November is quickly coming to a close. Here’s what we’re reading right now:
Elyse: I’m reading Christmas Fling by Lindsay Kelk. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Sarah: I have been reading The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder by Kiri Callaghan which is part murder mystery, part family drama, part fantasy quest – there’s been skulking in graveyards, magical tea, weird as murders, and fae cats. It’s got everything!
Alas, my TBR grows longer because as I record the Holiday Wishes episodes, my TBR gets more and more robust. What a terrible problem to have!
Shana: I was gifted several early 2000s large print Harlequins from a library book sale. I just read the first, Taming the Notorious Sicilian by Michelle Smart. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Sarah: Okay hang on – who does that cover photo look like? It’s like part Tom Holland with the nose and jaw of…
Sexy Squidward?
Shana: 1990s Chris O’Donnell?
It’s a mafia romance with a pediatrician heroine with a strong Not-Like-Other-Girls vibe. Looking at the cover, I don’t think it’s obvious which one of them is the notorious Sicilian though.
Sarah: YES 90s O’Donnell is very right.
Wait, the pediatrician is in the mob? Is this like those alien nanny books where the aliens need child care? The mafia needs a pediatrician?
OH HE is in the mafia. WOW I was like, dang, a heroine who is a mobbed up doctor? That’s new! LOLOL @ ME.
Shana: I would have enjoyed a mafia pediatrician MUCH MORE than one who kept trying to convince the mafia don to just call the police for help. Police love helping out organized criminals, you know.
Sarah: Oh sure all the time, yeah.
Amanda: I’m reading Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, the first book since using my new TBR game board. I really like the characters and wowee the sex scenes are hot. However, part of the central conflict is the whole “best friend’s younger sister” which isn’t my bag at all. While the main characters talk about it and the heroine isn’t as hung up on the issue as the hero (and thinks the brother in questions is a bit of a nosy jackass), it does play a large role in their relationship.
Sarah: I’ve said before this is a conflict that always baffles me. In some situations, where the best friend sees the siblings’ family as their family, and doesn’t want to potentially compromise that, I get it. That seems like emotional security. But most of the time, I’m thinking, if you don’t want your best friend dating your sibling, wtf kind of friends do you have, and what kind of person are you?
Amanda: I think it’s more of the brother is a judgmental asshole and has always been overprotective. Like it’s clear he also thinks his sister’s BFF is a bad influence/troublemaker. And the hero is pretty upfront that “I like you and I don’t want this to be a secret,” but the heroine is working through some bigger things right now (coming back home after a traumatic injury on the barrel racing circuit). The brother has a future romance with the BFF, so I’m curious if his personality will be redeemed at some point.
I would LOVE if this sort of conflict is resolved with them telling the brother and him being like “oh cool, I love both of you and am happy for you both” given that there is still the injury part of the storyline to work through. But we’ll see!
Whatcha reading right now? Let us know in the comments!
