Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re kicking off August:
Sarah: I’m reading Stone and Sky, ( A | BN | K | AB ) the new Peter Grant book in audio because Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s narration is top-tier for me. And I’m reading The Seven O’Clock Club, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is set within a grief therapy group
Amanda: I’m reading The Assassin and the Libertine ( A ) on Kindle, which reimagines the French Revolution with vampires. I like it so far, but it feels like a very slow read despite being average length. I also picked up King of Pride by Ana Huang. ( A | BN ) Really enjoyed book one in the Kings of Sin series. The hero of Pride is a prominent secondary character in book one and I was very interested for his story.
Lara: I’ve fallen head long into Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ). I’m currently on book 7 and savoring every second.
So, whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
Hey, Amanda, I don’t think this page is loading on the website properly. I can’t get to it from the website, and had to search for it. Sorry to be the bearer of pain-in-the-neck technical news.
Hmmm, now it seems up? I don’t know what happened — it was probably me.
Anyhow, I have been reading some decent books, but nothing is really wowing me right now. THE NEW GUY a Sarina Bowen m/m hockey romance was solid, and fits the neighbors block on the Summer Reading Challenge. THE WOLF KING’S MATE by Lola Glass, a fated mate f/m wolf shifter book was also enjoyable. Finally, I don’t particularly love MC romances, but I do love Katie Wilde, so I read CRAVING IT ALL, which was a nice way to spend an evening.
I am thinking I need a Regency reset — I met a really great professor at a meeting this week who also loves romance books and our conversation reminded me that I haven’t read everything by Georgette Heyer yet, so I am going to dig into her list this weekend. The professor also said that she’d never met anyone else who said they liked romance novels (I was explaining that reading books with HEA’s distracts me and keeps me sane) and that made me really sad. Of course I recommended this site. 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
I love, love, loved Kristy Greenwood’s THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE. It is, by turns heart-rendingly sad, laugh-out-loud hilarious, poignantly tender, and thought-provoking. It’s also a thoroughly English novel, completely grounded in the attitudes and geography of London; I don’t think you could successfully transpose the story to another milieu. The story opens with heroine Delphie choking to death on a microwave burger (her final mortal thought is how embarrassing it is to die choking on processed food). She awakens in the afterlife (called Evermore and looking like a rather dreary laundromat), where her afterlife guide is the acerbic Merritt, who offers Delphie a chance to watch her own life on an old VHS tape. Delphie reluctantly watches as her mother falls apart after her father left and Delphie’s best childhood friend morphs into a mean girl and a bully. While Merritt is explaining the internal politics of Evermore (which seems distressingly similar to a company office with a lot of older men in management positions), a dental patient, Jonah, dead from anesthesia, arrives. Jonah and Delphie have a few moments of rapturous joy (they are obviously soul mates) until it is discovered that—oh no—Jonah was mistakenly delivered to Evermore, and he is immediately sent back to Earth. Merritt then gives Delphie one chance to reverse her death: return to Earth, find Jonah (who will remember nothing of his brief visit to the afterlife), and get him to voluntarily kiss her within ten days. Given that Delphie knows nothing of Jonah except his name and that he lives in (and loves) London, that’s a tall order. Once back in the land of the living, Delphie makes numerous ingenious attempts to locate Jonah, even bringing herself to enlist help from her grumpy neighbor, Cooper. As the hunt continues, we clearly see how sad and lonely Delphie’s life has been, with Mr. Yoon, an elderly neighbor, being the only person she has made a connection with. Over the course of the book, she makes new friends, develops deeper relationships with the mother-daughter duo with whom she works at a pharmacy, and grows closer to Cooper. So much happens over the course of ten days, as Delphie opens up to new experiences and new possibilities while wandering all over London trying to locate Jonah, that it’s a shock to realize the bulk of the book takes place in less than two weeks. The book is full of cleverly-turned tropes and set pieces, everything from Delphie’s “beautiful swan” moment to confronting her former bully to putting together a party for Mr. Yoon. The story ties everything together beautifully, being a love letter to love, to London, and to romance novels. One of my favorite reads of 2025. Highly recommended.
I have been disinclined to try another Beth Bolden book after the first one I tried, HOT STREAK (a baseball romance), so blatantly plagiarized the movie “Bull Durham” that I had to DNF. However, I read a rave review for her latest, BREAKING THE ICE (part of her Portland Evergreens series of m/m hockey romances), and decided to give it a try. While BREAKING THE ICE breaks no new ground, it is a serviceable hockey romance with a bi-awakening/recovering from loss storyline. Also, because Bolden states at the beginning of the book that she sets her stories in a much more welcoming and inclusive world then our own, most of the angst is driven by the MCs’ internal emotional issues rather than external factors like concern about how their sexuality will be accepted. In BREAKING THE ICE, Gavin, a former hockey player and coach, has been living an isolated life in a cabin, mourning the sudden death of his wife some four years before. Zach, one of Gavin’s former players and now a coach himself, approaches Gavin to consider returning to coaching and taking a job as head coach of the Portland Evergreens (with Zach as his assistant coach). Gavin (somewhat ambivalently) finally agrees and starts his tenure as head coach. Zach, who is openly gay and has had a crush on Gavin since his teen years (a crush Gavin was completely oblivious to), tries not to fall for Gavin—but with limited success. Meanwhile, Gavin (who is aware of his own bisexuality, although he has never acted on it) also develops feelings for Zach. The relationship develops at an exceedingly slow pace with Gavin feeling both guilty and unsure, and Zach trying hard to give Gavin space but also sensing how good they could be together. Meanwhile, since the book’s timeline basically runs concurrently with the previous books in the series, we see snapshots into the lives of the MC from the other books—and I’m looking forward to a future book involving Zach’s friend and the man for whom he has been pining for years. A worthwhile read; recommended.
I read Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood and though I thought it was very good, I felt it needed stronger warnings for its depiction of abuse. I was extremely triggered. Please exercise caution when reading.
I read Pugs and Kisses by Farrah Rochon. I didn’t love the romance, it didn’t sizzle for me, but what I did love was the friendship among the three women. That is always the strongest part of her novels for me. High praise for all the adorable puppies depicted!
My reading has slowed down due to a serious shoulder injury and I can’t really type so it a short and sweet post from me this time!
I just finished An Enchantment of Ravens, a book I rated five stars when I first read it eight years ago. But upon second read this year it’s more two and a half stars. Wild how that happens.
So finishing that I started Daughter of Tides which is good so far, though always a weird thing to say when you’re only a few chapters in.
@kaelie: one of my favorite sayings is: You never read the same book twice—you’re always a different person each time you re-read it.
There are several romantasy books waiting on my TBR pile, including FEAR THE FLAMES by Olivia Rose Darling and KINGDOM OF TOMORROW by Gena Showalter.
I also want to keep reading in a few series, including the Gray Man series by Mark Greaney and the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz.
But mostly, I am waiting on fall and cooler weather. It has been sooo humid this summer. I am ready for crisp, chilly mornings. 🙂
I have been on a slight ROMANTCY kick lately. THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH really hit the spot. I loved that beautiful cover. This had a slightly confusing world and a wtf ending to me but I knew going in that it was not a standalone. The FMC is Diviner(think Oracle of Delphi vibe) about to finish out her 10 years of servitude when her world is upended. The writing is absolutely lush which helps with the emersion. I also ploughed through…
SERVANT OF EARTH by Sarah Hawley. This was more gritty than the above title and I liked it a LOT. Kenna, the FMC is a poor girl from a poor town that routinely and ritualistically sends a group of girls out into the bog every few years to be given over to the Fae to live out the rest of their lives. Supposedly in splendor and wealth. Not so much. Kenna makes the crossing (probably the first to really make it in centuries) and finds a deeply cruel and divided Fae realm. Survival is iffy and she doesn’t know who to trust so therefore trusts no one. Good call. Very well done but I’m a little tired of every author in this category writing a duology or trilogy. What ever happened to the stand alone with adjacent characters? Every story seems to be broken into multiples anymore. No? Just me then. For something completely different…
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman was a hoot. I inhaled every book one right after the other surprising myself and my notorious “serial quitter” rep. This is litRPG, which I had never really heard of but the first audible book was on sale so I gave it a shot. Everybody raved about the narrator on this and they were right to do so. I bought EVERY audible as well as digital. Fun, Fun times and edge of your seat action (no romance). I am reminded of how I gave Murderbot a shot even though sci-fi wasn’t really my jam but it appealed to people on this site. Carl is witness to the end of Earth as aliens invade it for the resources. Those who didn’t die immediately are forced to enter nearby stairs which lead to a dungeon environment where they must fight for their lives all while televised to the universe. Think Running Man only more fun. Carl, who was outside gathering up his girlfriends pet cat in his underwear is one of the survivors and expected to die with style. Only Carl, and the now able to talk cat decide living is a better FU to the invaders. Please think about trying this story out, especially the Audible because it is worth it. Now both sisters, my nephew and husband all agree. In comparison…
ROSE IN CHAINS by Julie Soto was just ok for me. The themes compared to the age group seemed opposed. There is forced servitude and rape mixed with most of the main characters being 17-19. It came off a bit ick if I’m honest. Almost like it started off a YA story and the editor said to split the difference. At least to me. For a change of pace…
THESE SUMMER STORMS by Sarah Maclean is a traditionally historical author writing contemporary and she did a nice job. No romance to speak of though. This story is about a wealthy family with the last name Storm. The father is a Steve Jobs like character who made the family fortune and has just died. He seemed a controlling bastard who used his money like a whip to keep the kids on the path he chooses for them. The story is told through the eyes of the only one who ‘escaped’ his hold and therefore was estranged from the family for the last 10 years. Alice comes home for the funeral and is confronted by all that family disfunction as well as the really hot guy who is charged with administering the conditions of the fathers will. More family drama with a dash of romance but done very well so congratulations to Maclean on the transition. For a change of pace…
THE REVENGE GAME by Jax Calder has a cutesy illustrated cover but a little heavier theme. Andrew is a successful, young computer coder who started his own company and just sold it for millions. He’s kicking around London and trying to figure out his next steps when he sees one of THE bullies in a local pub. When Justin doesn’t even recognize him he decides on the spot to get revenge so gets a day job in the tech help department at Justin’s company. It goes about how you would expect with unexpected feelings and scrambling subterfuge. Nicely done and a little deeper than expected.
Next up will be TEARS OF THE WOLF by Elizabeth Wheatle which was recommended by Ilona Andrews so of course! I also have the last book in the Madison Square Murders which just came out. Happy reading Ya’ll.
Today I’m experiencing a recurrence of the tech glitch that requires me to refresh this page each time I visit in order to see all of the posts… but I’ll go ahead and add my WAYR report for the past two weeks, and hope the tech gremlins don’t devour it.
I enjoyed two British-set celebrity romances by new-to-me author Laura Wood. These books have some overlapping characters so I’d suggest reading them in order. UNDER YOUR SPELL features FMC Clementine (Clemmie) Monroe, 33-year-old daughter of a rock star. She has two sisters who are the same age as Clemmie and have the same rock star dad, but different mothers. The group of mothers and daughters have formed an unexpected and close extended family. The MMC, Theo Eliott, is also a musician, and Clemmie has no desire to get involved with him beyond a one-night stand when she didn’t know his real identity. But Clemmie ends up working with Theo as a sort of caretaker/personal assistant while he tries to harness his creativity to compose songs for a new album. To accomplish the assignment, Clemmie and Theo spend six weeks together in an isolated cottage owned by Clemmie’s family, and that’s where the romance happens. Both MCs are good at communicating almost all of the time, and their unfolding connection, along with many appearances by the other members of Clemmie’s extended family, contributed to a fun and satisfying novel.
LET’S MAKE A SCENE includes some brief appearances by Theo and Clemmie, since Theo was once linked with this novel’s FMC, actress Cynthie Taylor. The novel explains how Cynthie met MMC Jack Turner-Jones when they co-starred in a Regency romance movie that made both of them famous, although they famously didn’t like each other (but lusted for each other frequently). The storyline flashes back multiple times to 13 years prior, when 20-year-old Cynthie and 24-year-old Jack met, and then moves to the present, where the two actors have reunited to film a sequel to their first movie, and also have agreed to pretend to be romantic partners as part of a “back stage documentary” that’s being created to help promote the new movie. Once these two stop pranking, berating, and avoiding each other and start communicating about their fears and anxieties, the relationship blossoms, and both are willing to admit to the attraction that never really went away. I liked the characters and the detailed behind-the-scenes descriptions of movie production processes that are significant parts of the plot, but I wasn’t thrilled with Jack’s “grand gesture” that takes up a lot of the final portions of the story. However, this plot element connected to themes of “found family” that were important for both MCs, so it made sense as a concluding element.
I picked up THE FALL RISK, a Kindle Unlimited short story by Abby Jimenez, after reading favorable comments about it in some SBTB posts, and I join the others who have recommended it as a quick, enjoyable read. The plot elements are serious (a woman dealing with life changes made necessary by a persistent stalker) but this story is uplifting and has great banter between the MCs.
Then, as is often the case for me, I found several other Jimenez books in my Kindle TBR stack, including all three parts of her debut “The Friend Zone” series (THE FRIEND ZONE, THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST, and LIFE’S TOO SHORT). I know I’m late to the Jimenez party, since these books were published in 2019 through 2021, but I read all three in a few days, and continued to admire and enjoy this author’s facility at combining serious topics (infertility, debilitating grief, ALS, addiction, OCD hoarder behavior, etc.) with great banter among friends and between couples in various stages of relationships. The third-act break up factor in all three books, where one of the MCs “knows what’s best” for the other MC and oversteps, wasn’t my favorite element… but the explanations of character motivations in these moments were consistent with what we had learned previously about them, and the resolutions of these breakups, leading to HEAs, were satisfying.
I read two non-fiction books (both published in July 2025) that took disparate approaches to explaining the Caitlin Clark phenomenon. Author Christine Brennan is a sportswriter for “USA Today” and her book, ON HER GAME: CAITLIN CLARK AND THE REVOLUTION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS, contextualizes Clark’s story in relation to controversies about this athlete’s cultural impact. A significant amount of the reporting/discussion examines whether Clark (white and straight) received undue attention during her first year in the WNBA at the expense of Black players and gay/queer players who built the league, as well as whether Clark was unfairly targeted for excessively rough treatment on the court compared to other rookies. Brennan also explains why she thought it was a huge misstep to leave Clark off the 2024 USA Olympic women’s basketball team. It’s clear that Brennan is a big Clark fan who believes Clark didn’t receive enough credit and thanks from others in the league for her transformative impact on WNBA game attendance, TV viewership, and other revenue drivers.
BECOMING CAITLIN CLARK: THE UNKNOWN ORIGIN STORY OF A MODERN BASKETBALL SUPERSTAR, by Howard Megdal (also a journalist, and founder and editor of “The IX Sports” online newsletter) mentions some of the same controversies and even examines some of the specific arguments made by Brennan, but takes a much broader look at Clark’s achievements in the context of the history of women’s high school and college basketball, and especially the history of women’s basketball in Iowa. Megdal argues that Clark is the beneficiary of institutional support, playing styles, and coaching approaches that can be tied directly to early 20th century women’s basketball in Iowa, and says that historical legacy, combined with Clark’s superlative athletic skills, made her ascension to national fame nearly inevitable. I learned a lot from Megdal’s book (can’t say the same for Brennan’s) and appreciated Megdal’s even-handed approach more than Brennan’s accusatory take.
Reading basketball non-fiction put me in the mood for related fiction, so I downloaded TIP IN, a Kindle Unlimited debut novel by Josie Mae. This F/F romance has a lead character clearly modeled on some portions of Caitlin Clark’s basketball biography, but the story was a very slow burn, with too much “tell” and not enough “show”, and too many pages spent simply narrating the thoughts going through each MC’s head as she considered whether to get more deeply involved with the other MC.
I wrapped up this fortnight with another British-set novel, YOU FLOAT MY BOAT, the second part of Lulu Moore’s “Oxbridge” series. The MMC, Charlie, is a member of the Oxford University rowing team that was featured in the first book, OAR THAN FRIENDS, but this novel had only a little of the rowing team sports content that I liked a lot in the first book; just a few passages about the rigors of Charlie’s training and short descriptions of a couple of boat races. Instead, the storytelling relied mostly on conventional tropes: fake dating turning real, dating best friend’s sister despite brother not approving, and a clinging ex-girlfriend who disrupts the new relationship. Charlie and FMC Violet had some fun moments, but overall I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as its predecessor.
Well, my reading has picked up lately. I read THE PRINCESS AND THE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH by Deya Muniz which has a light and fluffy young adult romance in graphic novel form. It’s cheesy (in both senses and pun very much intended). I read it as a part of my mother son book club and found it to be a fun, light read, but not remarkable. Beautiful, lush art style though.
Everything else I’ve read has fallen in that same ‘pleasant, readable’ category with nothing being spectacular but very little being a failure (except PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE, but that was not that book’s fault). I read ONE FINAL TWIST by Ashley Weaver, the last in her mystery series about Electra McDonell, a safe cracker who has crossed over to work on the side of the law during WWII. Now, I enjoyed this last book, but keep in mind, I am a romance reader. This book was honestly heavy on romance (in a PG way) with the mystery plot serving as a device to tie up Ellie’s subplots. It doesn’t stand well on its own. A mystery reader who isn’t into romance might be bored. Of course, I’m not sure a mystery reader who doesn’t like romance would get far into Ashley Weaver’s stories.
In the pleasant, readable vein, I’m enjoying Faith Martin’s Ryder and Loveday series on Kindle Unlimited. These are exactly the books with covers Sarah was talking about with Osmanifcation of mystery covers. They’re set in the early 60s with the oddball detective duo of an older grumpy coroner and a young woman constable who is trying to prove herself on the police force. No romance here, but I do enjoy their working partnership. Not only is there a male/female and old/young dichotomy, they come from different backgrounds with Ryder (the coroner) coming from an educated, fairly wealthy background and Loveday (the constable) being working class. They also both have good subplots with Ryder battling a health issue and Loveday trying to get even a smidgen of respect as a woman in a man’s world. I can’t honestly say these are “good” in the writing sense. There’s head hopping, a lot of telling, and So! Many! Exclamation! Points! Also the author has repeatedly used nauseous to mean nauseated. I thought that would never bother me until I read it multiple times in one book. I know, I know it’s pedantry on my part. It’s not so much that it feels wrong as it feels anachronistic. It feels like one of those grammar rules that was more strictly observed in the past (like “may I leave” vs “can I leave” literally vs figuratively etc). Every time I read it, it clangs and pulls me out of the story, reminding me that I’m reading a modern book. Why, yes, I am fun at parties 😉
Anyways, it’s interesting to see what I will read b/c it’s available on Kindle Unlimited and moderately entertaining. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I’ve been thinking about lately when I was younger I was a much more voracious reader and yes, some of that comes from being younger/less discriminating but I also think it came from choosing from fewer options. I’m trying to embrace at least some “good enough” reading as an alternative to mindlessly scrolling the internet.
The aforementioned PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE didn’t work for me, but that was b/c I was really excited to see that Ali Hazelwood (who *is* Italian, despite writing in English and having a name that doesn’t sound traditionally Italian) was writing a book set in Italy, not just Italy but in Taormina which imho is one of the most beautiful places in the whole country. Well, she definitely evoked Italy well, but it is lightly sketched in for the backdrop of a destination wedding. Hazelwood has always been kind of hit or miss for me and this one was 2nd in a series. It had to introduce so much plot and so many characters I didn’t care about. Ended up being a reluctant DNF. I’m sure I’ll try her again. This fail was on me for having very weird and skewed expectations due to one of my interests/background.
Well, I HAVE spent a lot of money on books in the last few days. If only it was fun and I wasn’t buying my daughter’s first set of college textbooks. That said, the sticker shock on her face when she realized what textbooks cost was almost worth it. Almost.
Anyhoo, I jumped things off by getting approved for Twelve Months by Jim Butcher. It’s the next installment in the Dresden Files, and will release in January. It was good, and I liked that we actually got to follow Harry for a year instead of seeing him only during the worst week of that year. That said, it felt a little bit like Butcher was maybe working through some things, and I believe that this book could very well be a hard read if someone was having issues with their own mental health. I would advise to tread cautiously. Also, as much as I love Harry as a character, his tendencies toward women can be…concerning. Then I hopped into Framed In Death by J.D. Robb. As I’ve said before, if you’ve been reading this series as long as I have (almost 30 years, or thereabouts), you know what you’re getting into. That final sequence in which Eve inevitably works a confession out of the killer almost always slaps. Which brings us to now, in which I’m reading Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazzia. I heard about it via this very website, and I am a sucker for an influencer thriller, so I pounced. So far, it is HITTING. I’m in the active investigation phase of the book now, and it is dark and snarky and digging the claws in. So until next time, may the textbook prices be kind, because as ever, YIKES ON BIKES.
CRASH TEST by Amy James. This is so good. If you love an angsty story, which I absolutely do, this is the book for you. I joined the bad decisions book club earlier this week to finish the book a couple hours past my usual bedtime. C/W: if you’re tired of m/m story lines featuring familial homophobia, I’d skip this.
Right at the beginning of the book, Travis discovers that Jacob, his secret boyfriend and a fellow race car driver, has just been in a terrible accident. The initial tension in the book comes from Travis not knowing if Jacob will survive and from Travis’s interactions with Jacob’s very unwelcoming family in the hospital. Once Jacob wakes up, he takes over the narrative as he struggles through recovery and dealing with his family’s intense gaslighting and homophobia.
One of the best things about this book is Jacob’s therapist. Jacob strongly resists getting therapy until he has an epiphany that maybe he needs a neutral third party to work through a lot of baggage he is carrying around. It is fun to watch Jacob reclaim his driving career and his boyfriend by putting a lot of hard work into both with his therapist cheering him on.
Now you’ll notice I’ve said almost nothing about racing, even though this book is marketed as a Formula 1/Formula 2 story and that’s because the racing details are mostly window dressing. We get very few details about the cars, the races themselves, or anything else. This is fine by me because I do not care one whit about racing, but may frustrate anyone who is a fan.
I spent the entire book rooting for Travis and Jacob and I personally found that the ending was extremely satisfying. These two will most definitely ride into the sunset together, probably at terrifying speeds.
Well, I powered through Romance Bingo and had some fun with it, picturing myself wading through a sea of fierce, elderly, blue-haired romance fiends. Now I’ll have to choose my own distractions through the dog days of summer.
Best Foot Forward/Intimacies of the Seasons by Celia Lake
This is my best attempt at a “Why choose?” romance. Of course, it is much more than that and a real pleasure to read. This title also has great spies or assassins rep. Someone mentioned reading the Albion books for the first time and finding them too “distant” for her taste. I thought it was a fair observation. Third person, past tense, omniscient POV is distant almost by definition, especially if one is more used to the first person, present tense in current use. As someone who was raised with the former, I find third person omniscient comforting in its distance and formality. You never forget you are in a story; there is also a buffer against raw emotion if you need it. That said, I deeply enjoyed reading Best Foot Forward again. I generally read Lake’s books within a few weeks of their release dates and rarely reread them. Since her books hop around between historical periods, the chronology is not linear, and I now know a great deal more about these characters. Knowing more about their families and their pasts definitely enriched the story of Carillon’s and Landry’s fraught interactions as they venture into the fleshpots of pre-WWII Germany on a magical rescue mission. The dialogue was less obscure, and emotion smoldered throughout. There’s quite a bit of blunt physicality in this one, and the sequel novella gets pretty sensual but not crude. Overall, I found the relationships between Alexander, Geoffrey, and Lizzie complex, civilized, and very moving. Recommended.
Very Nice Funerals by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
This is the second book celebrating Rocky Start, secret retirement community for a plethora of spies plus a possible serial killer. VNF picks up the story of Max, Rose, and Rose’s daughter Poppy shortly after the conclusion of Rocky Start. Rose and Poppy are still stumbling over chunks of the latter’s legacy from their previous protector, and Max is still struggling with his compulsion to hit the (Appalachian) Trail. There is a lot of warmth, humor, food, teenagers, a llama, and a very good dog. Also, an extensive body count and some mildly gross descriptions. (CW: attempted sexual assault) This mix of cozy and gritty has some rough edges, so ymmv.
I do plan to read the third in the series. So, recommended, but proceed with caution.
Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter
This mostly light-hearted, fake dating Cinderella-fest was my pick to explore class differences. Class is defined by wealth in this book and is relentlessly personal rather than political. Declan and Abi make a charming couple, but exist in a bubble where most of Declan’s wealthy colleagues and peers fade into a background of Nebraska niceness. As with most fake dating plots, there are some questionable choices; sadly, these are never fully resolved–at least not to my satisfaction. The third act break up was a real downer for me as well, but the resolution managed to work in the end. Recommended for a mostly cheery summer read.
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox by Lois McMaster Bujold
This is the 14th(!) entry in the Penric and Desdemona series and is very focused on both parenthood and coming of age. Penric and Desdemona set out to determine whether an ox suffers from illness or invasion by an elemental (aka, demon). He’s summoned by his son and accompanied by his daughters. It’s fascinating to see this mature version of Penric as the beloved yet eye roll inducing Dada to his preteens. Desdemona does some badass surrogate momming as well. I have to say this series has one of the best developed magic systems that I’ve encountered. As always, this is another great comfort read–even with some scary bits.
Ballgowns and Butterflies by Kelley Armstrong
This holiday novella is book 1.5 in the Stitch in Time series, and a pleasant short read that mostly takes place on the Victorian side of the time slip. I am reading it as part of the series.
A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong
Book 2 in the Stitch in Time series features Gothic atmosphere, time travel elements, and a mystery plot line. Primarily, though, it is a paranormal romance starring William Thorne’s best friend, August Courtenay and his “estranged” wife, Rosalind. I found it a little more scattered than the first book, with a slightly repetitive series of creepy events and one really compelling storm scene. Apparently four years in the 21st century turns a Victorian lady into badass, and I am here for it.
Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong
I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to Finding Mr. Write, because what could be better than a romance author/hockey player, second chance romance? What I like best about Mason and Gemma is how hard they work to get past preconceptions and mistakes, and where that ultimately takes them. Their flaws and hidden virtues give them a gritty authenticity that is hard to resist. Even moments that seemed potentially predictable take unexpected creative directions that are so satisfying. I would totally reread this one. Recommended.
Don’t Blame Me by Melanie Scott
This is a rock music/sport adjacent romance that I had high hopes for. Sadly, it fell kinda short. The bulk of the story takes place in the run-up to and during a legacy music festival. Faith, daughter of rock legend Gray Harper, is the dynamo running the event her daddy founded. Caleb is a recently retired tennis golden boy struggling to cope with his new freedom. Instalust happens. There’s a large cast of characters and an enticing island setting, but there wasn’t enough time (2 wks.) or space (294 p.) to fully develop even the main couple. Add to that a few wince-worthy grammar fails, e.g., paragraphs made of sentence fragments, and I never fully engaged with this book. I do plan to read at least the next in the series however.
Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock
Well, I visited the Bad Decisions BC last night, and I do not regret it. This convoluted tale of an unemployed copy editor reduced to sleeping on her brother’s couch and cleaning out storage units to earn some money is mostly hilarious. Clara is bright, kind, and her narrative voice totally cracked me up. Access to sensitive info causes her to make a big mistake and brings Caspian, a very angry English actor, into her orbit. I was mostly ok with the back and forth between Clara and Cas, but, I’m not gonna lie, some readers will have an issue with Caspian’s behavior and some will question the validity of both his and Clara’s motivations. I was able to enjoy the protagonists and suspend disbelief enough to appreciate their relationships with each other and with the supporting characters. I think this story might have benefitted from dual POV instead of leaning into the real world actor on whom Cas is clearly based. Due to the MCs’ relatively short acquaintance, the mild heat level, and Caspian’s extreme behavior, I can only fully accept this as an HFN, though the final apology is excellent and leads to good talk. I will reread at some point in the future.
Bad Reputation by Emma Barry
This romance unfolds at a very deliberate pace, more of a restrained simmer than a slow burn. Both Cole and Maggie are recovering from their pasts when they meet on the set of Waverly, a book-based historical drama for television. Bad Reputation dives deep into Cole’s efforts to reinvent himself as an actor and Maggie’s new career as an intimacy coordinator. The details of working on a television show dominate the story, since this is the rare workplace romance where the protagonists actually restrain themselves while they are coworkers. Pining and warm fuzzies are the order of the day more than sizzling chemistry. There is a subplot around certain ethical issues as well. Also, a pretty noisy thunderstorm suitable for Bingo. I enjoyed this book, but i suspect that it won’t work for everyone equally. ymmv
Hott Shot by Serena Bell
This romance is the first in the Hott Springs Eternal series, the most recent of which has been getting some positive buzz here. I enjoyed this book, and it hits a few Bingo prompts as well–first in series, small town, Western, roommates. So this is one of those dead man’s hand plots where Grampa’s will forces the kids through miserable hoops to save the f-ing ranch, and I gotta say i hope there’s some bitter comeuppance for the lawyer who runs this circus. A seance to kick Grampa’s butt would make my wishlist as well. Quinn and Sonya are appealing MCs. The writing and the actual story are solid, and I do plan to meander through the rest of the series even though these tropes aren’t my faves..
Stars Die by Jenny Schwartz
I would call this series starter a Paranormal/Sci-Fi Mystery, but it’s definitely not a romance–at least not yet. Vanda Kavanaugh is summoned back from the frontier by her imperious granny to fill in as Warden of the Caldryn Parliament after the previous Warden suddenly departs. On arrival, Vanda finds a baby gremlin and two suspicious deaths. Though this is a mystery on the surface, the best of this book consists of Vanda being an all around badass, building a found family, and owning the Wardenship. If political maneuvers and community building are your crack, this is totally the book for you.
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I saw that this book has had some good buzz, and also multiple mentions in the Awkward Sex Rec League. (How can that even be a thing?) After a one night stand distinguished by “the worst sex of her life,” ghostwriter Chandler Cohen discovers that her newest client, Finn Walsh, was her clueless bad sex hook up. Being grownups, both Finn and Chandler resolve to forget that night until she lets slip that, no, it wasn’t good for her. Finn won my heart with his response to this revelation, and what follows is a road trip full of sex positivity, Jewish representation, fandom immersion, and bookish talk. Recommended.
Hexes Fly by Jenny Schwartz
This book picks up right after Stars Die. (See above.) Continuing the story of Vanda’s new minted Wardenship, the action focuses on the pursuit of knowledge and the development of new relationships. The pivotal point of the story is a magical attack in which many innocent people are hurt at the annual Spring Ball. Subsequent efforts to break the curses highlight personal interactions as well as political and ethical insights. The actual mystery is probably the weakest aspect of this book, but I loved the characters and the society. Plus, this one definitely hints at future romantic developments. In fact, I can’t wait for the next book to release this coming fall.
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I think this book could fulfill the immigrant main character Bingo prompt. Dani starts her story as what SB Sarah calls a “crushed heroine” in a recent SB-AD rant. Dani is suffering from a trio of losses: relationship, job, housing. However, her response is a complete departure from the trite ‘n’ tropey retreat to some tiny insular home town. Instead she opts to move to Amsterdam. While there, a bicycle collision brings her face to face with her first love, Wouter, who lived with her family as an exchange student. Dani’s life, health, and background are complicated in unconventional ways, and Wouter is a part of that. When life in Amsterdam proves to be not all sunshine and tulips, it is Wouter who offers a possible solution. The opening of this novel is actually pretty freaking depressing, and I had reservations about some of the MC’s decisions, but they do manage to navigate their way out of the mess to find a believable HEA. Also, to be honest, I kinda loved Wouter with his endearing bald spot and his tiny rescue pup.
@PamG “intimacy coordinator” and “workplace romance where the protagonists actually restrain themselves while they are coworkers” both catch my attention! Looks like the ebook is Amazon only, but I’ll keep an eye on it.
Resumed CATCH ME IF YOU CANNES by Lisa Dickenson, a comedy romance / buddy comedy with romance subplot. A British cafe owner accompanies her friend on a gossip-rag journalism trip to the Cannes film festival; hijinks ensue. I started this last summer and paused it when the season had passed. Light fun, but a bit too much comedy-of-lies for my taste.
Started THE DUKE & THE PIRATE QUEEN by Victoria Janssen (low/no-magic fantasy × erotic romance). A privateer abducts her noble employer to thwart a plot against him, and their perilous time at sea intensifies the attraction between them. The setting (or at some of it) seems pretty relaxed about sex, sexuality, and gender. I’m digging it so far. I think I heard of it via mention of its lush cover here, maybe in a sale post.
More USAGI YOJIMBO by Stan Sakai (anthropomorphic animal comics set in feudal Japan).
Got sidetracked from OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SHEILA THE GREAT by Judy Blume; resumed & read another chapter.
Started SALVAGE by Duncan Ralston, a spooky book. A brother investigating his diver sister’s drowning wades into the mysteries of the old town at the bottom of the reservoir.
Also reading Tears of the Wolf by Elizabeth Wheatley, still in the first third of the book.
(I think I messed up a tag, leading to an error message, and some repeated submission attempts. I’m going to delete the most likely offender and try again. My apologies if this appears multiple times.)
School is starting back up here, and I’m not quite sure how summer break went by so quickly! I hope everyone is ready for August.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (KU)
Bingo: Movie/TV Show, Class differences
There’s a lot of good stuff in this fictional romance between a fictional “first son” and prince of England. It’s a sweet romance with epistolary elements. But, I’m going to admit that I had a hard time with the political setting. I read romance novels to escape current events, and every time this book referred to a real world political figure or the fictional reelection campaign, I asked myself why I was punishing myself. (The answer is mostly that I’m trying to read a few things that are outside of my usual, which new adult and m/m is.) Also, does new adult make other people feel tired? Not old, exactly, just tired. SBTB has a better written review .
A Summer to Remember: A Bedwyn Family Novel (Bedwyn Saga) by Mary Balogh (library)
Bingo: Left at the altar, Yellow Cover, Cover w/o people, Spies or Assassins
I really loved this sweet warm hug of a Regency romance novel. Unfailingly ladylike Lauren is starting to reenter society after being left at the altar the previous year. She hopes that if she can get through the season she will prove to her family that she is fine and really does just want to retire to Bath to live independently. Outrageously charming Kit is estranged from his family, but now that his brother is dead and he’s the heir, they are expecting him to marry his brother’s fiancee, which is decidedly not what he wants. His plan is marry anyone else remotely suitable, which leads to the fake engagement… for reasons? The book works through the characters learning to forgive family who love them and want them to be happy but still manage to hurt them without really understanding them. (I checked to see if it had a review for bingo card, and it does not, but it was mentioned under Ready Set Go: Warmest, Fuzziest, Coziest Romance .)
Dirty Talk (Pushing Boundaries Book 1) by Lauren Landish (KU)
Bingo: Character who works in audio, 1st book in a series
Derrick hosts a call-in radio show called The Love Whisperer that Kat calls into to talk about her cheating ex. There are some good sexy talk scenes, but I’m having trouble remembering much else about it.
Lies and Lullabies (Hush Note Book 1) by Sarina Bowen (KU)
Bingo: First book in a series, Small town
Second chance, secret baby rock star romance with some good side characters. I liked it well enough to pick up the next book in this multi-author series.
Rifts and Refrains (Hush Note Book 2) by Devney Perry (KU)
Bingo: Neighbors, Renovation, Small town (?)
Second chance romance. Drummer Quinn returns to her hometown (Bozeman, MT, pop. ~60K) for the funeral of her beloved grandmother where she reconnects with her high school boyfriend Graham. At the start of the book, we know that Quinn left for college on bad terms with her family but it takes most of the book to get the details. I kept trying to figure out what everyone had done that resulted in no one really talking to each other for a decade.
Muses and Melodies (Hush Note Book 3) by Rebecca Yarros (KU)
Bingo: Roommates, Small town
Recovering alcoholic rock star guitar player and his manager’s assistant sobriety baby sitter. This one has all the good reasons why the romance is a bad idea, but they decide to do it anyway. The following quote is from Zoe, our heroine, which I think provides insight into her character but which I absolutely disagree with. ^_^
It’s mafia from here to the end of the post.
Bingo: Spies/Assassins, Immigrant main character
This book is a companion to the author’s “The Five Families” series and follows Tamir, the mysterious Krav Maga instructor we met in Book 3, and Emily, who has secrets of her own. It was fine.
Precious Hazard: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance (Perfectly Imperfect Book 11) by Neva Altaj (KU)
Bingo: Immigrant main character
Don Ajello (Book 4) has decided that his underboss Arturo needs to get married to Tara, the sister of the leader of the Serbian mob faction who also happens to be Arturo’s brother-in-law (Book 8), despite the fact that Tara hates Arturo. It’s got a grumpy/sunshine thing going on. This series varies quite bit in terms of how dark the stories are, but this one feels like a romcom in mafia clothing. Don’t get me wrong, there’s blackmail and people get shot. But the romantic arc is full of antics and failure to communicate. It’s a weird tonal shift that works for the side of me that likes farce and dark humor.
Death’s Favor (The Moretti Men Book 2) by Jill Ramsower
Bingo: Spies/Assassins
More mafia stuff. This one has some forced proximity with a neurodivergent hero and an artist on the run from her bratva sperm donor. It has a bonus feisty grandmother. I may need a Rec League for feisty grandmothers. Not terribly dark as far as mafia stuff goes, though I may not be a reliable judge on that. (Footnote: 1 mewl, 10 smirks, and 7 barks. And now I can’t help wondering if I would have noticed the dude barking commands like a dog if the word mewl didn’t make me think of kittens.)
Getting toward the end of A CUP OF SILVER LININGS by Karen Hawkins. I know Hawkins primarily as a regency/Highlander writer so reading a contemporary, small-town women’s fiction (NOT a romance) by her has been an interesting experience. All the deep feels and unexpected flashes of humor are still there and I still sink into it like, well, a cup of warm tea. It’s a story about several people who make terrible mistakes and hurt people they love while in the throes of grief. A master class on how every person handles grief differently, and all think they are handling it well when really they are handling it so, so badly. Probably not the thing I should be reading the week of the tenth anniversary of my husband’s death and the birthday of my best friend who also passed 8 years ago, but at least it’s been cathartic.
@DiscoDollyDeb, Not being able to read the same book twice is one reason why I have trouble recommending books to others. I don’t even know if *I* would like it as much if I read it again.
@Jill Q, I agree that having KU allows me to take more chances on things that are fun but unpolished.
Bonus book:
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry (KU)
Bingo: Magic!, Cover w/o people, 1st book in a series
The KU ebook of Rifts and Refrains included the first chapter of this romantasy by the same author, which I enjoyed enough to want to download the rest from KU. I did skim the reviews until I found one that said that clearly it was the first book in a series but that it didn’t end on a cliffhanger, so I figured it would be fine. Folks, that reviewer lied. But, otherwise, I had a good time with this one, and I’ll be looking for the sequel…sometime next year. *sigh*
@Sarah ~ sending you healing thoughts as you recover from your shoulder injury.
@Crystal ~ the most expensive textbook I remember purchasing was $212.00…and that was forty years ago! Congratulations to your new college student.
@EC Spurlock ~ sending sympathetic thoughts for you at this sad anniversary.
Trying again …
Over the past two weeks ~
— enjoyed the contemporary romance Like You’ve Nothing Left to Prove by E.L. Massey which is a continuation of the story began in Like Real People Do which I read recently. Definitely start with the latter.
— also enjoyed All Hail the Underdogs by E.L. Massey which features two seniors in an elite boarding school who play ice hockey. One lead is black and his loving adoptive parents are white and wealthy; the other lead is white and on a scholarship with an abusive father who has just been imprisoned. They get off to a poor start but soon connect.
— enjoyed the New Zealand set contemporary romance, Catch a Kiwi by Rosalind James. (Interestingly, this is the second book I’ve read recently by this author in which a vehicle goes off the road.) This featured a woman with a storied past and her younger cousin who are working low paying jobs in New Zealand and a (wealthy) man who comes to their rescue during some seriously bad weather.
— reread with pleasure Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold. While I enjoyed this science fiction reread, the author’s Curse of Chalion is by far my favorite of her books.
— enjoyed a reread of Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins; this contemporary romance featured a holiday store owner and a young man, a glass blower, who usually works at Renaissance Fairs. The first man is prevailed upon to host the second who has witnessed a hit and run accident.
— enjoyed Swept Away by Beth O’Leary which is a contemporary romance; most of the book takes place on a houseboat that floats out to sea while the main characters are indulging in what they anticipate will be a one night stand. They get to know each other as they attempt to survive until they can be rescued. One aspect of the last part of the story strained credulity, but I enjoyed the characters and their story.
— quite enjoyed Free from Falling by E.L. Massey which is a contemporary romance between an ice hockey player and a woman (trans) who is the lead performer in a rock band. It was a pleasure seeing these characters get to know each other. This book has a goodly amount of language but little shown beyond kissing.
— for my book group, I read Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I did not find this a depressing or onerous read (as I often do with my book group selections); I found it a relatively easy read that left me with questions. It’s set in what seems like our world in perhaps the near future; the title character, Klara, is an artificial friend (a solar powered robot) purchased to be the companion of a teenaged girl.
— enjoyed This Beautiful Day by Fred Rogers; Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood seemed to be a genuinely lovely person. For my library’s summer reading program, I elected to read this book to fulfill a prompt to read in an unfamiliar genre. This proved to be a very quickly read 400 page book!
— enjoyed Shoemaker’s Wife by Celia Lake which is a fantasy romance set in a slightly alternate England adjacent country, Albion, in which magic exists. The female lead is taking care of her aunt’s apothecary shop when her husband, a shoemaker, returns from serving in the Great War. They need to learn how to be together after their quick wartime marriage.
— enjoyed Best Foot Forward by Celia Lake; this was a fantasy romance set in the thirties as two magically talented men work to rescue one’s scientist friend who is being kept from leaving Germany. The lead characters are a happily married man with a very understanding wife and a man who might be described as asexual.
I’m a little over halfway through a very slow read of The Count of Monte Cristo. I’m enjoying it, but it’s a lot of book for my attention span. I’m finding that I’m less interested in the Count and all his (rather slow) revenge plots, and more deeply invested in the background lesbians.
I had no idea this book had background lesbians! I did not expect it in a nineteenth century French novel! But there’s Eugenie, running around in the background CLEARLY sleeping with her music tutor Louise. And this is obviously intentional coding, this isn’t one of those cases of “oh ha ha, the naive nineteenth century author is being Accidentally Homoerotic.” NO. Alexandre Dumas knew exactly what he was doing and he is practically holding up a sign that says “GAYYY” every time Eugenie appears in a scene.
I’m a little nervous about where this is going, because queer characters don’t generally get a lot of happy endings in older novels. But I’m rooting for these kids.
And the Count is also there I guess sure.
I did a mini-Rebecca Yarros read with GREAT AND PRECIOUS THINGS, MMC is a vet returning to help with the care of his estranged father who has never forgiven him for “letting” his brother die in action. He also has to deal with the FMC who was engaged to that brother. Father is falling into Alzheimer’s. Good story, lots of grief but not overwhelming.
Then I found her Renegade series, which is YA/NA. I’ve been reading less of that genre recently but really enjoyed these. They follow a group of extreme athletes who are doing their senior year in college on shipboard and also using the cruise to do extreme stunts/make a documentary at the various ports they visit. WILDER, the first book, is an athlete falling for his tutor. Who is overcoming grief and PTSD associated with the loss of her fiance. NOVA, the second, is athlete second-chancing with his best friend’s girlfriend. TW for cheating. Which is often a deal breaker for me but is handled well. REBEL, third and last, is FMC, also extreme athlete, finding that someone she has history with is now her professor. I enjoyed all these books, including a look at the work and planning involved in extreme sports.
I also tried to read AT FIRST SPITE by Olivia Dade. i have enjoyed her other works. But I just could not. The town is too cute, the supporting characters and locations are too quirky, the heroine is too manic pixie. This is probably right up someone else’s alley but I just found it annoying.
So sleep deprived that I forgot to mention my best book this month. LOVE HER OR LOSE HER by Tessa Bailey. I got it on Thursday evening and started reading. Even though I knew I was headed into a 48 hour shift, I stayed up a teeny bit late to read. Then I got called in and when I returned, had to read just another chapter. Or two. Which made getting back to work at seven a little rough. But. They are married, been together since their early teens, but now are settled into a rut. Ever since he came back from a stint in the military, seems as if they never talk, only really connect during sexy times on Tuesday nights. So she leaves and files for divorce. He is unwilling to let go, agrees to counselling, she finds a hippie dippie therapist that she thinks her husband will hate. Well written, flashes of the past that are well done, well written supporting characters, believable interactions. Strongly recommend. Except for the 48 hours on call with way too little sleep.
Hi, everyone! Was fortunate to enjoy a lot of satisfying reads–most of these are very community based, in that their families/friends play a pretty big part of their lives, and I was in the mood for that for sure.
DANNY HALL GETS A LAWYER is the first in Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey’s Goose Run series. When Danny Hall’s crotchety neighbor cuts down a gorgeous tree that’s been on his property for years, he decides he’s had enough of this escalating conflict and needs legal help. Cue Miller Clarke, a local attorney.
Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey have written a warm and lovely small-town romance full of kindness and love. Danny and Miller are ordinary guys, trying to find their best path forward, and it’s clear to themselves and each other that they don’t and can’t exist in a vacuum. The question for them to answer is how they do want to live and what they want that community to look like. Love how Ms Henry and Ms Honey write their story, and I would love to be part of a community like Goose Run!
WILD CARD is the second in DJ Jamison’s Foster Bro Code series. Axel Wilder runs a junkyard and his soft heart has him caring for the animals that people cruelly dump nearby. Deputy Dalton Harvey finds Axel intriguing and it seems the attraction runs both ways.
DJ Jamison’s story gives Dalton and Axel the space to act on their chemistry, while also considering the dynamics of the bad boy/law enforcement angle, the baggage from Axel’s childhood, and the frustration of working under a biased boss… I really enjoyed Axel and Dalton’s story and the loving support their families and friends give them as they work to sort themselves out and move forward. And the glimpses of other intersections with DJ Jamison’s other stories is a fun bonus. Looking forward to more in this satisfying series.
WHEN HE FIGHTS is the third in Cynthia Eden’s Protector and Defender series. Agent Kane Harte has held a torch for musician Anastasia Patrick. He helped her escape her murderous mob-assassin ex a couple years ago, and walked away from their crazy chemistry to give her a chance at reclaiming a life of peace and freedom. Unfortunately that ex turned out to be not only obsessed with Ana, he’s very eager to get his vengeance on the agents he blames for imprisoning him. And even more unfortunately, he’s somehow escaped.
Cynthia Eden’s latest is an absolute delight of a page-turner. While Ana is understandably dismayed at the danger she finds herself in, she is no shrinking violet. Kane wants her safe, she wants him safe, they all want the baddie out of the way, easy-peasy, right? Loved Ms Eden’s usual humor and heat, and loved Ana and Kane’s passion and determination. A triumphant take-that for the good guys…
REMATCH is the third in Mari Carr’s Stingrays Hockey series, and it’s a sweetly scorching hot one-night-stand, accidental pregnancy, he falls first and HARD romance. Chelsea Murphy and Preston Jacobson end up at the same Ugly Christmas Sweater party by chance, and both are surprised at how well they hit it off. They both agree to one night, and both spend considerable effort trying to rectify their mistake of not exchanging contact information or last names…
Mari Carr hits all the right notes with Chelsea and Preston’s fast-paced tumble between the sheets and their slightly slower fall into forever ever after. Chelsea’s caution is fully understandable, and Preston’s determination makes him a winner not just on the ice but off it. Loved the staunch support they received from their families and friends, and couldn’t stop turning the pages even as I dreaded getting to the end of their story. Can’t wait for more in this delicious series!
KEEP YOU SAFE is the second in Annabeth Albert’s Second Chance Ranch series, set in fictional smalltown Lovelorn, Colorado. Gruff ranch foreman Grayson Campbell and hospitality professional turned novice hand Adler Kelly don’t seem to have much in common besides an urgent chemistry and a deeply rooted sense of kindness and respect for hard work. When circumstances bring Adler to his best friend Maverick’s ranch and extend his stay, it turns out this might be what he hadn’t known he’d been looking for all this time.
Annabeth Albert’s Keep You Safe is a warm hug of a read, and Grayson and Adler are surrounded by the loving support of family and friends, whether or not they are at a place where they are able to recognize that. Grayson and Adler are able to grow their connection and relationship, and also become more the people they want to be for themselves and for each other. I loved this visit to Second Chance Ranch and cannot wait for more.
Love seeing what you all are reading!
Enjoyed the latest by Donna Andrews, “For Duck’s Sake”. Stalled on the new Penric – not sure I’m that interested in the children. Read a Golden Age mystery I enjoyed, “Death Has Deep Roots” – mystery goes back to the French Resistance. And re-read “The Queerness of Rusty”, a 1941 school story about a working-class girl at a boarding school – recommended.
The new Martha Wells short story “Rapport” sent me back to meet ART again in ROGUE PROTOCOL, and then I just kept reading (as one does with Murderbot). I’m up to Fugitive Telemetry and looking forward to ART’s reappearance.
Melissa Scott released a chapbook of vignettes set in her Astrient world, Scenes from the City – originally through her Patreon but I think now generally available. I have loved dipping in and out of them, but (as I knew would happen) I fell under the spell again and I’m now reading POINT OF DREAMS.
I have some library books coming due, but right now all I want to rea is NOT HERE/ NOT NOW fantasy and sci-fi. The delightful crafty ZOOM yesterday did add some of those to my library list, thank you all.
I spent most of July reading CAMILLA by Frances Burney after enjoying EVELINA by the same author. This one was a lot more like a modern novel and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The constant misunderstandings between the main couple probably felt a lot fresher in the 1790s, but there was enough other intrigue going on to keep me engaged. For someone who is more used to Austen, I was interested to see how much wilder the regency could get. Like in EVELINA, the lead faces constant danger and sexual harassment from random men. One character secretly marries her butler, who is 30 years her junior. A con woman ingratiates herself with all of the lead characters with tactics that are admirably shrewd, if annoying. One of the secondary characters is Camilla’s sister, Eugenia, who is disabled after an accident and scarred due to a nasty bout of smallpox (her uncle though it was better that she catch it naturally rather than get inoculated! did not expect to find this nonsense in 18th century literature). She is educated classically and finds love with someone who shares her interest in poetry and literature. I don’t think most modern romance authors would tackle a heroine with those kind of physical differences.
I’ve already turned to BELINDA, another novel that Austen mentioned in NORTHANGER ABBEY. Wow, the first chapters are already bonkers: cross-dressing, duels, and a secret cancer diagnosis, oh my! I’m interested to see how the titular character takes back her book, because currently Lady Delacour, her hostess, is absolutely stealing the show.
I just started LISTEN TO THE MOON by Rose Lerner. The main characters are a maid and a valet who marry in order to be eligible for positions at a vicarage. As always with Lerner, I’m learning a ton about the era (how to polish boots and repair clothes), and as always, the characters are comically horny about each other.
I’m almost done with PROTO: HOW ONE ANCIENT LANGUAGE WENT GLOBAL. It’s a history of Indo-European languages, and it is pretty interesting but I feel I’d follow it better if it were a lecture with some visuals to represent all the different languages and cultures.
Still Reading THE GLIMPSES OF THE MOON by Edith Wharton, about two ‘bright young things’ who use their rich acquaintances to live the high life, and have decided to conveniently marry so as to get lots of offers to stay in people’s vacation homes as newlyweds. I love Susy’s practical way of looking at things and her blunt honesty–she’s not conning anyone out of their money, she just enjoys the finer life and wants what she wants. Nick frustrates me with a lot of the same characteristics that frustrate me in many ‘heroes’–he says he’s on Susy’s team and supports her, but really thinks of her in dismissive terms and tries to control her. I don’t want him to stay with her unless he realizes she’s got herself well controlled already and what she needs to change doesn’t revolve around belittling her plans and efforts.
Read SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell, a coming-of-age novel about a family of alligator wrestlers in a tourist trap amusement park in the Florida swamps. That description belies how dark this one gets. It was really good, but trigger warnings apply for sexual assault, violence, long descriptions of bullying, death, mental illness and suicide attempts, and a general disregard for animal welfare.
Reading KAZE HIKARU (‘Shining Wind’) by Taeko Watanabe, a historical romance manga with the classic “girl cuts her hair and joins the army” plot based in Japanese history. The author put a ton of research into the historical parts, but the romance/comedy parts can get tedious with their shoujo manga tropes–the love interest is childish and the main character scolds him while wondering why she had to fall in love with a guy like that!!! The other male characters are caught in a compromising position and everyone squeals about what a cute gay couple they are!!! Sexual assault, sexual assault everywhere!!!!! I want to finish it because when it’s good it’s very good, but I have to take long breaks for my mental health.
Also reading THE GUNS ABOVE by Robyn Bennis, a steampunk romp about the first female airship captain in a fantasy-kingdom and the smarmy useless aristrocrat sent to undermine her. This one I’ve been told has no romance, which is a shame because Captain Dupre and not-actually-useless Bernat have the sort of chemistry I have to search for in other books. Warnings on this one for war, with blood, injuries, and death therein; a lot of other reviews complain about the amount of time spent on technical details of the steampunk tech, but I thought that was fantastic.
The Kindle sale for Anne Gracie’s THE PERFECT RAKE triggered a reread for me, to decide if I wanted to get rid of my paperback copy and replace it with the e-book. It’s a keeper for me, but ymmv. It’s a fake engagement rom-com wrapped around a tragic backstory for the heroine and her sisters. CW for violence in the first chapter which may make you want to put it down. But once the delightful hero, Gideon, makes his appearance in Chapter 3, the story really comes alive. I was sorry to hear that Gracie is another victim of the demise of mass-market paperbacks, she got dropped by her publisher and will be self-publishing from now on.
I’m about to start THE UNLIKELY MASTER GENIUS by Carla Kelly, after getting hooked on the story in a prequel novella, THE CHRISTMAS ANGLE.
@DejaDrew, thanks for the scoop on THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, and @catscatscats, thanks for the Golden Age mystery rec, I can always use more of those!
(Edit to my post) I meant to say well-intentioned people making terrible mistakes while in the throes of grief that cause emotional harm to people they love. None of the things they do are intended to create the effects they actually have.
I had to completely reset my Kindle – what a drag! I’ve also been reading, just not as much as I do normally…
KILL YOUR DARLINGS – Josh Lanyon. Read this on her Patreon, but it’s now out as a normal book too. Murder mystery and m/m romance, kept me hooked. Also features a lot of cameos of other Lanyon characters, so this is a fun one for the fans.
MURDER IN PASTEL – Josh Lanyon. Another m/m murder mystery/romance. Read this to get the story of one of the side charachters/cameos in Kill your Darlings. This one did not quite land with me though. It was single POV and the other MC is, as is usual, a bit mysterious. That’s ok – but in this case, I really had to squint hard to see him falling in love with the other MC. Didn’t quite work for me as a romance, also given the previous history that the two have MCs have. There’s an age gap, and when they first knew each other, the POV MC was just a teen hopelessly in love with the other guy – who rightly saw him just as a kid (plus he had health issues). Which is totally ok – nothing happens. But it makes it even harder to see how/why the older MC now falls in love with the younger guy. I needed to see more of that here.
A GENTLEMAN OF QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT – Grace Burrowes. The latest Lord Julian, I enjoyed this one.
I’m currently reading the next entry in CS Poe’s Memento Mori series, Hudson River Homicieds
(*KD take note) Nerding out on Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, audiobook read by the author, Rebecca Romney. A survey of 18th century women writers who were heavily influential to Austen. These novelists were immensely successful in their day, and subsequently erased from/denied entry to the Canon by (guess the gender) critics. The authors she goes over are Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Hannah More, Charlotte Smith, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworth. Romney is a rare book dealer, which makes descriptions of her process total catnip to me.
Okay, The Mysteries of Udolfo is back on my TBR list after a 50 year hiatus!
I’m just back from vacation and I read less than I expected to.
I listened to the audio book for The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar. I read the print version a few months ago, when it came out, and then put myself on the very long hold list for the audiobook at my library because I wanted to hear the songs referenced in the book – definitely worth the wait.
It’s about two sisters, 18 and 20, who are live on the border of faire and sing daily to the magic willow trees on their family’s land. They’re very close and love singing together. One sister loves riddle songs and the other murder ballads, and both come into play after something terrible happens. There is a love story but I wouldn’t call it a genre romance.
I really enjoyed hearing the singing (after reading the song lyrics in the book) and the song at the climax just sent chills through me. I don’t usually listen to audiobooks so I don’t quite know how to rate it. I thought the use of music and other sounds was gorgeous. I didn’t like the narrator’s voice for one of the sisters but overall enjoyed the narration.
The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee – ff contemp
I wanted to like this a little more than I did – a Harlequin romance about two former best friends turned rivals turned coworkers starting a bowling team at the high school where they both teach / were students. There’s a lot of plot for a short novel and I felt like I missed a few things.
Bingo prompts: small town, sports
And I continued my Murderbot Diaries re-read with Artificial Condition by Martha Wells and it’s so good. I love ART so much.