Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re kicking off the month of September:
Lara: I’ve totally given in to the impulse to read the rest of the Guild Hunter novels. I’m currently reading Archangel’s Light. ( A | BN | K )This series is big and comforting and cathartic. I’m so thankful to have another quiver to my bow of therapy reads. Good people doing good things, defeating evil and loving each other while they do it. Balm for the soul.
Sarah: I tried that series so many times and the violence was too much for me – which is a wild thing for me to say since the Psy-Changelings are also violent and are among my comfort re-reads. Isn’t that curious.
Lara: I plan to give the Psy-Changeling series a go soon. I read one book randomly late in the series and even though I was confused, I loved it. I’m so excited to have a whole massive series to indulge in at some point
Amanda: A coworker who shares the same reading tastes as me brought me Camera Shy by Kay Cove. ( A | BN ) She specifically mentioned it has some great body positive messaging.
Sarah: I have bounced off so many books my kindle thinks it’s a trampoline. But I just started A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement and so far I’m maintaining a lateral trajectory.
Amanda: Oh that’s a fun title.
Maya: I’m listening to I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming. ( A | BN | K | AB ) There are also dinosaurs. I’m obsessed!!
Lara: Maya, I had so much fun with that book!
Sarah: Update: The war witch had a hot flash and I am in.
Carrie: I’m almost done with The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire and enjoying the Welsh folklore of it.
Shana: I just finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and really enjoyed it, proving books written by men can occasionally make me happy.
Amanda: I’ve started Willing Prey by Allie Oleander ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s a very cute and funny dark-ish romance with characters in their 30s. Really loving it so far.
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
Had a few primo reads in this batch–Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing, Rosalind James’s Hell Bent, Wen Spencer’s Back wolves of Boston 1 & 2, and Jane Austen’s Persuasion with a boring yet tasteful cover. Also one major DNF. It’s been 3 weeks, so lots of books.
Harmonic Pleasures by Celia Lake
This latest magical alt history leans fairly heavily on romance with a focus on sophisticated London nightlife and music suitable to the 1920s. To satisfy her magical family, torch singer Vega enlists Farron in searching for a powerful but potentally dangerous artifact. As always, this tale of Albion provides a soothing comfort read.
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
I believe I’ve seen some positive buzz on this book here, but what really inspired me to try it was Jo Walton mentioning it in her regular book post at Reactor magazine. She loved the writing, mentioned the unusual twist on dual POV, and included what was virtually a content warning on the sheer quantity of sex in this book. My own enthusiasm is based on the food and wine road trip, the musings on art, the exquisite yearning, and the incorporation of erotic passion into the sensuous possibilities of travel. Beautifully written,The Pairing is a lush, immersive experience of a book, artful, elegant, and overwhelming at times. This novel is also proof that you can tell a fully rounded second chance love story without resorting to awkward flashbacks. I’m often fussy about explicit content, but I loved every emo moment of this book.
(Insert a few quick DNFs here, in the aftermath of The Pairing)
Hott Take by Serena Bell
This is the second in the Hott Springs Eternal series about a family owned wedding venue jeopardized by Grampa Hott’s control freak will. So far, if Gramps wasn’t dead, I’d love to crawl into these books and kill him. Basically, he’s holding Hanna, the only sibling who stuck around, hostage to his revenge codicils. This outing involves actor Shane Hott engineering a celebrity wedding on a deadline. When Hollywood instability strikes, Shane and former actor Ivy step up. Repeatedly. This romance is a fun read, full of warm fuzzies and Hott sex–just the thing for a sparkling late summer day.
Hiring Mr. Darcy by Valerie Bowman
I keep reading this title as “Riding Mr. Darcy, but there’s actually no riding at all. This contemporary romance is less a retelling of Pride and Prejudice than a cheerful homage to Austen’s masterpiece. Professor Meg Knightley is distraught when her boyfriend/colleague decides to replace her with an actress to compete in the annual Austen Festival held in Bath, England. But Meg is nothing if not a fierce competitor, so she undertakes the training of her brother’s buddy in the role of Regency gentleman. Turns out that Meg is the one who is schooled, and the lesson is sweetened by the delightful Jeremy. The result is a mutual journey of self discovery that explores the pleasures of not only Austen but romance fiction in general.
Some Like It Hott by Serena Bell
Dead Grampa Hott is at it again. Workaholic financier Preston Hott is tasked with developing an array of fun activities for Hott Springs Eternal and testing them at a local festival. His unwelcome partner is his sister’s newly hired activities coordinator, Natalie. The resulting opposites attract relationship is pretty straightforward and lots of fun in and out of the bedroom. It’s ok, but not my fave.
Code Name Romance by Carlie Walker
If you’re in the mood for an absurdist spy caper and you have an unlimited ability to suspend disbelief, this is the book for you. Failed restaurateur Max is offered an irresistible opportunity to redeem herself with a simple little job for the CIA. Turns out, Flynn, her “handler,” is the one that got away when they were teens. There’s some jeopardy and limited violence. Think Westlake, not Fleming, to sum up this Roman(tic) holiday. This novel was an entertaining diversion with extremely likable characters, perfect for a lazy summer read.
A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets by Grace Burrowes
The tenth Lord Julian Mystery sends our hero off in search of a missing–possibly kidnapped–lady, at the bequest of her devoted suitor. He is assisted by his dear Hyperia and his clever godmama, as well as various allies. Amid the sleuthing, Julian and Hyperia continue to enjoy a bit of progress in their romance. I enjoy these mellow non-murder mysteries, right up until I trip over some horrible anachronistic idiom.
Hell Bent by Rosalind James
Released on Labor Day, the fifth book in the Portland Devils series offers both a serious look at illness and loss, and a story full of solid comfort. When kicker Sebastian Robillard is traded to the Portland football franchise, he moves on with typical stoicism, never suspecting that an abandoned golden retriever, a grieving nephew and an “ersatz” princess in a hardhat would combine to disrupt his loner status. Alix is strong-minded and often stubborn in her pursuit of independence, in spite of self-doubt and a hereditary health issue, yet is drawn to Sebastian’s calm confidence. James offers a substantial story with an engaging cast of characters, a pleasing amount of steam and some exciting gridiron play-by-play. Recommended.
Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer
Black Tie and Tails by Wen Spencer
I reread BWoB to prep for BTaT, the sequel that was just released. And that’s a good thing, since I only remembered a few key characters. I’d been hoping for a sequel since it came out in 2017, and book one was a looong assed novel–very busy and strangely fascinating. All I clearly remembered was the beginning of BWoB, when 300 year old vampire diviner, Decker, first encounters newly made werewolf, Joshua, in a Boston park and decides to take the lost puppy home to his hoarder house. My memory fail is not surprising when I consider how convoluted both these stories are, told from four separate (3rd person) POV. Besides Joshua and Decker, there’s Joshua’s half brother Seth, Prince of Boston, and Elise, the city’s angelic monster slayer. The new book picks up right after BWoB ends, and I wouldn’t attempt it as a standalone. The plots of both books are wicked complicated, and both involve many alarums and excursions in a variety of locations. There’s also quite a lot of bloodshed. My only problem with both books was the need for at least one more pass by a decent editor, but I was so caught up in the storytelling that I didn’t care about minor grammar issues. I absolutely adore Joshua and Decker, enjoyed their allies, and savored the stellar world building. The new book is very much a “school” story, and while I wouldn’t quite call this YA, it would be suitable for mature teens. My fingers are crossed for a sequel, hopefully in less than eight years this time. Recommended for the world building, the strong sense of place, the humor, and the wonderful characters.
Running Hott by Serena Bell
Fourth in the Rush Creek series, this book follows the same template as the ptevious books. Uber controlling dead Grampa coerces cynical divorce lawyer Rhys into two months working as a wedding planner at his sister’s wedding venue supervised by prissy attorney Weggers. One of his clients is Eden whose ex he represented in their divorce. Yadayadayada. HEA. Writing’s decent, but the plot gets old. I’ll read the final book, but I guarantee there will never be a reread.
Kissing Mr. Knightley by Valerie Bowman
DNF@55%
I enjoyed the first in this series, because of the opposites attract vibe and the literary Easter eggs, but this one is not doing it for me. MCs are a nurse and a country music star. The romance is a pedestrian enemies to lovers/second chance hybrid with more lifestyle than life, overtones of “not like other girls,” and much instalust. Also, I’m still coming down from Black Wolves; my tolerance for bland is low.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
It is not surprising that this volume should follow swiftly on the heels of so unfortunate an homage to the superior Miss Austen as I have noted above. To then be assaulted by the travesty of Penguin UK’s reissue of that lady’s sublime work in covers I do not scruple to call garish recalled to me the necessity to recollect the true excellence of Miss Austen’s life work. . . . Okay, I’m done. I mined the Azn sample for Alexis Hall’s introduction to my favorite, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed the original. Reread for the win, and still my favorite.
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
This series opener is an amusing urban fantasy set primarily in Scotland in the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles. Aloysius MacBharrais is a Sigil Agent, responsible for enforcing the treaty between human and fae. The death of his latest apprentice reveals some very dirty business that Al is compelled to investigate, with the assistance of a hobgoblin prankster and a lethal accountant/battle seer. This is a fun ride with a mature protagonist, a superb mustache, and lashings of foul mouthed dialect.
Wish You Were Here by Jess K Hardy
The third book in the Bluebird Basin series signals a major change in tone from the first two books. Not only are the protagonists a generation younger than in earlier books, but the obstacles between them are primarily internal rather than external. Kev and Davis love each other almost from their first encounter, but as the novel opens, Kev is returning from rehab while Davis is still seared by witnessing the near death relapse that sent Kev to rehab in the first place. This is a novel of BIG feels, not just because of the painful emotional stuff, but also because of the beautifully supportive community of both born-to family and the found family of the sober living house. I had two minor issues with the book. One was the lack of professional help for Davis in dealing with the aftermath of Kevin’s near fatal overdose. The other item that bothered me a bit was the seemingly perfect smoothness of the support system that surrounded Davis and Kev. It was just a bit too “happy families” to seem realistic. Overall, I found this book tremendously moving. Even despite the horrid new cover, I would recommend it to any reader who loves an angsty, emotionally satisfying romance.
Happy September, all you “tender, callow fellows.”
I’m taking an “if you’ve nothing good to say” break, but it has been so long since I have read an actually good book I decided to mention I am still alive.
And I did listen to the audiobook of JADE CITY, and while I infinitely prefer it as a book, because I am not an audiobook listener by preference, I was fine with the narrator. So I get to recommend it all over again! I need the series to be filmed already. It’s so cinematic it’s practically screen written. Not a romance, although there are love stories and on page sex as part of the intense, magical, political, familial crime saga. Aaaaand there’s kung fu. I mean! It’s everything. Utterly grounded fantasy, such great world building. The characters are engaging, and (mostly) all doing the best they can within the limitations of their very real personalities. Each best possible but not ideal decision locks in the next inevitable consequence, and so there is this rollercoaster chain of unexpected but utterly believable events. Every time I think, oh no don’t do it, I am at a loss for what they might do instead. Not low stakes or cozy at all, but nevertheless wonderful escapism because it is a universe to get completely lost in.
Oh, perhaps also worth mentioning, I didn’t hate THE LOVE WAGER by Lynn Painter, and given my incredibly low tolerance for m/f romance these days, that’s probably a rave for someone else. It’s still problematically heteronormative and you can’t think about any of it too hard, but even a half decent contemporary m/f rom com is an incredibly rare sighting. I read it when I was still toying with trying to do bingo, although I forget which square it was going to be because I have definitively determined that I don’t need to get out of a reading rut, I need to allow myself to bask in my well curated and perfectly discerned reading preferences.
Which, yes, means mostly KJ Charles, over and over again. There is a new KJ Charles on the horizon, mercifully.
I just spent 10 minutes sitting on the couch, having a total brain blank about my recent reading history. I’ll blame the Saturday morning thunderstorms (our poor dog is wandering the house with his head down – he does not love storms- calming chews FTW).
I do a bunch of mindless paperwork at my job – so when I don’t have patients – I listen to audiobooks to occupy my mind. Last week, I re-“read” the SHIFTER WARS – WEREWOLF TRILOGY by Kelly St Clare. It’s got enemies to lovers, surprise family, shifter dynamics – all set with a “game” that puts the MCs on opposite sides. I like the build of the story across the 3 books. There is a “tribe” part of the world building (not historically based), as the author is based in New Zealand I’m not knowledgeable about the historical background.
I’m now re-“read”ing Kelly St Clare’s MAGICAL DATING AGENCY series – starting with LOVE AND CURSE MAKING. It’s a quirky series with a Cupid FMC and a BERSERKER MMC – the mishaps surrounding her curse are often hilarious.
I’m realizing my theme has been magical dating or matchmaking. I re-read several of Lillian Lark’s LOVE BATHHOUSE series. Then read Lark’s THREE OF HEARTS and PAIR OF FOOLS which follow two Siren sisters.
I also read BRED BY THE MINOTAUR – by Lyonne Riley. This is the most recent of her DreamTogether Breeding Program series. Get all your monster and breeding kink fun in one place.
I took a different reading turn than usual. Starting with Lillian Lark’s HER VIGILANTE. This is a dark romance – FBI FMC, serial killer MMC. This was well-written. It’s a fairly short read. The MCs are older, with some life experience. It’s told from 3 perspectives, the FMC and her FBI partner for the first part. then the FMC and MMC for the second. The characters are all coping – albeit in some fairly broken ways – and the FMC and partner have a strong, supportive relationship with no shaming. I read this book twice back to back because it really grabbed me. It was refreshing to not have the typical dark romance with the inexperienced 20 year old woman and the gravelly older man who steals her away to do crazy sex stuff and she just accepts it all.
The other off the beaten path reads for me were Mia Sheridan’s UNWANTED and UNNATURAL. These are more mystery/conspiracy style stories. There’s not a lot I’d describe here for risk of spoiling the story. They were solid reads.
I’m currently reading THE ROAD OF BONES by Demi Winters. So far, it’s a fairly typical fantasy storyline – girl has to set out on her own after learning her life isn’t what she was told – being hunted by a royal assassin, etc.
Enjoy the weekend. Take care of yourselves.
It’s an abominably slow year for me – for the first time ever, I’m behind on my Goodreads goal.
THE SPECTRAL ARCTIC: A HISTORY OF GHOSTS AND DREAMS IN POLAR EXPLORATION by Shane McCorristine was EXTREMELY up my alley, covering the Franklin expedition and how the Spiritualist movement informed many of choices trying to discover what happened to the men and ships with critiques of the colonialism and imperialism which drove them there. Also Victorian pastoralism and walking.
THE GILDED HEIRESS by Joanna Shupe. I’m always looking for historicals that don’t involve anyone with a title and while obviously obscene Gilded Age wealth is related, I’ll take it. This was a cute enough Anastasia retelling and I was tickled by the descriptions of 1890s Boston.
AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz. The cutest post-apocalyptic story you’ll read and as someone who works in the food industry, it didn’t put me off. (See why I’ll never watch The Bear.)
Rereading MANSFIELD PARK by Jane Austen. Earlier in the summer, I reread Moby Dick with a group. It was lovely chatting through it with others and it inspired the Mansfield Park reread with a friend whose never read it before. My controversial opinion is I think I’d revise my Austen rankings and rate it above Sense and Sensibility at this point in my life.
In a bit of a rut, actually!
Just finished the fourth book in C. Rochelle’s villains supes series and the first in her aliens series. The series are awesome and hot (although I like some of the supes books much much more than others—I loved PUTTING OUT FOR A HERO and NOT ALL HIMBOS WEAR CAPES), but I can’t quite bring myself to read the second aliens book or final supes book yet. I am bad at finishing things!
I haven’t been able to do MF romance for a while, but I tried MAID FOR EACH OTHER (Painter) this week. Not for me. I’ve just lost all patience for the “male and female MCs can’t stand each other for now, but all this fighting and condescension is just a precursor to LoOvE” thing, especially when it involves an a-hole male and a “short but feisty” female. YMMV—I don’t think it was BAD, just not for me.
Enjoying POLE POSITION—I’m not big on enemies/rivals to lovers, but it works for me here.
Recently really enjoyed THE BACHELOR’S VALET (Powell; himbo, sweet, funny, low angst); MUSCLING THROUGH (JL Merrow; himbo story that is funny and sweet and has a very distinctive voice); and Fae Quinn’s HUNT ME! (Wolfe himbo) and CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF BAD DECISIONS.
I…like MM himbos, clearly.
@Kim – I loved MUSCLING THROUGH! Definitely one of my favorites and not like anything else I’ve ever read.
I don’t have much of substance to say, but since I’m leaving a comment anyway: I used to be really bad about keeping books as long as I didn’t hate them, an unsustainable vice, and although I’ve since transitioned to only keeping things that I suspect I’ll want to reread and got rid of hundreds of books I was confident that I didn’t, this left me with a lot of them that I didn’t remember well enough to know whether they qualified. So lately I’ve been trying to mix investigatory rereading with my reading of new things.
I’m not sure whether I am winning or losing at this project, but so far I haven’t felt compelled to keep any of the rereads.
I started this reading cycle with a crime thriller, a genre I used to consume constantly before I developed a preference for as many HEAs as possible in my leisure reading. A DEAD DRAW is the 11th book in the Tracy Crosswhite series (plus three related short stories) by Robert Dugoni, published over the past 11 years. All are available on Kindle Unlimited. The protagonist is a Seattle homicide detective (and later, cold case detective) who entered police work to investigate the disappearance and murder of her younger sister, launching a career dedicated to saving other young women who are in danger and pursuing various forms of justice. Tracy is a badass as well as a good detective—- she’s a champion shooter with remarkable physical strength and stamina, even as she ages, and an adept problem solver. She’s also an empathic lead character. This book does a lot of circling back to the series start, with some new backstory added, so I suppose it could be read as a stand-alone. But for those who enjoy this genre, and aren’t triggered by the themes and by frequent descriptions of violence and psychopathic villains, I’d recommend starting with the first book, HER SISTER’S GRAVE, and following the series in order.
Next, I pulled the 4-book “Rebel Blue Ranch” series, by Lyla Sage, out of my large TBR stack of ebooks purchased when they were on sale. I rarely read cowboy romances, and I freely admit that I bought these books because I liked the cover art and because they were blurbed by other authors I’ve enjoyed. Overall, I think the writing had too much tell and not enough show, but the storytelling seemed to improve over the course of the series and each of the novels had enough interesting background elements (like descriptions of the Wyoming landscape, or information on how to rehab an old ranch building, or how to care for aging horses) to keep me reading. Plus, I enjoyed the way that Sage expanded and deepened the relationships among her group of characters (the members of the Ryder family and their close friends) who appear in all four books.
– Book 1, DONE AND DUSTED, relied too much on the overprotective-older-brother-doesn’t-want-best-friend-dating-his-sister trope, which is not one of my favorites. However, I liked the FMC, Emmy Ryder, who pushes back against her older brother’s attempt to interfere in her love life as she works to get other parts of her life in order. I also liked Emmy’s funny and irreverent best friend, Teddy. MMC Luke Brooks—- best friend to Emmy’s older brother, Gus—- was compelling as well.
– Book 2, SWIFT AND SADDLED, featured an FMC I liked a lot. Ada is a city girl and a designer who’s on the ranch to lead a renovation project. She has lots of insecurities and self-doubts but is able to overcome them by trusting the MMC, trusting the women who become the friend group she’s never had before, and trusting herself. MMC Wes Ryder, on the other hand, seemed a little too perfect.
– Book 3, SWIFT AND SADDLED, brought closure to the relationship introduced in book 1 between FMC Theodora (Teddy) and her antagonist-turned-lover, MMC August (Gus) Ryder. The thawing of the long-standing prickly relationship followed predictable paths, and I think what I liked even more than the romance of the MCs was the brief break up and reconciliation of best friends and self-described “soulmates” Teddy and Emmy.
– Book 4, WILD AND WRANGLED, recounted the second chance romance of FMC Camille (Cam) and MMC Dusty, a ranch hand at Rebel Blue. Cam is a lawyer who amicably co-parents with Gus Ryder the child they had eight years ago, but Dusty was Cam’s high school friend and first lover. The story includes several flashbacks that explain how Cam and Dusty met, why they broke up, why Cam had a baby with Gus, and why Cam hesitated to reunite with Dusty. I thought this book was a bit slow moving compared to the other three, but was happy that Sage wrapped up all of the interrelated storylines with a satisfying series epilogue.
I’ve enjoyed several F/F novels by Rachel Lacey in the past. Her new book, LEARNING CURVES (available on KU), was especially fun for me because both MCs are art history professors with an interest in under-recognized women artists, which coincides with some of my own academic interests. Also, Lacey’s descriptions of academic politics were on point, and the development of the characters was satisfying. It’s an age gap story, but both MCs navigate the gap with relatively little stress. Audrey is 30 and has just landed her first full-time teaching position at the liberal arts college in Vermont where she once lusted after her Art History professor. That professor is now Audrey’s colleague, Michelle, who is 45, grumpy (in part because of a somewhat recent divorce as well as the aforementioned academic politics), burned-out, and probably at the top of the list for most disliked member of the Art department, until her relationship with Audrey inspires some changes. The romance is a slow burn (sometimes very slow), with considerable spice in later portions of the book, and there’s good communication between the MCs almost all of the time. Audrey is also a potter, so yes, there’s a scene reminiscent of the pottery wheel scene in “Ghost” that contributes significantly to the romance. It appears that another book set at the same college is coming in a few months, and I’m looking forward to another visit to Lacey’s Vermont locations.
Darn it– I cut-and-pasted the wrong title for Book 3 in Lyla Sage’s series– it’s LOST AND LASSOED. Sorry! I did refer to the correct characters, though.
Writing Mr Wrong by Kelley Armstrong
Gemma’s a divorced romance novelist who drew inspiration for her asshole male main character from her childhood friend who kissed her right before graduation and then headed off to do hockey things. She went off to college and got married, while he went on to become a famous hockey player. The novel begins when a morning talk show host who went to high school with them notices the similarities and brings them together for an interview. It’s not a bad book. He gets to recognize and work to improve his jerk tendencies. (He’s described as being more “careless” with other people’s feelings than intentionally hurtful.) She gets to work on recognizing that loving him means accepting all of him, good and bad, and how that relates to the ways she tried to change for her ex-husband who was never able to accept all of her. (Gemma is a friend of the lead in Finding Mr Write, but you don’t need to read that one first. I haven’t read it.)
Run Posy Run (Underboss Insurrection Book 1) by Cate C. Wells (KU)
Nicky the Driver (Underboss Insurrection Book 2) by Cate C. Wells (KU)
I wouldn’t normally read this many of Ms Wells’s books back to back. They usually have a grittiness to them that can be a little depressing. I guess I was in a bit of a mood. In Run Posy Run, we get a romance between a sociopathic mobster and a woman who would do anything for someone to love her, which of course isn’t sustainable. But it’s the backdrop for the two of them trying to figure out what they want and what they are willing to do to get it. In Nicky the Driver, Zita knows what she wants, and it’s to get as far from the mafia as possible. Nicky just wants Zita, and would do anything she asked. Zita has an eating disorder that is a major component of this book, and I think a very compelling portrayal.
The Stone Wolf’s Rejected Mate (The Five Packs) by Cate C. Wells (KU)
Novella-length story in the Five Packs universe. It has most of the elements you’d expect from the longer entries (i.e., werewolves, fated mates, politics interfering with true love), but not surprisingly due to length lacked some of the depth. It’s fine.
Ravaged Wolf (The Five Packs Book 6) by Cate C. Wells (KU)
This one was a tough read. Not because it’s bad, becuse it’s really very good, but because it deals with sexual assault. About 5-6 years ago, Izzy and Trevor are about to graduate high school when their mating bond forms and Izzy goes into heat. Izzy’s parents are jerks and don’t want her to mate with Trevor, who is too low status to help with their political ambitions, so they conspire to keep the two apart. Both Izzy and Trevor want to do the right thing, but biology takes over, Izzy ends up in the hospital, and Trevor is exiled. Both of them are traumatized. Then the story jumps to Izzy realizing that her life as gotten stuck, and she needs to choose something different. To move forward, they’ll have to face what happened, and see if they can forgive themselves and each other.
All Fun and Games (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 11) by Honor Raconteur (KU)
Murder mystery novel set in a world where magic is real and the tech level is maybe Edwardian. Our two main POV characters are Henri, a Royal Magician, and Jamie, a former FBI agent from our world who has been magically enhanced, and both of them work for the royal police force on crimes that are magical in nature. I enjoyed this entry, but Book 11 isn’t the place to start the series. My main problem with this one was that the voices of the two POV characters weren’t distinct enough for me to tell which one was which without some external clue, which I don’t remember being a prob.
Kulti by Mariana Zapata (KU)
Slow-burn sports romance between a retired superstar soccer player turned coach and player with grumpy-grumpy vibes. (I saw it listed as grumpy/sunshine somewhere, so YMMV.) It’s not bad, but it is an HR nightmare. And, yes, HR is right to be upset even if everyone keeps their pants on. Look, he’s a terrible coach who is showing clear favoritism, and the other players are perfectly justified in being upset, even if our heroine gets more than her fair share of the blame for it.
Man Card (Man Hands Book 2) by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby (KU)
Rivals to lovers romantic comedy between two real estate agents. Romantic comedy in the adults behaving badly sense, like changing the keycode of the house they are showing to make it harder for the other one to make the sale. It’s funny and doesn’t last the whole book, but definitely going to depend on your sense of humor as to whether it’s going to work for you.
The Comeback: A Slow Burn K-pop Romantic Comedy About Identity and Ambition by Lily Chu (KU)
I don’t know what is up with the subtitle on the Amazon listing, but it’s not wrong and hits a lot of the buzzwords. If you are looking for something with K-pop elements, this will help to scratch that itch. I’ll admit that the first half of the book frustrated me because our ambitious female lead is clearly unsatisfied and the first person POV keeps making remarks like “In the morning, I will be the same old me, doing the same old thing because I work so much at my job that it’s become both what I do and who I am. I guess that’s kind of sad. But that’s how it is.” Like, I get that it can be dramatic to be torn between two good options, but this is being torn between “I’m miserable but this will make my dad happy” and “Hot guy with bonus emotional awareness”. WHY IS THERE ANY QUESTION ABOUT WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE? Heck, don’t even choose the guy, just get away from your toxic job. On balance though, this book has enough good stuff that it’s worth the frustration.
I’m trying to reach my BINGO stretch goal, which is the full five. I managed the perimeter of the card and was going to go down the center row as my final one.
I read Beach Read and loved it. It’s my second Emily Henry (I read Funny Story last fall), but I’m starting to worry that all of her books hinge one the someone in the main character’s life cheating to push the plot. Please tell me that I’m wrong, Bitchery. When my turn in line comes for Great Big Beautiful Life, I’ll read it though.
I stalled at Wooing the Witch Queen. I was excited about it, I’d read the review here, I wanted to like it and just… couldn’t. I may go back to it in the future, but it just wasn’t compelling to me. I quit at 37%.
So now I’m reading There’s Something About Sweetie Sandhya Menon. She runs track and he plays basketball, so it fits my sports romance square and Beach Read can shift over to B+ or higher rating and I still get to meet my goal! Sometimes you just gotta roll with it I guess…
I hope to return to Wooing the Witch Queen at some point, but I have a few cozy fall type reads that I want to get into once BINGO is done, so it may be a while.
Hello, all!
Enjoyed AN INCONVENIENT VOW by Alice Coldbreath very much. It’s one of her alternate European medieval books. I think I’ve read most of them, and highly recommend them. I love her Victorian prizefighter series even more. Coldbreath is fantastic at painting realistic characters and showing you how they fall in love and meld their lives together. IMO she is one of the best romance authors out there.
Enjoy the weekend! Wishing you all peaceful hearts and quiet minds – my brain is chittering like a very nervous squirrel right now.
I was thrilled to see that Jill Sorenson—one of my favorite writers who has been radio silent for the last few years—is publishing again! COWBOY’S LAST STAND is the first book in Sorenson’s new His to Protect romantic-suspense series. In COWBOY’S LAST STAND, Natalie is a widow with a young son. Her husband, a soldier, died in Afghanistan. Jason, a military veteran with some obvious signs of PTSD (one of which is that he’s been walking cross-country for several months, another is that he cannot sleep inside) appears in the town where Natalie lives, and the two of them begin to connect. But it’s clear that Jason has a lot of baggage and is keeping secrets—the reader will guess before Natalie does that there is something less than random about Jason’s arrival. Up until about the 80% point, COWBOY’S LAST STAND is a well-written romance with many of Jill Sorenson’s touches—working-class people struggling to get by, honest attempts at communication, not-always positive outcomes when trying to resolve issue, characters who are a realistic mix of good and not-so-good qualities, and smoking-hot sexy-times—the romantic-suspense plot does not kick in until late in the book, and it brings with it a strong note of tension and real concern, especially for Jason’s well-being. Sorenson also makes the very interesting narrative choice to tell the story not just from Natalie’s and Jason’s points-of-view but also from the point-of-view of another character—who will undoubtedly be the MC of a future book. COWBOY’S LAST STAND is a great way for Sorenson to re-emerge: I gulped it down and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Highly recommended
[cw/tw: sexual assault, rape, attempted suicide] First things first, there is a scene early in Cate C. Wells’s RAVAGED WOLF (the latest in her Five Packs series of shifter romances) where the hero (while “in rut”) rapes the heroine, leaving her badly injured both physically and emotionally. If this would be upsetting for you, please do not read RAVAGED WOLF; even if you’ve been enjoying Wells’s previous shifter romances and how she tackles thorny social issues through the prism of pack politics, the chapter in RAVAGED WOLF where Trevor rapes Izzy is hard to read. However, I think Wells did a great job with addressing the assault and its aftermath head-on. As with several of the Five Packs books, RAVAGED WOLF starts several years ago (before the events in the HEIR-APPARENT’S REJECTED MATE). Izzy and Trevor are fated mates, but Izzy’s awful rageaholic father and social-climbing mother do not want their daughter connected to a lower-class wolf and make every effort to keep the two apart. How you feel about Wells’s decision to have Izzy’s “heat” and Trevor’s “rut” force them to reach out for each other (even when expressly forbidden by the ruling elite who are related to Izzy’s father) will probably determine how much further you get in the book. When Trevor realizes how much he’s damaged Izzy, he tries to commit suicide (another scene that is difficult to read) and eventually decides to self-exile. Fast forward five years: society has changed due to the events in HEIR-APPARENT, Izzy essentially stays inside, working a dull job from home, and exhibiting all the signs of depression and PTSD (if her dreadful parents would make an effort to notice). Eventually, Izzy feels an unexpected pull to becoming a “healer” and starts an apprenticeship with Albortha (who has appeared as a witch-like figure in the previous Five Pack books). When Izzy reconnects with Trevor, there is so much pain to address, and Wells does not have the two miraculously resolve their issues or erase all their pain. As Izzy puts it, “All my life, I always thought what I was told to think, and then after that night, it was like I was a broken puppet, and everyone dropped my strings, so I just lay there because all I was really made of was other people’s expectations.” RAVAGED WOLF is extremely sad (I admit to crying several times), angsty, and undoubtedly polarizing (Izzy finds herself able to forgive an “unforgiveable” act—not everyone will accept that). I thought RAVAGED WOLF was a very well-written book that does not shy away from some very difficult topics, but not everyone will agree with its subject matter or outlook. I recommend it but be sure to thoroughly consider the content warnings before reading it.
I read Beth Bolden’s BREAKING THE ICE last month and was particularly interested in the background relationship between two supporting characters: Hayes, a hockey player, and Morgan, a retired player. They had a brief relationship several years before, but that ended badly, although the two have been pining for each other ever since. I strongly recommend reading BREAKING THE ICE before reading BREAKAWAY GOALS in which Hayes’s and Morgan’s story takes center stage. BREAKAWAY GOALS moves back and forth in time. We see how Hayes (a rookie phenom, and one of hockey’s first out players) and Morgan (a brilliant player who has hitherto always considered himself straight) meet when they are playing for the American national team, have a hot and passionate affair lasting just the few days of the tournament, and then studiously ignore each other (along with massive amounts of pining on both sides) for the next six years. But when Morgan’s son joins Hayes’s team, a confrontation between the two men is inevitable. One of the best things about BREAKAWAY GOALS is Morgan’s growing emotional self-awareness: he knows he has not treated Hayes with the kindness he deserves, but he has a time getting to that point. As one of Morgan’s friends comments, “You never saw a good thing you didn’t want to fuck up by overcomplicating it.” I have to give credit for Bolden not being afraid to make Morgan a bit of a jerk and for not letting him excuse his own bad behavior because he’s a brilliant player. For an angst queen like myself, the long years of delicious mutual pining were one of the best parts of the book. In fact, my biggest quibble with BREAKAWAY GOALS is that—considering their many years apart—Hayes & Morgan seem to resolve things far too quickly once they’re together again. Still, that’s a minor point in an overall good book. Coincidentally, BREAKAWAY GOALS is the third dual-timeline/second-chance m/m hockey romance I’ve read this year. While I wouldn’t put BREAKAWAY GOALS in the same category as Ari Baran’s GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE or Sarina Bowen’s THE LAST GUY ON EARTH (both of which are on my favorites of 2025 list), it’s still a solid enough romance to recommend…but read BREAKING THE ICE first.
I’m beginning to think my computer hates WAYR. Second time it has decided to nope out in the middle of my post. Beyatch. Any how..
Spelunking in my kindle unearthed ONCE UPON A CURSE, a fantasy anthology with stories from the likes of Peter S. Beagle, Cindy Lynn Speers and Patricia Wrede. Unlike a lot of anthologies there are no clunkers among these fairy tale retellings.
Next uo was THE UNDERCUTTING OF ROSiE AND ADAM the last (I’m presuming based on events at the end of the book) in a trilogy from Megan Bannen. This a low angst story of Rosie, Tanria ranger and the daughter of one of the Old Gods and Adam, the creator of the portals into Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods. Something has infected the portals, a shadow that only Rosie can see. Trapped inside Tanria along with Rosie’s partner, his ex=boyfriend and a rapidly spreading infestation. Action, adventure and ruminations on the burdens of immortality.
Lynn Painter’s MAID FOR EACH OTHER is a standard contemporary with no big surprises or novelty. Charming enough,but not so engaging that you can’t fall asleep while you read or put down to go to work.
Let’s talk about SOUNDS LIKE LOVE. This has pretty much sealed Ashley Poston as an auto-read. I admit to being a bit of a sucker for a little magical realism twist and this one was a delight. After a chance encounter with former boy band bad boy Sebestian McKellen ends in a really good kiss, songwriter Joni Lark leaves Los Angeles for her family home in the Outer
Banks. Her regular summer vacation is especially poignant as her mother has been diagnosed with dementia. The hits keep coming as her parents announce the closure of their historic family music venue. Then she starts hearing someone else’s thoughts. And he can hear her. Amazingly enough, when Sebastian tracks her down, there is plenty that the two are unable to express to each other. I really enjoyed the way relationships were negotiated. Not just Joni and Sebastian, but her relationships with her parents and best friend. the setting was also a summer delight. I ate up every page. Yes, I was late for work. Twidce. This is also like the third book in as many months with a parent fading into dementia. Not sure how I feel about that unintentional trend.
Currently reading EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green. I know! No-fiction. Whodda thunk? I saw an interview with him who knows where and found the whole concept of how disease, probably more than anything, has shaped the human history absolutely fascinating. Did you know that the anarchist who assassinated Franz Ferdinand leading to WWI had tuberculosis? That it’s been around longer than any other bacteral infection in history? That even though it is curable, it still kills millions? I’m not even halfway through. Absolutely recommend.
I want to thank whoever recommended CS Poe’s Larkin and Doyle series last Watcha Reading bc I devoured those books in like 2 days. Time lost meaning when I was reading them. I can’t wait for the next one!
“Crash Test” by Amy James had me Bad Decisions Book Clubbing it last night until some wee hour of the morning. I was really loving it in the first part, when everything was from Travis’ POV. When it switched to Jacob’s POV, and then the two combined, it made sense in the structure of the plot, but I felt the story lost some momentum there. There were also chunks of time that got skipped and it would have added to the story to continue with them. I really liked Travis more – Jacob was the less mature of the two and just younger. I know they’re both young characters, but I found the shift from Travis’ perception of him to being inside his head didn’t really match up.
Also, if authors could just move on from the “in some countries, these characters would be stoned to death because gay” comments in LGBTQ+ romances, that’d be great. There’s no need to throw that little line in. It’s pretty much almost never actually relevant to the plot in any way and it promotes negative stereotypes.
Over the past three weeks ~
— enjoyed Autoboyography by Christina Lauren which my library has categorized as a young adult book. It is about two young men falling in love and the issues they face, internal and external, as they live in Provo, Utah, and one is LDS. They meet in a high school class where the goal is to write a book in one semester. One is a senior; the other, who now attends BYU, is the class mentor as he sold the book he wrote the previous year.
— enjoyed a reread of Andrea Höst’s novella Snow Day when I only had time for a quick read. This is the last entry in a favorite science fiction series. I recommend starting with the first book in the Touchstone series which is permanently FREE, Stray.
— For my book group, I read A Map for the Missing by Belinda Huijuan Tang. The book begins with a man, a math professor, receiving a call from his mother in China that his father has gone missing. The man, a gifted student, was not the favored son of his father in rural China in the seventies and, due to tragic circumstances, is told never to return home. The book is also about a woman, sent down from Shanghai as a teen, who befriends him in his youth as they both dream of entering university. The man is encouraged by his wife to return to China to help find his father. During that trip he reconnects with his old friend and also learns a lot about himself and his father.
— enjoyed The London Rose by Rosanne E. Lortz, a regency romance featuring a never married fortyish lord and a widow with an adult son. They meet when one of his nieces runs away en route to a season in London. This romance was quite chaste.
— read Zero Pucks by E.M. Lindsey which began with one of the leads waking up alone in an unfamiliar hotel room in Las Vegas only to realize that he is missing his prosthetic legs. He does get his legs back (though it was never clear to me how he came to be parted from them). A few weeks later, the other lead (a man leaving an abusive relationship) arrives on his doorstep to tell him that they married in Vegas.
— enjoyed rereading the first three books in a favorite science fiction series, Quarter Share, Half Share, and Full Share by Nathan Lowell. These are described as slice of life and follow a young man whose mother has just died. He has ninety days to leave the planet he is on and must figure out a path forward.
— enjoyed rereading the science fiction romance Dark Space by Lisa Henry. This is set in our future on a space station; Earth is trying to defend itself from an alien race they call the Faceless. One lead is nineteen, a medic who is three years into his mandatory ten year service. The other is a pilot, the only human ever taken captive by the Faceless, who is returned to the station with a message.
— quite enjoyed The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen. This is the third fantasy romance in a series, and I recommend reading them in order even though each focuses on different lead characters. The female lead is an immortal demigod (over six feet and red eyed) working as a marshall. When portals begin failing, the male lead (handsome, a few inches over five feet, and creator of those portals) comes to fix them. Soon they and two other characters are stranded on the other side of the portals. The author has created an intriguing world.
— Returned to the series I was reading last week and reread Double Share by Nathan Lowell. I enjoyed it even though this might be my least favorite in the series.
Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
Am drawing this one out because the third in the series doesn’t come out until February. Love all the characters and plot. The main couple is wonderful and I can’t get enough of their story. A relatable heroine and imperfect hero who is actually fantasy romance perfection.
THE BARBARIAN’S CLAIM, the 4th book in Amy Padilla’s M/M NOT SO SAVAGE BARBARIANS series. In this world, the ‘barbarians’ can’t produce female children so they need mates from the non-barbarian population, which hates and fears them. They’ve worked out an agreement in which each town offers one woman every year as a ‘tribute’ so the barbarians don’t attack and steal anyone. The agreement is actually not gender specific and, in the first book, a town sends a young man they want to get rid of because he’s gay. The barbarians are a generally tolerant lot and of course there are some gay barbarians so it all works out. Every subsequent book features a different couple. Generally, the barbarian MC is sweet and that non-barbarian MC has had a difficult life. In the most recent book, the barbarian is not sweet and reclusive, but he is honorable (for a barbarian) and his tribute manages to get through his walls.
Read all 3 books in RJ Scott’s LANCASTER FALLS gay murder mystery series: WHAT LIES BENEATH, WITHOUT A TRACE, ALL THAT REMAINS. The series revolves around an increasingly disturbing mystery, starting with the discovery of the remains of a young man who disappeared from the town years ago and then the discovery of the remains of seemingly unrelated young woman. Each book involves a (M/M) romance between a character from the town and another character who has come to town – a horror novelist who makes the initial discovery, a veteran who has recently joined the town’s police force and an FBI agent assigned to the case. The writing is solid and I enjoyed the mystery but would caution that there is a fair amount of violence beyond finding the remains. I was a bit less enthusiastic about the romances – either a bit too instalove and/or the character’s behavior in the relationship was inconsistent with his other behavior. Full disclosure – I frequently observe this in M/M romances so I may be the problem here.
:::flops in like a slug:::
I got in from Greece last night, after traveling for…whatever, with math and time zones, somewhere between 17 and 20 hours. I’m gonna do this, and then probably lay down again.
(But Greece was worth it.)
Anywazy…
I started off with Love At First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe, which was cute and fun. It was basically “influencer and MiB fall in love”. I liked that both of them started off with both of them being somewhat sure that they were in the wrong place professionally, and going through their adventure together helped them move toward a place of knowing what they were good at and moving toward lives that were more fulfilling. Then it was Badlands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I love the mix of archaeology nerdery and murder stuff, and I also like that these guys are unafraid of putting in some rather ridiculous sci-fi/fantasy elements as well (this was better done than it was in their previous book). Then I went into Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas. She has such a gift, and this book was so fun. Just funny and adventurous, and not afraid to hit some hard themes. Then it was the new Orphan X that comes out early next year, Antihero. This one was interesting because the person/people needing his help placed some, ah, boundaries on him about how we went about doing his finding of justice, and watching him butt up against those boundaries while still meting out some retribution was entertaining. Then it was more Netgalley time with Thief of Night by Holly Black. I really like the magic systems in these books, but I also would like it if the main character didn’t dislike herself so much of the time. She’s clever and resourceful, and knows it, but has a lot of internalized dislike of herself. Which brings us to now, in which I’m reading the new Michael Connelly that comes out next month, Proving Ground. It’s a Lincoln Lawyer novel, and I love me some Mickey Haller (I like Harry Bosch a lot too, but not quite as much as I do his lawyer brother). In this one, Mickey is representing a woman whose daughter was killed by a former boyfriend, and is suing the AI company that they contend influenced him to do it. It feels very current, disconcertingly so, because I know that there are similar lawsuits currently out in the real world (so far they seem to focus on folks whose mental health was seriously harmed by AI, and have lost their lives as a result). It is engrossing and smart, and like I said, there’s a lot of thoughtfulness about how technology is so embedded in our daily lives in ways we don’t even notice, and how the tech companies aren’t super-careful in how they were wielding their power and the damage that results. I’ll probably finish it today, since I’m about to lay my jet-lagged behind down and read. So until next time, if you’re in Greece, definitely eat the ice cream.
I read a bunch of books, but only a few standalones, so I’ll note the recommended prerequisites.
I read the last of the Electra McDonnell World War 2 suspense series by Ashley Weaver, ONE FINAL TURN. Recommended to read the whole series in order. I’m sorry to see it end, I wish the adventures had continued until VE Day. However without being spoilerish, I’ll say that romance fans will be satisfied by the ending.
I read the last 2 of Joyce Harmon’s Regency Charades series. These are highly entertaining closed door Regencies, with LOTS of shenanigans. The 1st book, A FEATHER TO FLY WITH is still the one to beat, in which the heroine and her found family are running a complicated con game, involving betting on horse races, in order to recoup their finances. So this month I read #4, A TOWN AND COUNTRY SEASON, which can be read as a standalone. The plot involves identical twins who switch places, because their mother can only afford to bring out one of them. So they take turns participating in the London Season, causing lots of confusion. Then I read #5, THE WORLD’S A STAGE. The hero is a former actor who has managed to enter society and pass himself off as a gentleman, and the heroine comes from a genteel background, but is working as an actress on the London stage because she was left without funds. They enter into a fake relationship(she’s pretending to be his mistress) because Reasons. This one was quite good, but involves a lot of characters who were introduced in A FEATHER TO FLY WITH. Without knowing their backstories you miss some of the humor. You may have noticed in these descriptions that, very much like Austen, money or the lack of it drives the plots.
I also read THE LOST PASSENGER by Frances Quinn. This is women’s fiction, not a romance. It picks up where the Titanic movie left off, with a woman trying to escape her unhappy life, so she takes on the identity of a passenger who drowned, leaving her old self behind. I didn’t love it, but it was a bit of a page turner, with good depictions of immigrant life on the Lower East Side in New York during the Gilded Age.
I am now reading A WOMAN OF VIRTUE by Liz Carlyle. It’s an older book, she retired from writing quite a few years ago, but I somehow missed this one until now. And I had forgotten how meaty and complex her books were compared to a lot of recent historicals. She specializes in angst-ridden heroes and dysfunctional families, her books bring the sexual heat, and there’s also a murder mystery plot. All the characters, even the minor ones are so 3-dimensional. But to know who is who in this book, you really have to read Carlyle’s A WOMAN SCORNED first, there are a lot of recurring characters and intertwined families with backstories.
So one of my kindle collections is titled Unread. It is huge. I decided to tackle it the last couple weeks. In between dealing with miscommunications between people at work. When they offered me the admin position, they said it would be easy and only a couple hours a week! They lied!
MR TROUBLE by Nana Malone. He’s about to lose his trust if he doesn’t marry. She is his dad’s administrative assistant who is camping out in an unoccupied executive apartment due to housing distress. So, fake relationship to fake marriage, we know how that goes. Fun, lightweight.
SEPTEMBER MORNING by Diana Palmer, written in the 80s. Age gap, he is her guardian, he has a lot of female companionship, they fight a lot. Not sure I believed the part where he was secretly in love with her while being so active. Did not age as well I remembered from the distant past.
FIVE LITTLE PIGS by Agatha Christie was a good palate cleanser. She tends to age fairly well. Some of the attitudes were a little outdated but nothing really offensive in this one as Poirot solves a 16 yr old murder.
HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It wandered between wanting to be a gothic and wanting to be small town quirky. He lives in the mansion on the hill on a Maine island in winter. She returns to clean her mother’s cottage at the bottom of the hill after her mother’s death. He was a bit of a bully to her as teens. They haven’t spoken in years. Oh and sometimes she wants to be a bit manic pixie. I liked it well enough but it was not one of SEP’s best.
THE POLICE DOCTOR’S SECRET by Marion Lennox. I like that she tends to get the medical stuff right. He is a small town doc in rural Australia, she is sent to do the medical stuff on a murder. She was also engaged to his dead twin. There is bad blood at the start. I gave it three stars, partly for a little extra melodrama.
THE ONE I HATE by Chelle Sloan. Second chance, unexpected baby, golden retriever hero though his persistence bordered on annoying. I did enjoy it.
Not got too much that is relevant to this site. People might like “The Archaeology of Loss: Life, love and the art of dying”. It’s a memoir about grief. The author, Sarah Tarlow, is an archaeologist who specialises in the archaeology of death. Then her husband becomes ill and dies, so it’s about her experience caring for him and then her grief and complicated feelings after his death, interspersed with archaeology. I would recommend it, though would have liked more archaeology.
Also read and strongly disliked “Almost a Scandal” by Elizabeth Essex. I don’t think I can enjoy historicals any more. Was interested in the recent podcast interview with Valerie Bowman about this generally, and the discussion about possible reasons – the “world is burning, I can no longer take stories set in a world where women have no control” in particular.
@catscatscats, if you were interested in more along the lines of THE ARCHEOLOGY OF LOSS, I heartily recommend THIS ORDINARY STARDUST: a Scientist’s Path From Grief to Wonder by Alan R. Townsend. A simply beautiful book.
After “Crash Test”, I picked up “The Breakout Year” by K.D. Casey because it was recommended by Cat Sebastian as “the only book I’ve read with my eyes in 8 months”. It’s a contemporary baseball romance between a couple of Jewish men (one of whom is Orthodox): Eitan is a baseball player who was just traded to New York from Cleveland, and Akiva is a publishing assistant, writer, sometimes-model, and former baseball player. There’s fake dating – Eitan comes out (sort of?) and wants to hire someone to pose as his fake boyfriend. Akiva needs the money, so despite his reservations, he agrees to take on the job. These guys have a lot to work out, but they also have great chemistry.
I got a lot of reading in – plus things I’d started last time, but couldn’t yet say much about – and one that I think I forgot to mention.
THE LADIES ROAD GUIDE TO UTTER RUIN – Alison Goodman. Follow Up to the The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. Don’t read this before reading the first book, a lot won’t make sense. The sisters and their love interests get tangled up in more crazy stories in their quest to help women and to find the thruth about a certain event in the past. Lots of mad adventures, and going by the end of this one, there has to be at least another book… that I can’t wait for! I mostly don’t read m/f Regency romance anymore which was once all I read, mostly because it feels like I’ve read every possible plot or the plots sound completely unreal. However, I am there for this extremely well-written series with mad adventures, that still feels rooted in reality. The heart of them really are the two sisters and their relationship with each other, which gets tested quite a bit in this book.
THE BURNT – Peter E. Fenton. The next instalment in the Declan Hunt Mysteries, with a side of m/m romance. The blurb made the issues in the ongoing romance look larger than they actually were. Declan and Charlie are finding their way in their relationship and the story’s focus is mainly on the mystery, which reveals more about the mysterious Monarch organisation, which has been popping up since the first book. I like these mysteries set in and around Calgary, and it’s clear the author knows the places he writes about well. These are not stand-alones though, they should be read in sequence because of the overarching Monarch plot. Can’t wait for the next one!
THE PAPER BOYS – D.P. Clarence. M/M romantic comedy about two young journalists working for two very different newspapers (lowest level tabloid and established serious paper) who are also polar opposites plus class differences. This was cute and lots of fun. The blurb says for fans of Boyfriend Material – I agree, if you liked that one, you’ll probably like this one, though the side characters are a little less crazy. The author also admits that BM influenced this – in the sense of “write what you like to read”. It’s absolutely not a copy or anything, there’s also no fake dating. It’s dual POV and we see how the two MCs view the same event differently due to class/money etc. differences. There are several more or less big misunderstandings due to that or also due to at least one of them being a bit of a hothead. I would have liked to seem them actually working on that a bit more, but otherwise, this was a fun read. There’s more books in the series, but then next one features a pop star, and that’s not really my jam. Maybe I’ll get to them later.
HENCH – Natalie Zina Walschots. Not a romance, more of a sci-fi story in world with super heroes, super villains – and their henches. This has been mentioned here before I think. I got it a while ago because of that and picked it off my TBR. This kept me reading long into the night because I could not see where it was going to end up. Sci-fi is not usually my jam, but this was interesting, in parts funny, but also dark in a lot of places, the body count is high and there is a bit that I can describe only as body horror… It’s darker than I had expected, that I can say.
THE SAVAGES OF FAlCOTE series by Ally Hastings. This is a series of novels and novellas, except one all Regency m/m romances, one novella is f/f and aro I would say. Different levels of spice due to the stories and protagonists, though not super spicy. The novels are not super long either. Though everything says they can be read on their own, I would read them in sequence. The first two novels happen concurrently, with two differnt main couples, the novellas then flesh out some side characters that are only touched on in the novels. The third novel has two MCs that are less entwined with the rest, but you get glimpses and mentions of the other MCs, and the last novella follows right up from that. These are – nice, though they don’t reach my gold standards for historical m/m romance (KJ Charles, Joanna Chambers, Cat Sebastian). If you want to spend a bit of time with not too complicated queer historical romance that feels relatively realistic, this might be your thing. I would recommend reading them in this order:
Unwritten Rules
Unexpedted Fortune
Unintended Consequences (this one happens before Unwritten Rules, but I’d still read it afterwards as it expands on something that’s only touched on in book 1)
Unvarnished Truths
Uncharted Waters
Unlaid Ghosts
Unburned Bridges
Just finished Night Owls by A.R. Vishny. One of the better things I’ve read recently. Marketed as a YA because the two “sisters” were turned into Estrie–owl-shifting vampires–when they were 18. But the writing and the theme of young women being given the power to fly free of horrifying circumstances transcends the label. Vishny did a beautiful job of weaving together Jewish folklore, New York’s Yiddish Rialto and the history of the Lower East.
All my reading has been bingo focused, which has been a lot of fun. I’m 2 books away from a blackout on my bingo card, and I’m not sure if I’m going to make it.
Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho
4.5 stars – I’ll read anything Zen Cho writes, including a rom-com about straight lawyers, apparently. And it was really good! It starts out as rivals to lovers but the rivalry gets cleared up pretty quickly.
It’s set in the same world as The Friend Zone Experiment – a few secondary characters from it appear but it’s mostly standalone. I liked this one better – the romance was much more compelling and believable and it’s lighter. There’s still some heavy topics – Kriya’s dealing with sexual harassment at work and Charles’ has family issues. And a case they’re working on together gets ugly. But it’s much lighter than The Friend Zone Experiment.
Bingo: immigrant MC, class differences and main couple 30+
Heartstopper Volumes 1 and 2 by Alice Oseman
4 stars for this adorable YA graphic novel series. I’ve seen the tv show and it seems really true to the books.
Bingo: made into a tv show, first book in a series (vol 1 only, obvs)
Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
4.0 stars – fluffy sapphic YA romance between an American on a music scholarship and a princess at an exclusive boarding school in a fictional tiny European country.
Bingo: living abroad, class differences
Chord by Chelsea M. Cameron
3.0 stars. Cute, very low conflict sapphic NA romance between first year college roommates.
Chord is the ship name of the two MCs, Cordelia and Chase. This is kind of a slice of life type book – lots of loving descriptions of their meals and their hall mates, etc. It was cute but it dragged. I doubt that I would have finished it if I didn’t want the bingo square.
Bingo: roommates or neighbors
09/14/2025
I’ve been back at work (at a local elementary school) and managed to promptly get sick, LOL. Between that and the ramping up of whatever necessary work stamina, I’ve been mostly rereading, and this past couple weeks that has mostly been Erin Nicolas’s Why You Should Never Kiss series. These are re-releases of her Bradfords and Counting on Love series.
A couple other standouts:
MORE THAN A HERO by Maryann Jordan–satisfying romantic suspense set in the northern Atlantic coastal area.
Taryn Quinn’s BARGAIN WITH THE BOSS, which is part of the Moguls spinoff set in baby-friendly Crescent Cove.
Sarina Bowen’s THE NEW GUY, a solid m/m hockey romance.
And TADEK AND THE PRINCESS, a novella set in the same universe as A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON. This totally wowed me.
@DiscoDollyDeb, thrilled to see you enjoyed Bolden’s BREAKAWAY GOALS–she has a bonus scene posted on her website if you enjoy that sort of thing. I’m excited about an upcoming football series she has planned. I can’t say I’m much of a fan of actual football, but her football romances are first rate.
Happy reading, everyone!
Reading slowness seems to be clearing up. Finally got back into the groove with THE DUKE & THE PIRATE QUEEN by Victoria Janssen (low/no-magic fantasy × erotic romance); it had a rough patch but has found its sea legs again.
Also read MILE 81 by Stephen King (not very good), “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe (mostly good), & some other bits.