasonably fun except for the vibe-killing threat of sexual violence (WTF).
Finished FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER by Arnold Lobel, which was charming.
Started an omnibus collection of USAGI YOJIMBO comics by Stan Sakai, scratching the odd itch I’ve had for feudal Japanese setting this year.
Started OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SHEILA THE GREAT by Judy Blume. The theme of fear caught my eye.
@C
re: “mewl”
If you find that petition, let me know! I think that’s the sound you make when someone “lathes” your nipple.
@C
A quick web search suggests that the New Camelot series does have end in a HEA.
@PamG I’m so happy you enjoyed HAPPY AFTER ALL as much as I did.
@Kolforin I read Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great a few times as a kid and mostly remember it as the Judy Blume that made me want to be a great yo-yo’er and try slam books at my next slumber party. Thank goodness my mother talked me out of the latter.
I’m still reaching for a lot of older categories as comfort reads and also to fulfill a couple of challenges, but only a few standouts in a lot of meh.
VOICES IN SUMMER by Rosamunde Pilcher (Retro Summer Theme) – Not my favorite from her but lovely descriptions of Cornwall. The conflict toward the end seemed rushed.
SUMMER DESSERTS by Nora Roberts (Retro Summer Theme) – Nora Competence P0rn alert! I had a hard time warming up to the MCs–Blake’s dad had much more personality even though he only appeared in a couple of scenes.
THE PROMISE OF HAPPINESS by Betty Neels (Retro Summer Theme) – Loved it. Tough, determined MC sets off on foot in the pouring rain with two downtrodden pets and is swept up by the obligatory Neels rich Dutch doctor (RDD).
SUMMER OF JOANNA by Janice Carter (Retro Summer Theme) – Meh. Overlong suspense in which a young woman is willed a summer camp by a woman she hasn’t seen since she was an 11 year old. Interesting premise, but the characters are flat and the plot too convoluted.
THE MISTLETOE KISS by Betty Neels (Christmas in July Theme) – Another warm hug from Neels. Love how Ermentrude(!) never takes shit from the RDD and is constantly knitting.
ROSES FOR CHRISTMAS by Betty Neels (Christmas in July theme) – Another meh. I never really liked Fulk (kept reading it as Funk), who comes across as even more arrogant to me than most of Neels’s MMCs and who drives a very silly car. Half the book relies on a misunderstanding that goes on far too long.
I had forgotten about the bingo (it has been a Month) so will print out my card today and get going on that.
@C and @PamG ~ I’d happily sign a petition against use of both mewl and smirk in romances!
@Kareni, thank you for recommending CLAIMINGS, TAILS AND OTHER ALIEN ARTIFACTS by Lyn Gala. I am a fan of human/monster romance and this world, and the dynamic between the characters, is very different from other stories I’ve read. I enjoyed it very much and plan to read more in the series.
Currently reading DARK VOWS, Book 5 in J.S. Cook’s Kildevil Cove (Newfoundland) Murder Mysteries. Both MMCs – Danny, the detective, and Tadhg, the real estate developer – are bisexual and their romance is woven through the series but every book focuses more on a crime or crimes. In this one, Cook introduced a new character, Blaise Pascal (yes, really), who is darkly intriguing.
FAN SERVICE by Rosie Danan was a surprise. Don’t meet your hero, the one that broke your teenage heart, unless he becomes a werewolf and needs your help. This worked in every way as both characters needed to see themselves and each other differently. Really well done.
MEET ME AT THE CROSSROADS by Megan Giddings tells the story of twin sisters raised by different divorced parents. But then seven mysterious doors appear around the world, which lead to fear, cults and exploration. A meditation on family, sisters and grief.
A DISAPPEARANCE IN FIJI by Nilima Rao is a debut mystery set in 1914. A disgraced Indian police officer is sent to a post in a British colonial town on the island. Racism and classicism are endemic; the reality of indentured Indian laborers on sugar plantations is horrific. Officer Akal Singh must find out what happened to a missing woman without offending the white planters. Eye-opening and fascinating at the same time. Highly recommended.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD EXCEPT ME by Django Wexler. Book 2 in the (completely mad) Dark Lord duology, must be read in order. Where to start? Just read it, OK? I want the author to be my new friend.
A mix of really good reads this time:
RUNNING HOTT (f/m) is the fourth in Serena Bell’s fabulous Hott Springs Eternal series, set in small-town Rush Creek, where the Hott siblings are scrambling to fulfill the unusual terms of their late grandfather’s will so they can retain ownership of his property and the ranch they’re transforming into a vibrant part of the community. It’s Rhys Hott’s turn, which means he has to take a break from his work as a divorce attorney in the Big Apple to work a successful stint as a wedding planner. Unfortunately among his clients is Eden Becker, a woman whose marriage he helped dissolve several years prior…
Serena Bell’s storytelling is every bit as incredible and compelling as ever, as readers enjoy Rhys and Eden’s fateful road-trip and the fallout thereafter. Their pasts have made them wary of the connection they feel and have taught them to guard their hearts and selves. I love how welcoming the family and friends they have are and how warmly they are enfolded as they begin to let go of the pain their histories have caused. Running Hott is a wonderfully delicious read and I cannot wait for the last in the series. Serena Bell continues to sweep me away with every new release.
WALKING ON BROKEN PATHS by Amy Aislin (m/m) is a beautifully written story about hockey player Jesse Melnik and sports journalist turned temporary dinner cruise operator Parker Willis. Jesse and Parker were best friends forever, but hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years, when Jesse had essentially fled town to escape the weight of sorrow and guilt over his brother’s death. And Parker is newly mourning his father, and struggling to find the right path forward that would honor his legacy and keep him close.
Amy Aislin’s story is full of sorrow but also healing and hope. Jesse’s character is first introduced in STAR OF THE GAME (Stick Side #6) and also appears in GAME CHANGER (Vancouver Orcas #2), but Walking on Broken Paths stands alone well. Jesse and Parker find in some ways that their friendship picks up as easily as if they’d never left off, but also need to work on their own concerns and hearts. Much of their story is learning to live after loss, with loss, beyond loss. While their situations aren’t entirely parallel, some of Parker and Jesse’s connection is certainly because they understand all too well what deep wounds grief carves and how different and not necessarily direct the path each person travels through that sometimes agonizing, sometimes numbing time. Ultimately Jesse and Parker learn to move forward, and so do we. A stellar read.
NO WAY ROSE (f/m) by Kate Davies is the first in the multi author Pour Decisions trilogy set in the lovely Napa Valley wine country. Rosa Martinelli and her sisters are stunned to learn their beloved grandmother left them her vineyard instead of allowing their uncle to continue to manage it alongside the family’s property. Rosa and Allegra and Bianca are determined to restore Caparelli to glory, whatever it takes, and given the difficulty ahead of them, it isn’t going to be certain nor easy. Rosa’s sisters are currently wrapping up other responsibilities so the weight of all of it rests on her shoulders, and she cannot seem to hire anyone, until her ex, Jake Wright, offers to lend a temporary hand.
Kate Davies has written a page-turning second-chance story, full of passion and some intrigue and bone-deep satisfaction when Jake and Rosa’s hard work and connections and the community truly show up when push comes to shove. I loved how this story swept me right into the heart of the wine country and family wineries. Can’t wait to enjoy the other sisters’ stories.
KARMA’S A BEACH (f/m) by Samantha Chase is an entertaining and moving story about Olivia Ashley and Sebastian who meet by chance on a plane ride to a mutual friend’s funeral. Liv’s anxious over giving the eulogy among other things, and Sebastian is able to give her some friendly support as they endure flight delays and other challenges. When it turns out they not only have mutual friends but they will be vacationing together at a shared beach house, that friendly beginning has the chance to become a whole lot friendlier.
Samantha Chase dives into the first-person pool with Karma’s a Beach, and it’s a fun and funny read. Liv and Sebastian navigate the ups and downs not only of their growing connection but also the various pulls of their friends and the ways those relationships have grown over the time they’ve know each other. An entertaining and poignant look at life and love and laughter and living.
Finally, FANNING THE FLAMES (f/f) is the second in Kelly Farmer’s Vector City Supers trilogy. Joan Malone has retired from a life of villainy and she and her brother, Mark, are focused on getting their food truck up and running with the help of Joan’s girlfriend, Sadie Eagan. Things are cruising along when unfortunately super villains from other cities show up, wanting to take advantage of the seeming opportunity.
Kelly Farmer’s story is an interesting take on superpowers and the choices that shape people’s lives no matter what powers they possess. Loved getting to know Joan and Sadie and their families and friends even better in this book, and look forward to more in this creative universe!
Can’t wait to see what everyone’s been reading!
@cleo, I’ve read SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY too, and enjoyed it–I agree that it felt very on point for HS, although it’s been many decades since I’ve had immediate experience, LOL.
@DiscoDollyDeb, I loved RUNNING HOTT too, and loved how articulately you described some of why :). And thanks for your thoughts on Willow Dixon’s latest–while I’ve really enjoyed some of her previous books (on your rec, I believe), the direction of this latest series didn’t sound like it was for me, and I appreciate you confirming that!
@Kolforin, I remember finding Dave Barry very funny, both his nonfiction and his fiction. Quite enjoyed his YA with the kids. And I have fond memories of reading the Frog and Toad books with the youngest.
I’m a little heartbroken to hear the poor response to SOULGAZER. I bought the ebook and have been saving it for a day I can binge read at the beach. I’ll still give it a go, but with lower expectations.
I have been thoroughly enjoying the audiobook for THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO FALL FOR YOUR ENEMY. Fantastic voice actors, scorching, dry banter. I have been laughing out loud repeatedly at the barbs the MCs trade back and forth. The magic world building is detailed without being an info dump. And lots of fantastic vocab words thrown in . A nod to the Hermione inspiration.
For eyeballs-on-paper reading, I’ve been sucked back into Shelly Laurenston’s shifter books. I picked one at random midway through the PRIDE series and just kept buzzing along. I’ve reread multiple times and still find them entertaining. It’s nice that there’s not a lot of whiny MCs (expect the lions), and the MCs are typically past their 20s. Fun easy reads.
I finished reading Sara Donati’s INTO THE WILDERNESS series. The wrap up was very satisfying, with some tears at the end. Now I want to reread the “next” book which launched my foray into her series so I can better understand the FMC’s history and fami.
I started NEVER BEEN SHIPPED and so far enjoying. Just need to pick it up again.
I listened to the audiobooks for Navessa Allen’s INTO DARKNESS series. I’m not a social media person, so these popped up on Hoopla for me. They are dark romance reads, but have a lot of lightness at the same time. There’s an expected emotional depth. I definitely recommend the audiobooks. They’re duet style and acted so well. The first book LIGHTS OUT has such original premise (to me at least) and the MMC reader was fantastically adorable. The second book, CAUGHT UP, the FMC and friends are very sex positive. Be warned for some sex shaming from social connections/family. I especially enjoyed the MMC was the one exploring his emotions around kink and sex play. It also had some great found family.
@JTAlexis ~ I’m so pleased to learn that you enjoyed CLAIMINGS, TAILS AND OTHER ALIEN ARTIFACTS by Lyn Gala; Liam and Ondry are amongst my favorite romance couples.
@DonnaMarie ~ My sympathies that you had to say farewell to your brother’s dog.
@C ~ your remark “it had the plot of a dark mafia romance but with more petticoats” made me laugh!
Reading continues to be hit or miss for me.
Tried to read THE FRIENDSHIP FLING (grumpy FMC/sunshine MMC, might be black cat/golden retriever?) Probably if I had continued reading there would have been some sort of explanation for why the FMC appeared to actively dislike everyone except her roommate, but I didn’t want to spend that much time with her.
THE DEPTHS OF VANALF by Brady Hunsaker was also a DNF for me. A monster-slaying/quest fantasy with 6(!!) point of view characters alternating chapters.
On a more positive note, I enjoyed SNOWED IN AT THE CAT CAFE by Rachel Rowlands. MMC, mourning the recent death of his cat, reluctantly takes a job as driver for a cat cafe. FMC works at the cat cafe. Both are artists currently stuck in their careers and dealing with other struggles. Everything tied up a bit too neatly, but it was a cute book and I enjoyed escaping from AZ summer into winter in the Lake District.
I’m sure I must have enjoyed some other fiction since last posting here, but I can’t think what.
Non-Fiction:
REFUSING COMPULSORY SEXUALITY: A BLACK ASEXUAL LENS ON OUR SEX-OBSESSED CULTURE by Sherronda Brown is excellent. I highly recommend it, and not just for Ace folks.
WHAT WE DON’T TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FAT by Aubrey Gordon is also excellent. I’ve been listening to her podcast Maintenance Phase which debunks diet culture and other weird, unhealthy “health” beliefs/trends. Before reading this I had no idea just how ubiquitous and horrific fatphobia is.
Just finished A CENTURY OF TOMORROWS: HOW IMAGINING THE FUTURE SHAPES THE PRESENT by Glenn Adamson. It is a history of futurology in the US and how the futures we fear or plan for mostly reflect how we see the present. Interesting stuff, although I wish I could have seen the museum exhibit the author worked on which inspired the book.
Currently reading THIS PRINCESS KILLS MONSTERS, and enjoying it so far.
This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman is a fairy tale retelling in a queer-norm fantasy world. While I didn’t always buy the cultural assumptions, I enjoyed the twists on the various sampled tales and it is very funny. There’s also a trans romance for the main protagonist. Highly recommended!
I read Nalini Singh’s Atonement Sky twice and loved it. Mur Lafferty’s Infinite Archive was a great third installment in her Midsolar Murders series and I hope there are more (although this did wrap up a long-standing plot line).
If you’re into mysteries, I recommend Alys Clare’s Gabriel Taverner series, about a doctor and set in Shakespearean England. The 6th and final book came out recently and I plan to buy the whole series to re-read, since I stayed up past 4am to finish this one. I also enjoy her World’s End Bureau series and am now on a hunt for the rest of her backlist. Both series contain some romantic elements but it’s not the main focus.
@Kareni, @C, and @PamG: last week, there was a hilarious post on the m/m romance subreddit about words and phrases that readers were tired of reading. The comments were not only accurate (if I never read another romance where someone’s butthole is “winking”, I’ll be happy) but in some cases admittedly self-roasting (many commentators said that they disliked X but that they always read books featuring X). I think we could all come up with words that we’d be glad not to read in a romance again, but “mewl” and “smirk” are certainly at the top of the list.
I am reminded by the comments that I read and enjoyed WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN several months ago but may have forgotten to mention it. Along with RADIANCE and THE CHOCOLATIER’S WIFE by Cindy Lynn Speer, that may be my romantasy quota for the year. I’ll happily read more Speer, but RADIANCE took a violent turn towards the end, so I won’t continue the series.
I read BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DUKE, the final book of a Kelly Bowen trilogy. It’s good, but not my favorite of the 3. For the record, the hero is not a duke, or any kind of nobility. I guess publishers just like using DUKE in book titles?
I read TRIBUTE by Nora Roberts based on a rec here, but was not wild about it. I enjoy home renovation pr0n but this was an overdose for me, ymmv. The Rec League about awkward sex led me to reread TO SEDUCE A SINNER by Elizabeth Hoyt for about the 6th time, and yes, I still love it. She’s not really known for humor, but this book is quite funny in parts, lots of sparring between the MCs. Also a great lead-in to the next in the series, TO BEGUILE A BEAST.
Currently rereading A SKY FULL OF STARS by Savannah Chase, which I got as an ARC at the last (sniff T_T) Romantic Times Convention. I remembered disliking the ML the first time I read it and thinking he was kind of a douche, but on second read it’s more that he’s very socially awkward and reads like someone on the autism spectrum, but he’s trying very hard to be considerate and supportive of the FL without pushing her boundaries. Very earnest and serious. Still not sure it’s a keeper, though, since it seems to be toward the end of a long series.