Welcome back! It’s the last day of February and here’s how we’re wrapping up the month:
Sarah: Alpha, Omega, and Update: Blind Date with a Werewolf ( A | BN | K | AB ) is an anthology that came out last year and focuses on Asil, a side character. I read that after Cry Wolf because series order is a meaningless construct that doesn’t apply to me. Ha ha! Now I’m reading book two, Hunting Ground. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Lara: I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday and I remedied it the only way I could: temporarily abandoning all responsibility and rereading a KJ Charles book: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen.
Amanda: I’m reading The Trident and the Pearl and loving it! A queen bargains with the gods to save her kingdom from a deadly storm. The price: she must marry the first man who steps on her kingdom’s docks and abdicate the throne. Now she’s out for revenge on said gods.
Susan: I’m currently embarrassingly obsessed with Monster and The Beast by Renji. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It has a huge scary monster encountering a peddler in the woods and deciding to travel with him. One of these characters is a terrifying ravenous beast, the other one is an easily embarrassed ray of sunshine. Guess which is which!
It gets full marks for never showing the monster character’s full face! I’m like 90% certain he doesn’t have lips, and this is not a deterrent to the hedonistic middle-aged bisexual he’s travelling with.
Tara: I have been on a massive Devil Wears Prada fanfic kick since the trailer for the second film dropped.
Lara: Update: I finished the first book, felt almost myself, moved on to the second book. It’s now Monday morning and I’m feeling ready for those responsibilities again.
The magic of reading for pleasure.
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
Reading has been hit or miss lately. I have started SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE by Olivia Dade and I’m really loving it, but I’m not done yet.
I’m doing a lot of audiobooks in an effort to motivate myself to do chores/hobbies/baking and not just bed rot watching YouTube shorts. It’s been useful to knock out some Read Harder 2026 book challenges.
I’ve loved –
THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN by C.L. Polk (romantasy book with a queer and/or BIPOC main character. Romantasy was a stretch but it’s a genre I struggle to get into, so I gave myself some wiggle room)
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite (book by an African author)
NETWORK EFFECT by Martha Wells (book set in space)
All very different from each other, all excellent and all things I first heard about here, I believe.
I really loved After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian.
I’m currently rereading the first two books in V.E. Schwab’s villians series comes out this year. Book two was meant to combine and wrap up her first draft for the trilogy so I’m curious how she’s planning on dealing with the third book
Where did February go? I hope you all accomplished more than I did!
The Besotted Baron (The Bad Heir Day Tales Book 4) by Grace Burrowes (library)
Bingo: Start Mid-Series
Regency romance. Second son and businessman Camden Huxley has recently inherited the title, which means that society will expect him to give up his profitable company and take up his new responsibilities. Back at the family estate, he connects with his steward’s granddaughter, who likes him but she’s not willing to marry him. They’ll have to sort out secrets and treachery in order to get to their happy ending, but it’s a sweet journey.
Tempests and Tea Leaves (The Charmed Leaf Legacy Book 1) by Rachel Morgan (KU)
Bingo: AITA (see spoiler)
The cover copy on this one promised an enchanted tea house, fairies, and regency vibes for Bridgerton fans, and I am here for all of this. My main problem with this book was that it seemed a little more YA/NA than I usually go for, which might be just right for someone else.
Law Maker (Aristocrats of London Book 1) by Susie Tate
Bingo: AITA (see spoiler)
This mafia-adjacent romance features a teacher’s aide who is trying to get away from her terrible family who falls for the aristocratic lawyer father of one of her students. I don’t think that the author was trying to write a farce, but there are definitely scenes that make me wonder. For example, the 7 year old students perform a delightfully bloodthirsty rendition of Sweeney Todd for their school play. I liked it, but I’ve got a weird sense of humor, so I’m not exactly reliable.
Otherwise, there’s was some KU Vegas mafia stuff. Tammy Andresen’s King of Damnation was better than previous book in the series and answered some of my questions. Kylie Kent’s Dead or Alive provided Emmanuel and Evie’s POVs during the overlapping timelines of the Owning Vegas series (but note that Emmanuel is more unhinged than the other guys, which may be why this is listed as a spin-off rather than a sequel).
And I was going to rant about how bad the duology Taste of the Dark/Taste of the Light by Nicole Fox was, but my computer crashed and I lost it. Which is a pity, because my notes include gems like “golden gate bridge levels of suspension of disbelief”, “learned how blindness works from Daredevil fan fiction”, and “please explain how she is at tottering to the bathroom levels of pregnancy at 12 weeks”. All that, and its real sin was that the ending didn’t feel satisfying. It is going down on the Bingo card as book that was 100 pages too long.
After a pretty slumpy end to 2025 and (to a lesser extent) beginning of 2026, I feel like I am finally getting my reading mojo back this month. At one point, I focused on reading shorter books (200 pages or less) and I think the ability to quickly finish a read and jump right into a new one built some confidence. It definitely boosted my mood and allowed me to feel more myself. I slowly introduced some longer books into the mix and now feel fairly sure that I’m back to my old self reading-wise.
Here are the highlights from what I’ve read over the last two weeks:
Part 1:
THE VALENTINE ARRANGEMENT by Argentina Ryder
Holden, a flower shop proprietor, agrees to a fake-dating arrangement with Jamie in return for some welcome help during the busy Valentine flower season. Jamie is new to town after moving to share custody of his two fur-babies with his ex. Both men are easy to root for and the author does a great job of showing their developing relationship. This one was super sweet but with enough depth despite its smaller page count to have me putting other titles by this author on my TBR.
NURK: THE STRANGE, SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF A (SOMEWHAT) BRAVE SHREW by Ursula Vernon
I read Ursula Vernon’s children’s books before I read T. Kingfisher’s adult fare so I was very happy to find this overlooked backlist title. I dove in and was happily swept away by an author who knows how to write a rich story with lots of heart about an unexpected hero. Nurk is determined to follow in his Grandmother Surka’s adventuring footsteps. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from Surka’s journals, which were a hoot. The final third is delightfully atmospheric and creepy in a way that is completely accessible for the middle grade reader this book is targeting.
GENTLE HAND, STEADY BURN, and QUIET STORM by Reece Renner
I very much enjoyed the first three entries in what will be a four-book series featuring the Redmond brothers. These books were personal catnip and I ate them up with a spoon! I love a good Daddy/boy dynamic and these books also featured domestic discipline in a way I haven’t seen since reading the highly recommended Falls Chance Ranch series. These books are by no means perfect; Gentle Hand has two chapters that open with the exact same scene, dialogue and all (I have since discovered that this is a trait of this author as it has happened in other books as well) and both books are very insta-love. Regardless, I enjoyed them immensely.
DEMON OVERLORD’S RETIREMENT PLAN by MH Foster
This is the book that I wanted DREADFUL or HOW TO BECOME A DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING (neither of which I cared for) to be…so glad I gave it a try. Galornus Prime has spent centuries studying how to finally end the war between himself and the band of heroes he is destined to fight over and over and over again. The prize for success? His plan to retire and grow turnips. This book is an utter delight – clever and funny and with a surprising amount of depth…it was not unusual to be in the middle of an absolutely mad scene and then the author would drop an observation so astute and so precisely phrased it would stop me in my tracks. And the chapter title Seven Deadly Vegetables? Absolute genius. I want to continue the series because this first entry was so perfect and I need more. I don’t want to continue the series because this first entry was so perfect I worry about the author being able to strike gold twice in a row. I’m sure I’ll succumb to book 2 sooner than later…I really need more of these characters.
REBRAND and COUTURE by Louisa Masters
Rebrand is a short (50ish pages) novella to introduce the new Style Me series by Masters. I have read and enjoyed quite a few paranormal series from this author but haven’t read as many of her contemporaries. While I don’t know how successful the romance was in Rebrand due to its brevity, it was an interesting story about an actor who has found himself on several worst-dressed lists and his desire to be taken on by a new stylist known for getting his clients on the best-dresses lists. Couture is the story of an up-and-coming fashion designer and his rocky road to romance with a celebrity stylist (who has the most adorable dog). There is a bit of suspense in this one as the fashion designer gets some threatening fan mail which was the weakest part of the book for me. I was absolutely infuriated by the reveal of the reasoning behind the threats (all the worse, in my opinion, that a female author was the source of such ridiculousness), however, the rest of the book was strong enough that I could still mostly enjoy my time with it.
Part 2
TATTOOS AND TIARAS by Myf Wren
I love the Tewsbury Daddies series but I was hesitant to read this entry as I had it in my head that it was enemies to lovers which is not my favorite trope. However, that isn’t really the case at all – it was more a wrong first impression that was allowed to go unchallenged for a bit too long. However, most of that occurs in the background of previous books. This story has Cullen and Perry actually communicating and clearing the air of any and all misconceptions fairly early on allowing the rest of the page count to focus on their growing relationship. I love Myf Wren’s writing and will do my best to be more trusting in the future when reading their books.
WHERE BLOOD CALLS HOME by Exica Wren
I almost didn’t read this one as A/BO can be hit or miss for me, however, something about the blurb drew me in and I’m so glad I gave this one a chance. Lane is an omega who is kidnapped by a coven of witches who plan to sacrifice him in order to summon and control a demon. The summoning does not go as planned and Jax, the demon, aligns himself with Lane. This book has some of the best written consent I have seen in some time. The first half of the book stays pretty focused on the growing romance between Lane and Jax with the second half of the book broadening to focus on the larger issue of omega rights within this world. I really enjoyed the writing in this one but do wish we had gotten more than just Lane’s POV…I would have liked to have gotten Jax’s perspective as well. I look forward to the next book in the series which should be out in March.
KILLER CRUSH by Onley James
This. This is how to write a novella. This was my first five-star read of the year. If you’ve read Onley James you know what you are in for…if you haven’t, this would be a great place to start to see if you like her style of writing. There were so many amazing elements to this one in such a short page count. The text messages, the horrible first date idea Cade comes up with, the needy mess that is Tris…somehow Onley creates this sense of depth to characters that makes you feel like you really know them using the barest of word counts. I don’t know how she did it, but I sure loved it.
ROOM FOR LOVE by Quinn Ward
Noah, a single dad, buys a house that needs a lot of repair and quickly finds himself in over his head. In fact, on several occasions he feels like he is in the old Tom Hanks/Shelly Long movie “The Money Pit.” Luke is a contractor who is super busy between his job and his love of building furniture…he knows he shouldn’t take any other projects on. However, his sister asks him to look at Noah’s house as a favor and after meeting Noah and his son, Eli, he can’t say no. I loved this one…the pacing was perfect, Eli was refreshingly realistic, and the romance was solid. There is a bit of a third act break up but I didn’t find it super annoying as it didn’t carry on for too long. Solidly recommended, although I did try to continue the series and neither of the remaining books worked for me. They were well-written, but both were more angsty than I was prepared to deal with at the time (which mind you, was probably not that angsty- I am just needing super comforting books at the moment.)
WILDER by Marina Pirlimpou
After enjoying Where Blood Calls Home, I decided to try another A/B/O book. Ethan is a forest ranger who is checking trails before an on-coming storm is due to arrive when he finds Ollie injured in a little ravine. Ethan packs Ollie off to his house to take care of him and thus begins another insta-love story featuring heats, stalkers, and lots of spicy times. The plot was predictable but the writing was solid…a combination my brain was happy to consume. I gobbled this one down in one read and was sad to see the author has a fairly short backlist. I will be watching for more as this was a lovely palette cleanser.
THE UNSELECTED JOURNALS OF EMMA M LION VOLUMES 1-3 by Beth Brower
Thank you to whoever put this on my radar (I’m pretty sure I read about them on a previous WAYR) as these books are fabulous. Emma Lion is my fave kind of character to read about – clever, self-aware, and always finding herself in the most peculiar of circumstances that somehow feel so plausible. Each journal covers two months of events in Emma’s life (I had to pause in wonder that all of the events I have loved reading about comprise only six months) and are rife with the absurd and the mundane. I am both relieved to have five more volumes to enjoy and sad that I only have five more to read before I run out…Volume 8 was published in 2024 which adds to my worry – how long will I have to wait to get my next fix? Regardless, I urge you to try these and please don’t stop after Volume 1 (it is, in my mind the weakest of the lot…still wonderful, but they really pick up in future volumes as you come to know the characters more and Emma continues to learn to assert her agency.) Highly, highly recommended.
Hopefully, I’ll be seeing some snow crocuses soon. I’m sooo ready for spring, y’all. Meanwhile, this is how my mid-February reading begins: “not with a bang but a whimper.”
And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
DNF @51%
(CW; alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, miscarriage, past rape described, violence, gaslighting, manipulation)
I did not DNF this book due to any single item in the CW. I DNFed because I felt like I’d been kidnapped by a guy in a Delorean and whisked off to the 1990s where apparently
Here’s a quote from the MMC being supportive: “Women have been leading men on for centuries and not getting raped because of it.” Am I wrong to find this sentence completely tone deaf and highly offensive? Only we are not in the 90s; this is 2026, when no woman’s rights are guaranteed, any woman trusting a man to protect her could be risking her life, and the misogyny is blatant and unashamed. Dancy is sooooo freakin’ crushed, but strong in the face of it. I like this character, and I like Clint, the football player MMC. I want good things for both of them, but I’m at a point in the book where another blow is about to fall, and I can not endure the ensuing shit storm. I suspect that if I finished this book, I would be ranting for a month, so it’s time to nope outta here.
The Hookup Equation by Roxie Noir
This is fourth in the Loveless Brothers series. Caleb, the youngest brother is a newly minted professor at his alma mater, and meets Thalia during a night out. It turns into a date, but the following day she is a student sitting in his calculus class. I’ll just say right now that I hate this trope with the heat of a thousand fiery differential equations. Their relationship is not coercive, but it is forbidden. Period. You know it can’t end well. No matter how well the author sets it up, the HEA is inevitably compromised for the reader if not the MCs. I would grade this high for the characters and the writing, but my rec is ymmv due to the fucked up trope.
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T Dubb
I love this book so hard. It’s an opposites attract romance with mature characters. Celeste is still in the process of reinventing herself after her divorce, focusing on her teen daughter and exploring a variety of new activities. At a mutual friend’s request, she meets up with John to buffer an encounter with his ex, but finds herself enthusiastically embracing a surprising new interest in birding. John is a self-contained naturalist who approaches life with measured calm and quiet delight. There’s a little fake dating element that segues into real attraction and the slow burn of UST. The sexytimes are awkward and funny and joyous, and that makes them incredibly moving, These characters were kind, competent, and occasionally mildly annoying; they’d both been hurt by relationships, but neither was ever “crushed.” Definitely one for the Comfort Reads folder.
Squib by Helen Harper
This straightforward urban fantasy/romance is set in Coldstream the magical Scottish town from Harper’s Cat Lady Chronicles. The title character, Mallory, has no magic but her trade in secrets and favors has given her a twisty but effective path to power. Her latest and somewhat unwelcome project is to find a mate for the alpha of the MacTire pack while juggling several other deals. I enjoyed watching Mallory operate, using cleverness to achieve what others might seek through violence or magical coercion, and I enjoyed the low key romance as well.
The Long Game by Rachel Reid
(Bingo: O-2, Fav author blurbed it)
I have to admit that Shane and Ilya’s story just gets better as the conversation continues. While the couple have found a way to be together, the stresses of their situation generate conflict without wrecking the foundation of their relationship. In fact, their differences ultimately seem to bend them toward each other. Though Ilya hits me in all the feels, I love when Shane cycles through obliviousness, realization, and an awkward yet perfect response. I also find it fascinating that authors are rewriting their older books in trendy dual first person, present tense POV, yet Reid is knockin’ ‘em dead in straightforward third person, past tense prose. These books are an evolving delight, and I can’t wait for Un-Rivaled.
The Ex Effect by Karla Sorensen
(Bingo:O-5,1st pers, single POV book copy)
This is nominally a sports romance between a football team’s PR person and a recent addition to the team. While the relationship itself is pretty simple, the FMC’s family background and the MMC’s past connection to her family complicate things for the couple. The author delivers her usual solid writing and strong storytelling. However, I felt the FMC really needed counseling to deal with her family issues, and I had trouble believing that all problems could be sorted with true love and a good talk.
A Storybook Wedding by KJ Micciche
This romance was meta af, set within an MFA program on Block Island. The characterizations were excellent; I loved Cecily and Nick. Their sometimes awkward interactions were offset by moments of pure joy. The author did some interesting stuff with the professor/student relationship and marriage of convenience tropes, but I had trouble accepting the MC’s “big” transgression and the subsequent events. Sometimes a badassed lawyer is a better option than a half-assed lie. Again, not my favorite trope, but mostly an entertaining, bookish read.
I just want to take a minute to say that I love books set in academia (frat houses don’t count), but I have major problems with professor/student romances. They have so many pitfalls, and the outcomes are almost always tainted with disappointment. I understand that passion can unseat common sense, but I also believe that love seeks the well-being of the beloved. I particularly hate the way that the couple end up “victimized” by policies meant to protect students from exploitation and abuse. I mean, what is the subtext there? Anyway, I wanted to be upfront about my bias, since I read two of these this month. Because I like pleasant surprises, I’ll read any trope if other factors appeal to me, so if I’m critical, that’s on me. Someday, I’d really love to see a post about the tropes we loathe the most and why.
The Opposite of Drowning by Erin McRae & Racheline Maltese
(Bingo: I-2, cover figures with featureless faces)
This novel hovers on the edge of magic realism, but otherwise is really hard to categorize. It’s bookish and cynical and queer, and it dwells somewhere on the spectrum between romance and lit fic. The smolder between almost-fifty Henry and not-yet-thirty Eliza is fueled by shared booklove, slow comfort, and sly, snarky humor. After much readerly anticipation, those embers do ignite. At first, I was reminded a bit of Andrew Sean Greer’s Less, Stylistically and structurally the books are very different, yet a delicate air of tristesse pervades both stories. I loved the character of Henry, though he screws up spectacularly and his “grand gesture” only exacerbates Eliza’s situation. The eventual resolution of their differences has a smolder all its own, but it may not work for every reader. It worked for me because the authors put the work in to build the MC’s complementary personalities so that I could welcome the HEA..
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
DNF @39%
After her divorce, FMC Charley reconnects with her estranged best friend Ethan, and she persuades him to embark on a road trip to rescue their siblings from the inevitable disappointment of marriage. The story is told by Charley and features flashbacks of their relationship over the years, vignettes of her parents’ bad marriage, self-deprecating humor and cultural references galore. I decided to quit when I realized that I was gritting my teeth each time I picked up this book. There’s nothing wrong with it, though I did find the MMC’s character both kind of faded out and too good to be true–like if your Cinnabon was a little stale or your golden was looking guilty for no immediately visible reason. Definitely a ymmv situation.
Still Into You by Erin Connor
When Sloane is given a make-or-break writing assignment to interview hot metal band, Final Revelations, and produce a major two part article, she is forced to with spend time with her ex and face the flawed career decisions of her past. She and Dax make good use of this second chance and exercise their hard-won communication skills like champs. The author uses interview transcripts to slowly unveil the past. It was a subtle technique to convey the bands history much more effectively than flashbacks or multiple timelines. The music scenes are vibrant and immersive, intensifying what might otherwise have been mere background into an on-page experience. Characterizations are vivid and interesting, whether describing the protagonists or even relatively minor supporting characters. I was thoroughly impressed and enthusiastically recommend this book.
Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid
Reread
Since churning up so much tropey trauma this month, it seemed appropriate to finish with a reread of the few professor/student romances I can tolerate. While this take is far from perfect, the FMC, Anna, is outstanding–smart, funny, and (mostly) level-headed. Moody, cynical Luca is an intriguing if emo match for her, and the framing of their relationship within the themes and archtypes of Russian literature is brilliant. Does this erase the problematical aspects of the student/teacher dynamic? Does it excuse the way the ending fades into a happy, sex-drunk haze after a deus ex machina shows up to resolve Luca’s issues? Nope x 2. After multiple rereads, I still love the couple and hate the overly simple resolution to the conflict.
Kissing Galileo by Penny Reid
Reread
If anything, the second Dear Professor book is even more interesting than the first. Professor Victor Hanover is simultaneously less “romantic” but way more complex than leather-pantsed Luca. The same can be said about Emily, who is Anna’s bff in the first book. Victor deals with issues around weight, including body image, fat phobia, major weight loss and its consequences. To a somewhat lesser degree, Emily’s gig as a lingerie model also influences body image and eating habits, providing a counterpoint to Victor’s experience. Though they meet in the showroom of a luxury boutique, it is their fascination with each other’s mind that stirs their interest. The professor/student conflict is dealt with upfront by the appointment of an advocate, and the story then focuses more on the personal, dealing with issues and themes that one rarely sees handled quite this way. It was a real revelation to me the first time I read it. I think it might be painful for some readers, but I was all in on the gender switch and the focus on details and emotions.
Still 100% obsessing over “Heated Rivalry”, rereading all the books, all the fanfic, watching all the reels on IG.
Trying to break the hold a bit and having seen it recommended here, I read “Game Misconduct” by Ari Baran and was really confused by the level of hostility Mike had for Danny from the start. I felt like it was never adequately explained and there wasn’t enough emotional growth on their individual levels for me to really buy the romance. Mike needs some dang therapy, because it’s not normal or healthy for someone to be constantly at the level of rage he is, and other than both books having hockey players as the MCs, I didn’t think it was like “Heated Rivalry” at all. I’m continuing the series, because I wanted to read the story of two other characters who were described as “weird about each other”.
Also read “Season’s Change” by Cait Nary. I know I read this book before but reading it this time felt like I had never read it. (I think it’s a “me” thing – I rarely remember much about books once I finish them.) From one extreme in “Game Misconduct” to the other in this one – there’s so little conflict, and things that could have been resolved if the MCs just TALKED to each other instead of jumping on a plane and running away.
All in all, “Heated Rivalry” is by far the best of the three, so back to it I go.
I read two books in a row that featured video game developers as MCs. Ali Hazelwood’s novella TWO CAN PLAY was mostly meh for me, which isn’t my typical Hazelwood reading experience. I liked the characters, but the plot revolved around a Big Miscommunication that encompassed the entire story. The reasons it took a while to sort out the Big Miscommunication were somewhat credible, though.
SINGLE PLAYER, the debut novel by Tara Tai (and mentioned yesterday in Books on Sale) is a very slow burn F/NB romance with a large amount of gamer jargon, most of which I figured out using contextual clues along with my limited knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons and video gaming culture. Tai’s book is an antagonists-to-lovers (and also grumpy/sunshine) story with subplots involving corporate intrigue and bad behaviors of some cishet white men in gaming. I thought the second half of the book was stronger than the start, and I appreciated the detailed examination of how to write the narratives for video game characters, which is the work responsibility of both MCs.
I enjoyed Rachel Lacey’s F/F age-gap novel LEARNING CURVES, published a few months ago, that is set in a small college town in Vermont where both MCs are art history professors. I wasn’t as pleased with the newly-released MARGIN OF ERROR (available on KU) that takes place in the same location, with MCs who are in their 40s. Marin has realized she’s a lesbian and wants to live authentically. She’s left her job as a statistician in a Manhattan firm for a position as an adjunct professor and is looking forward to buying a house, adopting a puppy, and dating women. She’s surprised to reconnect with Charlotte, a woman Marin met two years ago during a life-changing and traumatic incident. Charlotte has returned to the Vermont town where she grew up to search for the truth about her mother, who disappeared when Charlotte was a child. Charlotte is equally surprised to renew a connection to Marin, who she never expected to see again, let alone feel attracted to since she thinks of herself as straight. The premise and several of the plot twists were interesting, but the storytelling overall didn’t work for me– just too much “tell” and not enough “show”. I finished the book because I wanted to learn the outcome of Charlotte’s search, but I did a lot of skimming on the way to the conclusion.
I bought A LITTLE BUZZED, by Alys Murray, when it was featured in Hide Your Wallet a couple weeks ago, because the atypical illustrated cover was intriguing and I’ve had good reading experiences with other romances set in the sex toy industry. I greatly enjoyed the first two thirds of the book, and the funny, self-deprecating, STEM-positive (as well as sex-positive) voice of FMC Scout, a brilliant engineer at a sex toy company who accidentally discloses to her work team that she’s a virgin (age 26) and decides that status needs to change. She hooks up with MMC Hudson, the computer apps developer who recently joined the company for a 6-week assignment, but has never used a sex toy and has asked Scout if she’ll provide tutoring. As expected, this novel has numerous enjoyably spicy scenes, but for me the storytelling bogged down toward the end of the book, especially when a brief breakup resulting from Bad Communication entered the mix. However, I liked this new-to-me author’s writing enough to want to check out her backlist– and I want to find the Hallmark movies she’s written that are mentioned in her bio. I assume those movies don’t include any scenes like the ones in A LITTLE BUZZED.
Next I’ll be turning to the fourth book in Amy Spalding’s “Out in Hollywood” series, IN HER SPOTLIGHT. I’m eager to start that reading, and equally eager to see the arrival of spring.
The only excellent thing I have read recently is THE RAVEN SCHOLAR by Antonia Hodgson. Start of a fantasy series I am really excited about with great characters, fabulous world building, lots of intrigue, and footnotes. Hugely recommend.
And there have been a few good but not overwhelmingly so books. Hard to put my finger on why I really like but don’t love the last of Alexis Hall’s Great British Bake Off books, AUDREY LANE STIRS THE POT. It features Jennifer, the foul mouthed producer, and I was extremely excited for it, but her character idk, makes more sense or is more likable before the book that’s about her? She spends a lot of time clearly delineating boundaries that she apparently doesn’t mean, and that the other characters plows all over so they can be happily coupled off together? It’s a weird dynamic, to my mind. It’s still funny and smart and sexy, as Hall does reliably. I liked it, and I liked the whole series, but I didn’t like the show it’s based around and I think that might be part of it? I don’t find it comfy and cozy, possibly because I know so many people who work in TV, and possibly because I used to be a professional baker and I hate the way they set it up with not enough time in order to make it unnecessarily stressful. This series I also found unnecessarily stressful, although it was more because , idk how to put this. They’re novels with excellent romance more than excellent romance novels, and so my genre expectations were consistently being expanded.
I also really enjoyed a reread of Ilona Andrews EDGE series. Idk why some of their books hit me as good and some as great but they really are at least good if not great and I appreciate that consistency. It seems to be me and my mood more than anything in the books (the first Kate Daniels book is legit rough going though, just sayin). I had mostly forgotten everything about the books so it was like they were new! I have to remember not to glom, I think it’s better to space these things out but they’re so delightful I just keep going, and they have blurred into one.
I have a lot of books out at the moment that I am struggling with. There is one called MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING which is supposed to be an adaptation of Persuasion (not Much Ado About Nothing) and I got brought up short very early on because the female main character says she bullied the male main character in their past and. I. Wut? Can someone who has read this tell me what on earth is going on here? Because I do not think I am here for an interpretation of Anne as a bully (nor Beatrice, if that were relevant) and I am definitely not here for it if she’s casually an inaccurately identifying herself as such, and I just can’t imagine wtf is going on here.
Mostly have been not finishing books that are not terrible but not for me, and rereading Trollope, for unknown reasons. CAN YOU FORGIVE HER? has some real flaws, mostly things that get excused as ‘of its time’ but if you can excuse them (or find it interesting because of them) this series is a phenomenally good read.
I have been looking for comfort reads after slipping on ice in the recent wintry mess and breaking my arm. A friend ran over to give me DEALING WITH DRAGONS by Patricia C. Wrede, which I had never read despite my love for SORCERY AND CECELIA. All I can say is that you should put into your eyeballs immediately. It’s a charming story of a princess who decides to go work for a dragon rather than marry the prince her parents picked. I can’t wait to read the next 3.
Other books I’ve enjoyed recently include:
– THE OTHER SIDE OF NOW by Paige Harbison, in which an actress goes to Ireland to see what if (she had planned to go to drama school there), and discovers that another version of her lives there and has a whole life. There is a nice romantic element but to me the highlight was the focus on getting a second chance with your high school best friend. (I cried)
– CITY SPIES by James Ponti. This is a middle grade series about a group of kids who are taken in by MI6 and become a family while saving the world. It is one of my favorite series—I am probably more excited when each book comes out than the youngsters (now teens) I buy them for. (The teens are still asking for the next books.) Each book is smartly plotted and well written. The first book is CITY SPIES. Just finished the most recent, EUROPA.
-GUILTY BY DEFINITION by Susie Dent. Loved this mystery set in Oxford at the Clarendon English Dictionary. Editors, mostly women, work together to solve the mystery of a missing former colleague. Plus you learn about how dictionaries are updated. I gave out copies to friends for Galentine’s Day.
– HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN TEN DAYS by Sophie Irwin. I love this author and the book was so much fun. A young woman has ten days before her engagement is announced. Can she scare off her fiancé in that time? You can get the kindle version and audiobook from Amazon. If you want a hardcover, it is less expensive (includes postage to US) from Blackwell’s in the UK.
Going back through my unread books, I realized that, as much as I loved Alexis Hall’s FOR REAL, I never read the other books in his Spires series. He revised and republished all four of the books in 2023/2024. I did not reread FOR REAL, but I did read (for the first time, I think) GLITTERLAND and WAITING FOR THE FLOOD (which now includes two new novellas, CHASING THE LIGHT and AFTERMATH). I loved them all—although I do think that, in the case of both GLITTERLAND and CHASING THE LIGHT, how you feel about the book will depend on how much you can sympathize with one of the MCs being somewhat dislikeable. I would also recommend reading all of Hall’s notes at the end of the revised versions of the books—they give some interesting insight into Hall’s writing process and where he gets his ideas.
In GLITTERLAND, Ash meets Darian at a bar. They have an immediate connection, but it takes a while for them to reconnect—and, when they do, they have obstacles to overcome including Ash’s mental health struggles and (what may be less obvious to American readers) the huge class differences between upper-class Ash and “Essex man” Darian (I really wish Hall hadn’t found the need to render Darian’s dialect phonetically—it was giving Margaret Mitchell writing Mammy’s speech patterns in GONE WITH THE WIND). How you feel about GLITTERLAND will rest primarily on how much you find Ash’s mental health affects some of the things he does. He does treat Darian really reprehensibly at one point—and the fact that he truly regrets what he did may not be enough to garner sympathy from the readers. Because the book is told entirely from Ash’s point of view, it’s hard to know what is going on in Darian’s head. He’s a decent guy and obviously cares about Ash—but whether Ash deserves him is debatable. Recommended.
The revised version of WAITING FOR THE FLOOD comes with two novellas, CHASING THE LIGHT and AFTERMATH. I think it’s important to read all three books to get the overarching story of the two main characters: Edwin and Marius. In WAITING FOR THE FLOOD, Edwin sits in his Oxford house as the rain falls and the water outside rises. He laments the end of his ten-year relationship with Marius (the couple have been broken up about two years when the book opens). Flood abatement engineer, Adam, enters his life while doing his job, and Edwin begins to reevaluate his relationship with Marius while entering into a new relationship with Adam. I really enjoyed Hall’s descriptions of rain and water in the book—and Edwin (who has a stammer and has to approach the spoken word with care) is one of the nicest characters Hall has written. He deserves the kindness and love Adam bring into his life. In CHASING THE LIGHT, Edwin’s ex, Marius, meets Leo (an ex-con, living on a houseboat) when he (Marius) twists his ankle on the footpath outside the boat. Marius, like Ash in GLITTERLAND, is not a very sympathetic character—and I like how Hall refused to make him less prickly even as his relationship with Leo continues to grow. Leo, who has much more patience and insight than perhaps Marius deserves, observes, “You can’t make up for hurting others but hurting yourself worse.” Well said, Leo. As the story unwinds, we discover why artist Marius has failed to produce much recent work. Again, does his situation pardon his hurtful behavior? It’s up to the reader to decide. In AFTERMATH, Edwin & Adam visit Marius & Leo and a rapprochement of sorts is achieved between Edwin and his former partner. What was nice about AFTERMATH was that, despite their having ultimately broken up, Edwin & Marius realize that their decade together was not a waste…and that they were able to move on to other loves without discounting what they once had together. All three books highly recommended.
I grabbed BURNED & BOUND by new-to-me author A. Winchester when I read a blurb that said it was an incredibly angsty book—and they weren’t kidding. In fact, even for an angst queen like myself, I found the book rough going at certain points. There’s a huge list of content & trigger warnings at the start of the book—so read them carefully to be sure you can read the book without significant upset. BURNED & BOUND features West and Jackson: childhood friends on the ranch co-owned by their parents. However, as the guys reach adulthood, their feelings toward each other blossom into romance, but then “something happens” and the next time they see each other is 17 years later. West has obviously been very damaged by the years while Jackson has become the only openly gay bull rider on the rodeo circuit. By the conditions of West’s father’s will, West has to work on the family ranch for one year before he can sell it. Jackson does not have enough money to buy West out, so the guys have to figure out how to move forward. There are a number of nice set pieces in BURNED & BOUND, especially involving animals: West, who prefers to be alone and work alone, is something of a horse whisperer; and, over the course of the book, the guys adopt a number of animals to add to their menagerie of horses and cattle. But West suffers from severe PTSD and (as the series name indicates) love doesn’t cure all. What I really liked about the book was how Winchester showed that no matter how strong love might be between two people, therapy and medication are non-negotiable. Recommended—but take the trigger warnings seriously.
I’ve been reading a lot of Contemporary Romantic Suspense. These are two of my favorite (okay I have many) authors.
Just finished INTO THE DEEP by Brittney Sahin
Romantic Suspense, Romance, Military Fiction, Military Romance, Contemporary Romance
Assigned to protect his best friend’s sister, a battle-hardened operative must break every rule in the book to keep her—and his heart—safe in this pulse-racing romantic suspense novel
Starting KEEPING LARYN by Susan Stoker
Romance, Romantic Suspense, Miltary Fiction, MIlitary Romance, Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Now that he’s opened his eyes to love, he’s flying high…and losing her could be his greatest crash and burn.
I’m doing a reread of The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire, because I realized I’ve kind of lost track of what’s going on since I last read it, and I have the next book on hold at the library. I do love this series.
Really looking forward to seeing everyone’s recommendations, as I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump. Busy at work, worried about the world, and generally distracted, so excited for some inspiration from you all.
I read TURNS OF FATE by Anne Bishop. I am conflicted about this book. It is too long, for sure. The story plot is fascinating, and the world she built is very interesting. However, rather than hinting at some of the creeptastic or interesting developments, so you discover them over time after trepidation and anticipation building, she smacks you in the face with them right up front. Bishop tells you everything, then shows it to you. It pulls a lot of the punch, in my opinion. I would be interested to see if that is just me, or if others had that experience, too. I did finish it, and found the story satisfying and interesting throughout, but let us guess for a minute! YMMV.
Read the most recent Abigail Kelly, SPLINTERED VIGIL. Not quite as good as her others, but solid, nonetheless. Looking forward to her next book, which I think is out in March.
Also looking forward to the next Ilona Andrews book (may they write forever!) and was thinking about reading JR Ward’s new *fantasy* offering? I would make a joke about names with extra h’s and v’s here, but honestly, I’ve read so many of her books it would be hypocritical.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Even though it is literally the last day of the month, my mind is mystified that it’s WAYR time again.
BEAST BUSINESS by Ilona Andrews – side story from the Hidden Legacy universe featuring a case/budding romance between Augustine Montgomery and Diana Harrison. One of the things that makes Andrews’ stories so rich is that every side character is fully realized with a rich backstory of their own that may only peek through in the main storyline, but they exist to do more than shine a spotlight on the protagonists or move the plot along. So I loved spending more time with these characters and learning more about how animal mages operate (the whole novella would be worth it just for the info about Cornelius’s first animal bond). That being said, I was surprised to read the bonus material (previously published on Ilona Andrews’ blog) that attempted to retcon Augustine’s actions in forcing Baylor Investigative Agency to take the Adam Pierce case. Yes, what Augustine did to Nevada kind of sucked, but I thought he had a perfectly satisfactory redemption arc within Hidden Legacy itself. Excusing his choices by reframing them after the fact is considerably weaker than showing us his motivations and how he changed over the course of the series. I absolutely don’t want to end any discussion of this book on a negative note, so: arcane baby blue tiger! Plus, Arabella!
LEGALLY BINDING by Sophie Snow – age gap (55M, 27F) romance with some light BDSM and Daddy-kink elements between a successful lawyer and his PA who start a situationship shortly after an unexpected, eye-opening but completely platonic encounter at a sex club in Seattle. This well-written story is very much geared toward handling the FMC’s baggage; I’m not sure the MMC has a character arc at all. The story acknowledges the power imbalance (age, employment situation, wealth) without belaboring it. I assume the resolution is intended to defuse as many of those elements as it can, but I am very distracted by the logistics of the age difference.
LAW MAKER by Susie Tate – everything about this set-up is practically tailor-made for me (posh, divorced barrister falls for his dyslexic son’s awkward teaching assistant, who is hiding a secret that could derail his career), but the execution of the romance was subpar for Tate. Their relationship was 85% tell, 15% show. There’s just significantly more energy and charm to the teacher’s interactions with her students and the barrister’s interactions with the school administration and his sequel-bait sister than there is between the protagonists. Without any romance to hang on to, I ended up hyper-focused on the comparison and clear similarities between the criminal and aristocratic families, with the privileged family being given a free pass for the same kind of sinister, illegal behavior the lower-class family is reviled for. I can be pretty retro, but that was not a good look for 2026. I so desperately want a do-over on this book.
It has been a tough month for family/personal reasons, and I have had a hard time finding both time and attention for reading. I did enjoy a few new-to-me (and new) books, as well as some Celia Lake rereads. (I find her books so soothing!)
BEAST BUSINESS (Ilona Andrews), a novella set in the Hidden Legacy world, explores the developing relationship between Augustine Montgomery and Diana Harrison as they try to rescue a kidnapped magical “tiger” kitten. While the novella does not fully resolve their relationship, but gives enough hints of a HEA to be satisfying, and the Hidden Legacy world is always fun to escape into. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I listened to THE QUEENS OF CRIME, Marie Benedict’s historical mystery featuring Dorothy L. Sayers (as the first-person narrator), Agatha Christie (post-disappearance), Baroness Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. To prove their worth to the male members of Detective Club, a group of crime/mystery writers founded by Sayers and several other authors, the Queens of Crime investigate the real-life disappearance and death of a nurse. The mystery is based on a true crime, but the investigation of the five authors, and the ultimate solution, are mostly fictional. (Sayers and her journalist husband did briefly investigate, but the crime was never solved.) I loved the story, the characters, and the audio narration, although I have a few reservations about the writing. Benedict goes in for rather fulsome and sometimes unnecessary descriptions, and I don’t feel she really captured Sayers’ narrative voice. She also took liberties with the members of the Detective Club; there were several other women admitted to the club in its first year who are not mentioned in the book, and neither Allingham nor Marsh were members during the early years. Nonetheless, it’s a delightful novel, well worth your time if you are fan of any of these authors.
I was eagerly awaiting NOBODY’S BABY (Olivia Waite), the sequel to her first Dorothy Gentleman mystery novella, Murder by Memory. The first book is perhaps a trifle stronger, both as a mystery and as a novel, but this one is great fun as well. I loved spending more time with the AI starship Fairweather) and its inhabitants, particularly Dorothy (the first-person narrator and investigator), and her nephew Ruthven (“Ruthie”) and his husband. The plot kept me guessing, but it’s the characters and worldbuilding that really pulled me in.
Celia Lake’s DISTILLING SUNLIGHT was up next. Set in the 1920s in a magical version of Britain, the novel is a gentle, slow-burn historical fantasy romance (not a romantasy) featuring alchemy, beer brewing, class differences, and a later-in-life romance. The main characters are Gemma (daughter of Cyrus Smith-Clive, who got his own late-in-life romance in The Hare and the Oak, and Sam, a brewer, as they investigate a number of incidents of contamination at nearby breweries. The villain is obvious pretty early on, and his reasons aren’t particularly logical, but that didn’t matter to me; I read Lake’s novels for the characters, the relationships, the worldbuilding, and the chance to immerse myself in a world where kindness, respect, and a desire to make the world a better place are the norm.
After that, I plowed through an ARC of THE FINAL TARGET (Nora Roberts) on a 5-hour plane ride. I love Roberts’s romantic suspense novels, and this one, featuring a mid-list author, her former stalker/attacker, and an ex-police detective, certainly kept my attention throughout the flight. Given my current state of anxiety (high), I did skim through most of the sections set in the stalker’s POV, as I found them too disturbing. But I really enjoyed the main character, Arden, particularly as she settled in to her new life in Oregon and got to know Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective, and Gideon’s charming grandfather. Roberts often gives her main characters one or more supportive family members, people who care for and champion the MC(s); Arden’s aunt, uncle, and cousins fill that role for her, although they don’t have as big a role to play in the story as, say, Grammie in Mind Games. While I don’t think this will join the ranks of my favorite Nora Roberts books, I definitely enjoyed it.
I started WITCHES OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN, a paranormal cozy-ish mystery by Jenn McKinlay; so far it is a lot of fun, but I keep putting it aside for comfort books… specifically a reread of Celia Lake’s PASTICHE (reviewed on my blog here.) I’m currently rereading THE FOSSIL DOOR, which features the son of the couple from Pastiche.
@Jill Q. While I enjoyed Second Chance Romance, I’m also still unforgiving of Karl’s treatment of Athea in At First Spite, which speaks to Olivia Dade’s writing I suppose.
I’m currently reading an ARC of Grace Reilly’s Yes, Chef. I’m throughly enjoying it. The burn is good and slow, the food described makes me want to get in the kitchen, and I really want the best for Poppy.
I jusr finished the latest Palace of Rogues book(Julie Anne Long), THE BEAST TAKES A RIDE, and it was delightful. She never misses! Estranged marriage couple romance.
I also read TICKET OUT by Michelle Diener, it’s the first book in a police procedural series set in 1960’s London, and there is a mild budding romance.
I have never read any Anthony Trollope, but I am going to give THE WAY WE LIVE NOW a try. From what I’ve heard, it has some resonance to the present day, so wish me luck! I seem to have lost the capacity I had when I was younger to read literary fiction. I recently DNF’d THE BACHELORS by Muriel Spark, and she’s a great author that I love, but the characters were just so unlikeable.
Omg, that was supposed to be THE BEAST TAKES A BRIDE!
Over the past two weeks ~
— Up Close and Personal by Jay Hogan is set in Auckland, New Zealand, and features a detective and a pathologist and a VERY large slobbery dog.
— Top Shelf by E.M. Lindsey features a soon to be NHL hockey goalie who has autism and a twenty year older NHL ex-player, retired after a car accident, who is a physical therapist.
— Love Notes by Lisa Henry features a woodworker who happens to be dyslexic and an author researching his latest book. The author rents a cabin but when that is flooded prior to his arrival ends up staying in his host’s brother’s cabin. That cabin belongs to the woodworker.
— reread Act Like It by Lucy Parker, a contemporary romance set in London’s theatre world which I enjoyed once again. Two stage actors are asked to pretend to be in a relationship. He is asked in an effort to improve his reputation and to increase his chance of getting a position he is seeking; she agrees when the proceeds of several performances are promised to be given to a charity she founded. He is rather grumpy while she has a positive mood.
— so enjoyed the above that I decided to reread the author’s earlier book which was written under a different name ~ Artistic License by Elle Pierson. This book was set in New Zealand and featured a man who many consider ugly; the female lead is an artist and is enthralled by his looks. (The only issue I have with this book is that the male lead has celiac disease, and he does things that are very dissimilar to what a friend with celiac must do.)
— enjoyed The Long Way Home by Z.A. Maxfield. This contemporary mystery romance features a psychic (an ex-police officer who gained his psychic powers after a serious accident) and a skeptical detective who is asked to house a visiting consultant after a series of young teens go missing. This was the rare mystery where I early on guessed the villain.
— enjoyed another New Zealand set contemporary romance, Against the Grain by Jay Hogan, which featured a coroner’s aid (who sometimes wears skirts) and a hospital official who is also a paralympian wheelchair rugby player.
Ugh, I’m in the middle of a slump since December… nothing interests me.
I like the covers that I’m seeing (absolutely love most of them!) but no interest in picking up the books; not even the graphic novels or manga.
Hopefully, this will be gone before I get notice that requested books are ready for me at the library… The Everlasting, Second Chance Romance, Impossible Creatures, and The Cave Painters. Wooing the Witch Queen, The Second Death of Locke
Wish me luck…
Good luck, @Diane! I hope that your next book will grab you.
@JenC, you’re in for a treat, the Dragon series is one of my favorite rereads! The last one is the weakest, IMO, probably because I loathe first person POV. This is probably also why I’m struggling with so many new books, they’re all written from a POV that I don’t like.
Recent Reads:
The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long. Definitely a classic. Thanks to SB Sarah’s interview with JQ for the impetus to pick it up!
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J Penner…. I wanted to love this so much. There was a lot that I really enjoyed! But it just didn’t hold. It read as very YA/youthful and it felt like it was missing something. I read the second, A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons, and same thing. I think she’s just not the author for me, unfortunately.
In Want of a Wife by Jo Goodman. This book needs all kinds of trigger warnings. I did enjoy the story, the 1890s American West setting, and the characters, but definitely read with caution.
A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare. I think I read the Spindle Cove series, but I have no memory of this one, so that was a delightful experience.
The Duke who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway. Spicy but meh overall. The FMC annoyed me. I saw it recommended somewhere (reddit, I think?) and it just didn’t hit for me.
I reread the complete Wallflowers quartet by Lisa Kleypas, which I hadn’t read fully in years. I forgot what a good arc St Vincent had, but oof some of the Gypsy stuff has not aged well.
I’ve also been re-reading the Bridgerton series out of order as they come available at the library. Apparently I reread them all a few years ago (I don’t track rereads) but with the new season on Netflix, I wanted to revisit them. I will say this with the caveat that I’ve only watched part of the first season, but I have my doubts about Francesca’s storyline. Not because it’s queer, because I think that’s a wonderful update, but because her her whole reason for seeking out a second marriage is because she wants a baby. That basically upends the entire plotline, so I guess we’ll see how they make it work. I do want to watch it at some point, the clips I’ve caught have been excellent.
Upcoming Reads:
Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
@Deborah, RE Law Maker,
I’ll agree that the romance could have been stronger. I’m going to disagree that the aristocratic family was given a free pass on being sinister. I just think it’s a dark romance, so we get to root for the “hero” to do terrible things for good reasons. He never claims to be a good guy (and, nearly loses her when he tries to be a good guy and give her space.) Accept that he’s a villain, and from that point of view, the parallels between the gangsters and the aristocracy become a real life criticism of the aristocrats. Then again, I found the scene where the aristocrat basically called the gangster an amateur hilarious, so I might not be the most reliable critic.
This comment comes to you via my new cat, Fergus. I should have time to type, since he won’t move his furry bulk off my legs. I really only have two books this go-round. The first was How to Kill a Guy in 10 Dates, which was a rom-com/slasher that was my appetizer for going to see Scream 7 tomorrow (ya girl lives for that series, Ghostface + Big Knife 5-Eva). It got a little cutesy with the references at points, but it also had several funny moments, and I loved the friendship between two of the characters (them both lamenting that it was a damn shame that they were both straight had me laughing, my friends and I have made the same jokes). Now I’m reading A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys, which I yoinked out my Netgalley queue (it’s not out for a couple more months). So far, I’m really enjoying it. Sepetys is really good at getting into historical settings that you don’t see in a lot of historical fiction, this one being 1920s Detroit during the automotive boom. There’s hot cars and warring family members. So until next time, I’m going to be petting this stage 5 clinger that I brought into the house.
@JenC ~ sending healing wishes for your broken arm.
@Anna C ~ I hear you on needing trigger warnings for Jo Goodman books. Some of my favorites by her have serious angst.
I’m reading “Delay of Game” by Ari Baran and I’m liking it much more than “Game Misconduct”. It’s a friends-to-lovers between two guys who’ve been friends for a couple of years and are figuring out that they have romantic feelings for each other. I keep tripping across bi characters in romances lately (not the least of which is bisexual consent king Ilya Rozanov) and it’s really nice. Bi visibility for the win! It seems like there are a lot more bi characters in romances in the last few years.
@PamG ~ your “I hate this trope with the heat of a thousand fiery differential equations” remark had me laughing aloud!
As Joanna Chambers’ Liberated finally came out, book 6 in her m/m Regency Enlightenment series, this is what I HAD to read. I love this series, but I think it flies under the radar a bit. If you like m/m historical, it’s a must read.
George’s story was touched on at the end of book 5, since he’s the son of one of that book’s MCs. George is the dutiful, repressed oldest son of a duke, and his best friend from school, who he believed he was in love with, is getting married (the epilogue of the other book shows him reading that letter). He’s heartbroken, but he’s also had some distance from said friend and goes to the wedding more out of a sense of duty. There he meets another former school mate, who he hero-worshipped a bitbecause he was older, but who was also not always nice to him back then. And he thinks he betrayed him the last time they met. Theo is the absolute opposite of George, a feckless younger son who does as he pleases and never stays anywhere for long. Except that he has inherited a dilapidated estate in Wales. They don’t like seeing each other again at first, but then something unexpected happens. I loved this book as much as the others in the series. Again it’s dual POV and we see both characters growing and reconsidering their life plans. There’s opposites attract, a road trip with only one bed at a crucial point, rural life and also a found family element. There is a third act sort-of-breakup due to a misunderstanding/leaping to conclusions which gets resolved pretty quickly though, and Theo acknowledges his error. I know not everybody likes this, but here it makes sense. And it’s a reason for Freddy, George’s brother, to show up again and we get a glimpse into how he’s doing now.
Though it’s part of a series, this book can be read on it it’s own – but it does contain spoilers for book 5! So if you’re interested in that one too, it’s better to start at least with Restored, book 5.
Other than this, it’s been mostly rereads for comfort the past month…
Late to the party but here I am. I missed the last one of these so will try to just hit the highlights.
Just going to say that I enjoyed Tate’s Law Maker and the possible overlap between aristocracy and criminal seemed reasonable to me. Though maybe a bit over written.
The 5s included:
COLD HEARTED KING by L M Dalgleish. She’s an architect and he’s the boss. Lesson here is do not have a ONS just before you start a new job. I did read the whole series, the others were 4s. Would recommend.
CURSED KING by Julie Saman. He’s a king and she’s a nanny, not a favorite trope. I think it’s meant to be a riff on Beauty and the Beast. I did like it a lot but the next in the series, Cursed Queen, was a let down.
MEMORIES OF THE LOST by Barbara O’Neal. She’s an artist, they meet at her show. She is having weird episodes that turn out to be memories. He supports her through this. Enjoyed it.
SHIELD OF SPARROWS by Devney Perry. Romantasy. She is married to the king of a neighboring country. War is coming. You probably know this plot. But it is well done as she becomes confident in herself and falls in love with the man teaching her to fignt. Ooops. Enjoyed it.
BY THE LETTER by Julia Wolf. Shy woman goes to sex club, has a hot night, and, alas, the condom breaks. She manages to track down the masked stranger, turns out they work together. Well done as they try to navigate what co-parenting and. later, love, will look like. Enjoyed.
The DMF:
Pine for Me by Swati MH. Second chance and it might have been good but both sets of friends were beyond annoying, what, are we eight? Maybe it’s just me but I have the annoying and immature friends that seem so common in the comedy romances. I can do some gentle teasing and some pushing to get out there but, really, try to be adultish about it.
Also re-read a lot of Sarina Bowen, Maya Alden, Susie Tate, Natasha Anders. Because I wanted familiar to snuggle into.
@Big K: I enjoyed TURNS OF FATE but I get what you’re saying, Anne Bishop has never been a subtle writer imo.
I have the virus (or dreadful lurgie) that’s going round so I feel vile and am having trouble thinking about anything. Day 5 today.
My notes say I read BEHOOVED by M. Stevenson, in which the FMC is sent off to marry the MMC, who is king of another country, to prevent a war. He’s attacked on their wedding night and turned into a horse and thus begins a road trip romance. (Nope, no bestiality, he’s human at night, horse in the day.) I enjoyed this but it was also a hard read because the FMC is incredibly hard on herself thanks to horrible parents and a chronic illness they treat as a failing. I’d recommend it, but take care of yourselves if that would be hard for you.
Currently I am reading RECIPES FOR AN UNEXPECTED AFTERLIFE by Deston Munden. It is a fantasy, not a romance, about an undead orc warrior rediscovering himself in retirement. Lots of found family, and food (he opens a restaurant). The author brilliantly gives all the characters fantasy style names except for the most evil person in the book, who has a very British name, which neatly invokes colonialism’s cruelty and horror. So far I think I’d read more by this author.
Be well, everyone. Take care of yourselves.
I read “Home Ice Advantage” by Ari Baran, a romance between a pair of retired hockey players/now coaches – the MCs are 42 and 45. I felt like the power dynamic was a bit off with a kind of boss/employee vibe that I didn’t like – one was (interim) head coach and the other was an assistant coach for the same team, and it felt like the author kept setting up a situation where they would be outed without following through. I also had a really hard time picturing what Ryan looked like – because he was repeatedly described as short (5’6) and stocky, I just kept thinking Mickey Rooney, which was not Romance Hero vibes. LOL
[…] NOTE: Portions of this review appeared in my comment on the SBTB post “Whatcha Reading? February 2026, Part 2. […]