Happy Saturday! Here’s what we’re reading right now as May winds down:
Lara: Candice Proctor released only seven historical romances and I’m on my second already. The books are phenomenal and have given me a great deal of food for thought.
Elyse: I just read There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It follows five Atlanta families who make up part of the increasing number of homeless (the author uses homeless not unhoused) in America who also work full time or more than full time. It’s a really eye opening book, especially when you learn that these families (usually depending on predatory extended stay motels or sleeping in their cars or crashing on friends couches) don’t actually contribute to the people officially counted as homeless. It’s a hard book to read but really important.
Sarah: I finished Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I actually factually laughed aloud and also cried.
And I just started I Think We Should Kill Other People, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is starting off zany.
Whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!
I’ve recently read a couple of romances featuring fake dating, which is not a trope I’m fond of but it’s hard to escape these days. Lynn Painter’s The Love Wager was fun as an audiobook but the characters were kind of underdeveloped and their relationship relied too much on banter chemistry.
Julie Kriss’ You Give Me That Feeling has a much better reason for the fake dating and a more convincing connection between the famous-but-down-to-earth characters but it still felt a bit too easy in the end. Her books don’t ever seem to be very angsty but I would have liked a bit more struggle for the HEA in this one.
Also read A Deadly Episode, the latest Anthony Horowitz mystery featuring himself as the Dr Watson character to fictional detective Daniel Hawthorne’s Holmes. Better than the previous couple in this series, very well plotted and thoroughly enjoyable.
Nearly finished City of Bones by Martha Wells. Good fun! I’m going to return to Murderbot next.
I had some family stuff going on this month–not bad, just busy-making–so my reading and concentration are both kind of shot.
Thirty Love by Tom Wellner
Just a brief note to say I did finish this, and enjoyed it immensely. I wanted to add that the principle focus is on the POV character’s personal growth rather than the tender, mildly spicy romance between Leo and Gabe. This book is a very powerful, very positive sports story about a sport we don’t see too much of in romance fiction. Thirty Love is definitely one for the Comfort Reads folder and I hope to see more from this author..
King of Wrath by Ana Huang
I have mixed feelings about this book and hardly know whether or not I even liked it. It is yet another story about an obscenely wealthy, workaholic MMC, this one with anger management issues. When Dante is blackmailed into an engagement by the prospective bride’s father, he loses his last vestige of civilized behavior, despite the fact that his new fiancée has no idea of her father’s machinations. Dante is a violent, vindictive alph-hole for most of this book, yet Vivian consoles herself with glimpses of his softer side. I think this is supposed to be the lo-cal version of dark romance, a subgenre that has never appealed to me. I did enjoy the FMC and her friends. Also, the writing was excellent. Also also, the ending was satisfying to me. I’ll probably be reading the next in the series, but this is a clear case of ymmv.
The Single Girl’s To-Do List by Lindsey Kelk
DNF @30%
This book originally came out in 2011, but apparently had a glow-up a few years ago. It’s not technically a pure DNF, since I read up to 30%, and skipped to the end (76%}. The first 30% consisted of the heroine attempting to recover from a bad breakup, getting drunk repeatedly with her two besties, making a bucket (handy when someone’s in the loo) list, dropping a bunch of early second decade British cultural refs among the banter, and generally sad-sacking about. Too depressing, so I skipped. Two weeks (book time) later our girl was all growed up, and I found I didn’t really care how she got there. YMMV
To be absolutely honest, I made it further into this book than any of the other five I started and dropped, and I know I would have been fine with a couple of those. I think I’m just having concentration problems. For reasons. Sigh. This too shall pass.
The Unlikely Pair by Jax Calder
Thanks to @Kareni mentioning this a while back, I finally found a book I could really sink into. This m/m romantic suspense novel really ticked all the survival-against-all-odds boxes. Harry and Toby are vocal members of opposing British political parties whose frequent professional debates don’t disguise their personal animosity. When the small jet they are sharing is forced to crash land in a Scandinavian forest, and the two politicians are hunted by armed men, they must learn to depend on each other if they ever hope to reach safety. The love story is tender, thoughtful, and hot. The adventure is harrowing. The only thing missing was a resolution to the suspense plot, which is apparently addressed in the sequel.
Pick-up by Nora Dahlia
This is a weird freakin’ book. Its initial focal point is the drop-off/pick-up time at an elementary school in Brooklyn, but that focus gradually expands as the story is told from the POV of three separate parents: Sascha, divorced mom of two kids; Ethan, divorced dad of one; and Kaitlin, semi-single mom of one. I don’t know if this approach is fully successful. At first it feels like two entirely separate stories being told simutaneously. On the one hand, there is a witty, rather charming romance; on the other, the secondary plot feels decidedly sinister. There are twists and red herrings that sneak up on the reader, but it’s very well written, taut with sexual tension, frequently hilarious, and rewards patience. I don’t know that I would give this my highest grade, but I snickered through the whole thing and would happily reread it.
Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews
I needed some soothing, so I reread the last book in the Innkeeper Chronicles. It’s framed by the kidnapping and rescue of Sean’s mentor Wilmos, but the heft of this story is in the galactic Spousal selection that is hosted by Dina and Sean at the Gertrude Hunt inn. After three or more readings I feel like I have a handle on the huge cast of characters, but I don’t think this would be a great place to dip into the series for the first time. Still, it made me smile.
The Shippers by Katherine Center
This author is an autobuy for me, but this book didn’t immediately grab me. The FMC, Jojo starts out continually embarrassing herself, and even when she doesn’t, her friends and family are happy to do it for her. Jojo is an entertaining narrator, but she also comes across as kind of spineless and lacking in self-awareness. Her interactions with her best friend Cooper make their feelings obvious to the reader, if not to Jojo, and that disconnect is the main source of tension in this book. Problem is, no amount of authorial nudges and winks can make all the multiple big misunderstandings bearable or even believable. This is a pleasant, low stakes, no angst sort of book, but I found it lacking the emotional depth I’ve come to expect from Center.
Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
I started reading this two weeks ago, but my mood was not right for it. The greater part of this story is a fairy tale quest rife with riddles and tests, while the rest consists of politics and a love story. Now that it’s done, I’m most impressed by how well Lorelei and Gerard were portrayed without ever sinking into parody. On the surface, each is portrayed as a too-shiny-to-be-true golden child, turning a flawless. impenetrable face to the world. Those faces may differ–stoic general versus mischievous queen–but both hide surprising depth. The slow revelation of their inner characters, while remaining true to their public personas, is very well done. I thought this was an excellent successor to Wooing the Witch Queen, and I look forward to the third book in the series.
Best book of the past two weeks was THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY. I loved it. It’s been on my TBR pile for a while. Great action, great resolution of family issues, and solving harrowing zombie problem. Both MC’s were kind and clever and acted in accordance with their characters. Family depicted and secondary characters were all excellent. But the love story! SWOON! I know I am late to the party, but read this if you haven’t already.
Also read A LADY FOR ALL SEASONS by TJ Alexander, ONLY COLD DEPTHS, by Jennifer Estep, and GRIM GAMES by Abigail Kelly. All next books in series that I will definitely continue with, but none of them particularly strong entries. All recommended.
Today I am going to read the new Ilona Andrews! I having been waiting until I could give it the time it deserves, and I am so excited!
Enjoy the weekend!
Last Whatcha Reading I typed everything neatly in a Google doc and then just… forgot to post it.
I’ve still been struggling w/book reading lately. Lots of decent audiobooks though
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Riley Sager (thriller w/hints of the supernatural) entertaining if somewhat predictable.
AN ASSASSIN IN UTOPIA by Susan Wels (history/true crime about the assassination of James Garfield and assassin’s links to the Oneida community) this really wasn’t much about Oneida cult as I thought it was going to be (which was fine for me).It reminded me a bit of one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time, A NERVOUS SPLENDOR, for just giving you a cultural/social overview of an age. Really interesting and drove home the point that the US has always had issues w/crackpots and political corruption.
And of course, like many, I enjoyed PLATFORM DECAY by Martha Wells.
As for romance, I really am loving both THE OTHER BENNET SISTER and OFF CAMPUS (I contain multitudes) and reading a lot of fan fiction and reading (and rereading) THE DEAL. I tried to read the rest of the series when it was brand new and THE DEAL was the only one that appealed to me. Just a little too much insta-lust for me in the other ones.
I think I will enjoy the other seasons of the show, if I ever get a chance to watch them.
Reading THE MODISTE MISHAP by Erica Ridley, another free novella prequel to her novels. Regency England, a famous dress designer has her shop robbed of the fine gowns meant for some high-drama debutantes’, uh, debuts, and plain-Jane Sybil helps her investigate. These novellas have been like popsicles to me–sweet, short, refreshing.
On the other hand, I’m getting started on spooky season earlier than I usually do…read WYLDING HALL by Elizabeth Hand, a creepy-but-not-scary novella (or maybe short novel?) about a 70’s folk revival band who rent out mysterious Wylding Hall for the summer to have the perfect vibes for their next album. The house is creepy and has signs of witchcraft and fairy-type shenanigans that are far too recent to feel comfortable, and the band’s lead singer seems to know way more than he should. I found this fine, but I thought it didn’t take advantage of its potential–the ‘monster’ is pretty cheesy and for all the scene-setting we don’t get a lot of payoff. In addition to the blood and scary stuff you’d expect in a horror story, warnings for suicide in the backstory, drug use and alcohol addiction, violence against animals in the context of witchcrafty folk horror, and pretty blase attitudes towards underage groupies.
Also started WAKE OF VULTURES by Lila Bowen. YA Western with vampires. Nettie/Nat is a nonbinary teen runaway in the Weird West, fighting monsters. Opening scene involves killing a vampire who tries to rape her/him. With the recent discussion about reading action scenes and whether they work for you or you just let them wash over you, I thought this one was very well written–easy to picture and had lots of punch.
Webcomic–rereading WIDDERSHINS by Kate Ashwin, which is apparently almost completed! This is a steampunk/gaslight fantasy about a town with a residual magic atmosphere and a wizard college, starting with a would-be wizard who’s been expelled (no pun intended) and a hobby of prestidigitation who teams up with a magical artifact hunter…and it goes from there in all sorts of directions. This has the best pacing I’ve ever read in a webcomic, and if that sounds like damning with faint praise, trust me, it’s not.
Looks like I’ve been in an angsty kind of a reading mood lately. I hope everyone is doing well!
Conspiracy in Death (In Death Book 8) by JD Robb (library)
The continuing case files of Lt Eve Dallas, her husband Roarke, and the rest of the team sees them tackle a serial killer who harvests organs with the skill of a surgeon. This one introduces Trueheart, who I think becomes a recurring character. I really loved the banter between Eve and Roarke in this one.
Ansel: A Short Story (Regretfully Yours) by Maya Alden (KU)
Basil: A Short Story (Regretfully Yours) by Maya Alden (KU)
Cain: A Short Story (Regretfully Yours) by Maya Alden (KU)
Dominic: A Short Story (Regretfully Yours) by Maya Alden (KU)
This collection of stories is made of click bait. In my case literally, since I started the first one because the first chapter was in a facebook ad. They all start with a terrible betrayal and breakup. Then the guys realize what they’ve lost and start the long, grovelling path back to trust and love. I found them more “interesting” than “good”, if that makes sense. They explore the questions of “How bad can I make this guy and still make him forgivable?”, “What kind of person would be able to forgive him?”, and “What does that journey back to love look like?” It is dual POV, so we know the guys are sincere in their desire to put things right. I’m less convinced that they should be forgiven, but that’s a YMMV kind of thing. And, I do find it hopeful to see people screw up and then recover. There’s a couple yet-to-be released stories listed for the collection with names that continue the alphabetical theme. I’m undecided as to whether I’ll seek them out, but given that they are short and my kindle likes to remind me of series I’ve started, I’ll probably read them eventually.
Savage Pride and Silent Prejudice: A Pride and Prejudice Mafia Duet by Jill Ramsower (KU)
This one vaguely ties into the rest of her mafia romances, but in a side characters at the wake have familiar names kind of way. It’s more or less what the title says: pride and prejudice fan fiction with a mafia flavor. I read it for the moments of crazy, like noticing that role of Not-Quite-Mr-Collins was being played by Not-Quite-Mrs-Bennet’s bookie. I’ll also admit to a certain curiosity as to which elements of the original story were kept, adapted, or dropped. (Like, Not-Quite-Elizabeth still receives a letter from Not-Quite-Darcy, but Not-Quite-Darcy doesn’t have sister.) I’m not sure I’d recommend it unless you were already a fan of the author or your love for all flavors of P&P retellings will allow you to move past some unevenness in the writing.
Evan: A Short Story (Regretfully Yours) by Maya Alden (KU)
The next book in the set appeared, but it’s got a bit of a different rhythm with more time spent on the first meeting and initial dating phase, but the focus is still on the grovel. This one has an Italian-American doctor whose family has already picked out his fiancee and an Indian-American nurse whose internal monologue is full of Hindi curses. I really loved the Bollywood references, not because I know anything about Bollywood films but because they seemed to fit her character.
Delay of Game: A Gay Spicy Sports Romance (Penalty Box Book 2) by Ari Baran
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/bookinfo/delay-of-game/
Really good M/M hockey romance with a friends-to-lovers vibe, despite (or maybe because of?) the number of times I thought “OMG, just talk to each other”. I’d think fans of Rachel Reid would be interested in this one.
I am also re-reading OFF-CAMPUS. As much as I (re-)enjoyed THE DEAL, I’ve spent 10 years needing to get this off my chest: Elle Kennedy clearly knows absolutely nothing about music and neither does her editor. Hannah spews total nonsense that anyone with a passing familiarity with the term “E major” would wince at. And don’t get me started on her degree program. What kind of crazy-sauce music school is this? At an Ivy League school? I don’t think so.
Fortunately, I know very little about the other fields of endeavor featured in this series, so I can just enjoy the incredibly good chemistry between the characters. Elle Kennedy used to be an automatic buy for me in part because of how much I enjoyed this series. It’s fun to go back and re-read something I haven’t read in a long time.
I think the thing that struck me the most (apart from the terrible music rep) is that this series was so clearly written before #MeToo. One of the central plot points in THE DEAL is
This book came out in 2015, which is two years before #MeToo really took off. I think Kennedy captured our culture’s casual acceptance of gender-based violence really well. But I think one of the big lessons of #MeToo was that these are very rarely one-off events. The kind of person who
is a repeat offender. I can’t help but wonder if the backstory would be written differently today with other girls coming forward with their own stories.
This is a busy time of year for me at work (higher ed) but I’ve made it through, albeit with a lot of frustration. As always, books are the escape I need.
MRS. BUDLEY FALLS FROM GRACE by MC Beaton – a continuation of my audio read of this trad Regency series. Timid Mrs. Budley is sent to steal from an old marquess who “won’t realize she isn’t his niece.” As any reader will guess, that marquess has passed on and there is a new, younger one in his place. Light romance and high jinks ensue. I liked this one better than the previous one, and I appreciated that the group of Poor Relations decided to acquire their much-needed funds from legal sources from now on.
MY HUSBAND’S WIFE by Alice Feeney – while I flew through this one and enjoyed the setting, it employs writerly devices that I deplore. Namely, the author hides things from you even when you are in a character’s head. I mean, sure, you can have twist after twist after twist if you keep everything close to the vest (see Jeneva Rose). Personally, I prefer books where clues are cleverly hidden. In a weird coincidence my husband and I decided to watch His & Hers on Netflix, which is based on a book by this same author, only it’s transplanted from England to Georgia. The same plot devices (or lack thereof) are used there too. Did not like (especially when the detective, who was apparently supposed to be our “hero,” punched his underling and NEVER apologized. This underling was the only person with sense in the whole damn town and was a woman of color. /end rant)
THE PARIS MATCH by Kate Clayborn – highly anticipated by me and also thoroughly enjoyed by me. It’s a sloooowwwww burn, which is not usually my thing. I’m more of a medium burn reader. I thought the main characters were intriguing and very much “real” people. Is it crazy that Layla flies to Paris to attend her ex sister-in-law’s wedding? Sure. But it’s also a very real thing someone might do. Someone who hasn’t set any boundaries with her former in-laws. And honestly, I appreciated that Layla wanted to be there for her SIL, whom she’d known since the girl was young. I liked, too, that we got a POV from Griffin, the scarred (in more ways than one) hero. After decades of reading, I’ve learned that I really do not enjoy one POV stories. This one is highly recommended by me, if you aren’t turned off by the plot and the slow burn.
I have finished… nothing. Nothing? Nothing since the last WAYR. I knew I hadn’t read anything great since HOW TO FAKE IT IN SOCIETY but I expected that nothing would live up to it. Everything I have picked up I have apparently promptly put back down.
I did finish an audio version of WHOSE BODY? read by David Case because I have been stuck in the car a lot. I did not care for his interpretation of Lord Peter but I was able to endure it (I am a very fussy and reluctant audio book listener, oh I don’t have to qualify that, I am a fussy and reluctant listener, ok fine, human being – but my unreasonable standards are particularly relevant to audiobook whinging/critiques). Anyway. It’s a great book, bearable audiobook. There is a lot of casual antisemitism, mind, but light years better than Sayers’s contemporary Agatha Christie at least.
The only books I finished are ones I was reading not for pleasure but because someone gave me a book expecting to be able to discuss it with me (I am a well known book whore in my circles). Idk that either friend will get their money’s worth, I really only enjoy genre fiction these days. Apparently I only enjoy KJ Charles these days. But just in case anyone is looking for serious books that don’t end happily (or wants to be reassured they aren’t missing anything by eschewing such) I have two to consider:
IN OTHER ROOMS OTHER WONDERS is short stories, so it doesn’t matter how good a writer Daniyal Mueenuddin is (quite). But they are at least interconnected and it is set in Pakistan and has all kinds of interesting things to say about oh, class and modernization and home. If you like realism and short stories and you are good with intensely human characters and lots of sadness, it really is lovely writing, and from a perspective that isn’t over represented in English.
A FAVORITE OF THE GODS AND A COMPASS ERROR is … well it isn’t very good, per se, but others may also be completionists about Lesbians in literature. It’s about three generations of downwardly mobile rich women who think they are special and never feel they have lived up to their potential. I suspect Sybille Bedford was writing what she knew. It’s set in Europe between the wars although it was written in the 60s maybe? It is often funny, occasionally intentionally, and it’s engaging despite being pretentious. All kinds of deplorable telling not showing stream of consciousness writing though. And it has a kind of starfucker-ish vibe, like there was a lot of name dropping and characters who were almost certainly thinly veiled real celebrities the author was very proud of having known that I could not care less about regardless of whether I can identify them. Bafflingly, I absolutely had to know what happened to everyone, even though I didn’t like them. I really enjoy it when there are likable characters, but if we can’t have nice things I prefer that to be an intentional choice on the author’s part, as in Mueenuddin. There is an absolutely ripping villainess in the end at least. Worth reading if you also are morbidly fascinated by the depictions of constructs like gender/race/sexuality in other eras.
@PamG: I’ve noted a number of tennis romances in the last year or so, with more coming out soon. It actually inspired me to compile a list of sports romances that I’ll be putting up as a display at work in July.
Here are a few from a quick cursory glance:
“Backhanded Compliments” by Katie Chandler
“Set Point” by Meg Jones (she has more tennis romances)
“Break Point” by Yahrah St. John
“40-Love” by Olivia Dade
“McNeil’s Match” by Gwynne Forester
Upcoming:
“The Open Era” by Edward Schmit
“In Your Court” by Kit Haley
Slow couple of weeks due to the third book on the list which I put off starting so I could get a couple books back to the GBPL before embarking on that adventure.
IN WHICH MARGO HALIFAX EARNS HER SHOCKING REPUTATION by Alexandra Vasti was a damned delight, even if the end seemed a little abrupt. Ever been introduced to a character and just started smiling? I honestly found the MMC’s inner voice so entertaining. He’s been in love with the FMC for years, but pined away in the background of her life due to class differences. He knows he’s totally screwed when she comes to him desperate for help retrieving her runaway twin. It is totally inappropriate to take her on the road so he tells her no, but then does the whole “Fuck my life” thing after she runs out and follows her. Then it’s all road trip high jinxes and smexiness. Who wouldn’t love a woman who’s idea of prepping for a road trip includes a pocketful of cheese? Definitely picking up book two.
Then it was Susie Tate’s OUTLIER. Neurodivurgent FMC and brother’s best friend MMC who’ve been crushing one each other for years while being the only ones in their friends/family group who are oblivious to how the other feels. When Vicky finally decides to make a move, Mike completely misinterprets her motivation and unleashes his inner asshat on her, resulting in a complete meltdown and withdrawal on her part. There’s a slow and considered reconciliation when it’s made clear just how epic his asshatery was. He then becomes her champion while she starts to see how she is loved and valued by most of the people in her life. I don’t often put warnings in reviews, but while I’ve been known to enjoy a good (?) toxic family trope, but I must say her mother was a hard read. And it’s not his grovel that resolves the third act misunderstanding, but her reaction to an outside actor. Bad Decisions Book Club@ all around. I may start grading books by how close I come to being late for work, or in this case, actually late for work.
I started the third brick of a book of the year, WHEN THE MOON HATCHED, just after the last WAYR & finished just in time for the GBPL to drop the sequel brick, THE BALLAD OF FALLING DRAGONS, in my kindle and which I started this morning. Went with the digital version this time it being much lighter and unlikely to smack me in the face when I drift off at night. Sarah A. Parker’s epic fantasy with it’s blend of bold and ferocious female characters, political intrigue, heartbreak and dragons is definitely working for me. There is so much going on here: Rebellion assassin FMC with a violent mysterious past, MMC with a tender heart who will still tear someone’s head off for her (literally). An interesting world divided into three kingdoms, The Burn the sun drenched mountainous north, The Fade the temperate center, and The Shade, dark and frigid. Lots of interesting side characters and creatures. And DRAGONS! By the end of book one Reyne has left the protection of Kaan’s arms and kingdom to wreck a violent and deeply deserved vengeance on the bounty hunter who murdered her friend and abused her, Kaan’s sister is deep in palace of their brother who rules The Shade looking for answers about her dead sister-in-law, and their niece, Veya, is imprisoned by the mysterious Shadow King. And Kaan? Nursing his heartbreak while walking a political tightrope. Book two picks up in the thick of the action and I’m off to dive back in.
I thought the end of May was going to give me lots of opportunities to sit in the sun and read, but it’s been raining for a week and I’m still on a slow pace. I greatly liked ALICE RUE EVADES THE TRUTH, the debut novel by Emily Zipps. The publisher’s blurb describes it as a “sapphic homage to the movie “’While You Were Sleeping’,” and while the book does share a lot of plot points with the movie, this romance also has a lot of thoughtful elements, including an MC with a chronic illness that affects how the relationship unfolds. MC Alice is the overnight receptionist in an office building in Portland (different location than the movie), with a crush on Nolan Altman, a handsome office worker who says hello to her every now and then. Nolan has an accident in the lobby and Alice performs CPR that saves Nolan’s life, but he’s taken to the hospital in a coma and Alice is mistakenly identified by an EMT as Nolan’s “girlfriend.” The false information is relayed to Nolan’s family–including MC Van, a butch lesbian who has an appealing dog named Frank, and a tenuous relationship with her slightly homophobic mother. Alice is lonely and has a lot of childhood trauma to unpack; the big, boisterous Altman family is welcoming and caring, and after numerous interactions, Alice (out as bisexual) realizes that Van is the one she loves. The story is told from Alice’s POV so we learn a lot about her emotional life as well as her often humorous and sometimes poignant reactions to the antics and affection of the Altman clan. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and nearly all of the characters (not including Nolan after he wakes from the coma), and I also appreciated the author’s lengthy endnote that explains why a character’s chronic illness became a significant part of the story. I’m happy that Zipps has another book scheduled for an early 2027 release.
I also liked ANYWHERE WITH YOU, by new-to-me author Ellie Palmer. This friends-to-lovers story is told in first-person by FMC Charley, a Type A attorney who just finalized a divorce at age 28 after less than a year of marriage, and has decided (because obviously marriage is bad and love isn’t real) she needs to stop her sister from getting married to a childhood friend. Achieving that goal launches Charley on a road trip with another childhood friend, MMC Ethan, a musician who Charley had a crush on when they were kids and who was supposed to be best man at Charley’s wedding, until he ghosted her. Charley and Ethan travel through northern Minnesota (via a van, a canoe, and sometimes on foot) to find a remote campground that will be the wedding venue, with numerous mishaps along the way. I liked Palmer’s writing style and Charley’s engaging voice–sometimes funny or sarcastic when bantering with Ethan or others, often self-critical or self-doubting, but always, underneath the other observations and emotions, yearning for connection to family and friends. The ending of the book seemed a bit rushed to me, but I’m eager to start reading Palmer’s first book (which I discovered I owned after finishing this one) and I’m looking forward to her next book, coming later this summer.
Typically I enjoy novels set in the world of reality TV, but HOT SUMMER, by Elle Everhart, was just OK. I skimmed a lot of this F/F story that takes place in a British version of “Love Island.” MC Cas is competing only to get a promotion at work and doesn’t expect to fall for MC Ada. (Both women are bi and neither expected to couple up with another woman.) The connection to Cas’s work didn’t seem completely credible to me (she has a relatively low-status job but is promised a significant promotion if she makes it to the show’s final episode). The premise complicated Cas’s status as a contestant on the TV show and contributed to a third act breakup. I did like that Cas and Ada were allowed to be an out couple on the TV show and didn’t have to hide their feelings after Cas admitted to the attraction, but the storytelling overall was more tell than show.
The first few chapters of THE RIVALS, by Vi Keeland, had me wondering if I’d want to DNF–the plot featured numerous scenes of hate sex between the MCs and I didn’t especially enjoy the repetition of the FMCs inner monologue of “I don’t like this guy but when we argue I get turned on and can’t stop myself.” However, the storyline expanded and I liked the descriptions of each character’s actions and dilemmas as they worked together while competing to gain ownership of a luxury hotel. The “he falls first” plot mostly worked for me, and the Big Miscommunication plot element had a somewhat believable explanation given everything else we’d learned about the MMC. Keeland was a new author for me (I was gifted a copy of this 2020 novel with a new-for-2025 cartoon cover), and I might check out some of her extensive backlist.
I watched and enjoyed the “Off Campus” TV mini-series and then acquired the books. I’ve read some of Elle Kennedy’s hockey romances, but not the OG “Off Campus” series. Just started THE DEAL and of course I’m picturing the actors as I read about the characters, which is a bit annoying to me.
As I’m sure lots of folks here know, Candice Proctor is also C. S. Harris who writes the Regency-set mystery series featuring Sebastian St. Cyr and his wife Hero. The historical research evident in that series is terrific. For some reason, I’ve been reluctant to try any of the historical romances she wrote as Candice Proctor. Maybe I should give one a try though!
Laura George – I would encourage you to try Candice Proctor’s historical romances. They are excellent, well written and well researched. I don’t think that you will be disappointed.
I really have enjoyed my last three reada in Kindle Unlimited (US version):
You Could Have Foole
d Me by Jenny Proctor, A Fool for April by Ellie Hall and im loving the Love Elixer of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman which I will finish today.
I plowed through quite a few books recently including:
PLATFORM DECAY by Martha Wells. I adore Murderbot but was disappointed that this was a novella versus a novel. Especially since the price felt more novel size requirement.
THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME is on it’s third re-read. I just can’t help myself and the audible is also excellent. If you have not read this book (or really anything by this writing duo) I sincerely envy you getting to experience them for the first time. I also read.
THE PARIS MATCH which was just OK for me. It is such a slow burn that It was almost irritating. An ex-wife agrees to attend the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law. It’s a ‘grit your teeth and fake it’ situation for Layla and when the bride gets cold feet the best man blames Layla. It is not her fault of course but Layla loves to take on everybody else’s guilt. The best man, Griffin is a recluse because of burn scars and uncontrolled pain and unlikable for the first third of the book.
THE HUDSON RIVER HOMICIDES is the fourth book in the m/m Madison Square murder series. I mistakenly thought this was the last book and re-read book 3 again because there were so many characters to sort through. I was irritated that it STILL has no resolution and may just abandon the series altogether. I liked the story but the ongoing plot is complicated, convoluted and BUSY in an unnecessary way.
THE COMPACT by Mirriam Benisse was excellent and I think this is a debut novel. I loved this story and will definitely read the next one. Niko leads a north country that is the first line of defense against monsters that threaten the realm. The cushy southern nations pay their tithes and sacrifice little all while thinking the north are barbarians. Niko needs a bride as his warrior wife was killed in battle and his young daughter will soon rule. Only the asked for bride doesn’t come (she has already gotten married) and her troublemaker brother is substituted at the last minute. It’s a dick move by his house and Matthian (the substitute) fully expects to be sent packing (in a winter storm no less) for the insult. The diplomat in Niko realizes he really has no choice and accepts the match. The rest of the story is Matthian realizing the honor and integrity of the North and getting up close with the real threat of monsters. Loved it and this didn’t end on a cliffhanger per se just some unanswered threats to resolve. This reminded me of HEART OF WINTER by Lauren Gilley which was also excellent.
Next up is PARADE OF HORRIBLES By Matt Dinniman in the Dungeon Crawler Carl universe.
Over the past two weeks~
— quite enjoyed A Case of Mice and Murder: The Trials of Gabriel Ward which is a mystery set in 1901 in London. The lead character is a brilliant barrister who is tasked with investigating the murder the Lord Chief Justice which has taken place in the Inner Temple. That location is not subject to the local police force; however, a constable is assigned to assist him. I look forward to reading the next volume in this newish series. I also told my husband that I thought he might enjoy this book.
— read a military science fiction work, It Ain’t Over…: (Cole & Srexx Book 1) by Robert M. Kerns. This was a pleasant read, but I enjoyed the start of the book (with its small cast of characters) more than the second half (with its cast of thousands). Cole’s ship is under attack when the story begins. In short order he rescues a drugged woman set adrift from a space ship, a mother and daughter alien pair, and a sentient spaceship, Srexx, who has been entombed for millennia.
— enjoyed a short novella, When Sparks Ignite by Dylan Morrison, that features a struggling artist who is working two jobs trying to survive and a lonely billionaire. The former is working for a catering company at the latter’s penthouse when they cross paths.
— For my book group, I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. This features a young woman who delivers books in rural Kentucky in the 1930s. She suffers a lot of hostility as she is one of a small group of blue skinned people. (And, yes, this is historically accurate.) This book made me teary eyed at least four times that I can recall.
— read Recipe for Trouble by Dylan Morrison which is a contemporary romance featuring a chef and a video editor. The latter edits a video of the former (who we learn has stage fright); when it goes viral, the two begin to work together.
— enjoyed A Solid Core of Alpha by Amy Lane, a science fiction romance with an unusual premise. A 12 year old boy is launched into space moments before the colony he lives on is destroyed; the shuttle he is on is programmed to reach its destination in ten years. During that time he programs and lives with companions on a holodeck. The first part of the story takes place during that interval; the remainder occurs after he reaches his destination. The second lead meets him then. Four of his programmed companions are his friends; the fifth is his abusive partner. Mental health is a major part of the story.
— The Wrong Stop by Rex Burke is subtitled a sci-fi caper, and that seems valid as the book is lighthearted. Three college roommates are traveling by rail in Europe when they encounter a solitary individual at a table in the dining car. They soon come to realize that this is an alien who has crash landed and wishes to return home. Adventures and surprises ensue.
— enjoyed Perun’s Hammer by Ian Heller which has an intriguing premise. A renowned television journalist (think Sixty Minutes…or am I dating myself?!) receives a video of what appears to be a missile destroying Chicago. He deletes it, but it continues to reappear. It is followed by a video of an actual historical event, The Battle of the Little Bighorn, which is incredibly detailed and seems not to be computer generated. This generates much researching; meanwhile more videos arrive as do government agents and Russian assassins. He comes to realize that Chicago is facing a catastrophic threat. I see that a sequel is in the works, and I await it with interest.
As always, much impressed by the amount of new reading reported here.
I started The Marriage Method but am finding the writing hard work: flat and pedestrian. I got bored enough that I put it down and reread some Georgette Heyer favorites, particularly A Civil Contract. I love it because (1) it’s a very good novel and (2) because my sympathies in adulthood are completely opposite to those I felt when I first read it in my teens. Heyer’s weaknesses have been thoroughly and accurately discussed here, but the quality of her writing and characterization – not to mention her use of humor and irony – keep me coming back.
Anne Leckie has a new novel out and Shannon Chakraborty (sp?) has a new Amina Al Sarafi novel on the way, so I’m sort of marking time waiting to get and read them. I love Amina – who’s not interested in an adventurer who’s also a mom, has a bad knee and has to cope with the results of past choices, good and bad?
@PamG ~ I’m happy to learn that you also liked The Unlikely Pair by Jax Calder. I really enjoyed the banter between the two leads.
Let’s see, I read the new Harry Dresden novella by Jim Butcher, Out Law. I liked it better than Twelve Months, as there was more forward momentum and he wasn’t doing as much of the “The Winter Mantle has turned me into a crazed lusthound” as he’s been doing in the last several months. My hope is that Butcher may be listening to feedback from people that hopefully told him to dial that back some. Also, I’m enjoying his interactions with his new apprentice. Then, because I had a thing and my brain always rejects almost everything but historical romance when I don’t feel well, I teed up Devil In Disguise by Lisa Kleypas. I enjoyed the two main characters, even if I thought the “insta-love” aspect was a bit, well, instant. Last night, I finished off Ironwood by Michael Connelly, and enjoyed it a lot. I really liked the dual cases that the detective was juggling, and bringing in the Ballard character from one of his other series was nice to see. Which brings us to now, in which, like the esteemed webmaster of this site, I am also reading Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood. I’m not very far into it, but I like the setup, and Gertie is an interesting character, even if I kind of want her to grow a spine (hopefully that’s an aspect of her development). That mediocre man that clearly could not handle her success that she starts the book pining over? I really hope she gets to tell him off.
Hugo award voting reading continues apace. I’m about 40% through Nnedi Okorafor’s “Death of the Author.” Afrofuturism and ableism and possibly some wish fulfillment about enjoying meteoric success as a science fiction writer. Enjoying it, though it’ll have a tough time unseating my current favourite in the best novel category, “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow.
Been frustrated with the Graphic Novel and Illustrated Story category nominees. They’re. I mean they’re fine? But nothing mind blowing. And I’m noticing that the ones I’ve read so far have mostly been… stuff that fans of prose fiction but don’t normally read comics might read? An adaptation of Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea, some comic/picture books written by famous prose authors. Again, they’re fine! But not doing anything nearly as interesting with specifically the medium of comics compared to like, any random page of Witch Hat Atelier, for example. I dunno. I might be a comics snob. I’ve read Scott McCloud and let it go to my head.
I have some comics left to go and I have higher hopes for “A Girl and Her Fed” and “The Power Fantasy.” Though AGAHF is daunting as heck. There’s twenty years of that thing. I’ve been plowing through it and I’m only up to 2009? I think? I know only the material from 2025 is technically nominated but frankly I assume that if I jumped in at the final year of a 20 year comic, I’d have no freaking clue what’s going on. And it’s kinda nostalgic revisiting 2000s humour and storytelling style (why were there so many edgy cute mascots back then) and watching a beginner artist’s amateur art improve year by year as they learn and develop their craft. Webcomics have gotten so gentrified that you rarely see that happening in real time any more.
Still struggling to find books I want to read. I’m not bothering to post most of my DNFs as it may just be me. I do want to mention 1, however, because it might be a good find for some other folks.
BURN THE SEA by Mona Tewari sounded amazing but did not work for me. It’s a fantasy version of South India at the time of the Portuguese colonialism there, and is based on a real queen who fought against the invaders. So if anyone is looking for a different fantasy with powerful women leaders and warriors, check it out, it might be your jam. I just couldn’t get into it, didn’t fit my mood.
Books I did enjoy:
DEATH IN THE PALACE by Barbara Hambly is the latest in her Silver Screen mystery series about movie making in the 1920s. Don’t start here, you get more by reading them in order and they are all good. This one moved the action to New York.
SUNWARD, by William Alexander, is an excellent SciFi novella. The MC is a space courier who acts as a mentor to baby bots. No romance (by our standards, there are some hints) but a strong found family and lots of reflection on who counts as a person. This was pretty suspenseful (for me, at least) and I was very relieved by the ending. Highly recommend.
THE IRON GARDEN SUTRA by A.D. Sui is also SciFi. MC Iris is a monk from an order that travels through space providing religious rites for the dead. He is sent to provide this service to the entire population of a dead Generation Ship that has suddenly popped out of a portal, and ends up in a suspense/horror situation with the small group sent by the local university to “study” (aka loot/claim) the ship. The MC has an AI companion (named VIFAI) implanted in his brain, who is also a very important character, and they become embroiled in a suspense/horror scenario when something/someone unknown traps them and the academics on the ship and starts killing people. There’s a bit of a romance here, and it should develop further in the sequel. MC and his AI are both complex, not entirely admirable people whose back story is fleshed out in flashback interludes and entries from their diaries at the start of each chapter. I really liked this, despite the very scary/gory parts.
TURNS OF FATE– I enjoyed this start of a new Anne Bishop series, despite my initial qualms about its vast page count. She made the length worthwhile by carrying multiple story lines with multiple POV characters. In some ways this is kind of similar to the Others books– powerful and inexplicable beings sharing the world with clueless or minimally clued humans. Friction and destruction when these worlds collide, often the fault of the humans. Anne Bishop is my go-to author when I want to see terrible things happen to terrible people. Usually I feel guilty about this impulse, because I try to remember to distinguish action from person– doing something awful is not the same as Being awful– but in Bishop’s books, the humans who do terrible things are terrible through and through and thoroughly deserve what they get. I enjoy this.
I did enjoy one romance– THE LONE WOLF CAFE, by Sydney Wilder. It’s a sapphic cozy fantasy about a runaway werewolf who gets a job as a baker in a witch town and falls for her grumpy witch boss. It was cute, even if the real problems the characters and the town face are resolved too neatly. Would consider reading another book by this author.
Only read four books this past two weeks. None were terrible, but none were that memorable either. All suffered from what I thought were some problematical plotting choices that really undercut all these books’ strengths.
First up is HATE MAIL by Donna Marchetti, which is a contemporary F/M romance. Although they lived in different states, the MMC and FMC became pen pals in the 5th grade through a school letter exchange project. This pen-pal relationship thrived on writing childish insulting letters to each other, interspersed with kind or thoughtful letters when one or the other let their guard down and hinted about something going wrong in their life. Through about fifteen or so years, the two remain pen pals. And then the letters stop, and the FMC Naomi has no idea what has happen to her pen pal Lucca for over two years until a mysterious insulting letter shows up with no address or contact info. Naomi is both delighted and determined that Lucca will not have the last insult and so starts looking for him. There is a good book in here somewhere, but there were also so, so many problems. Too much of the plot rests on ridiculous misunderstandings that make both characters look more immature in their 30s, than when they were fifth graders writing childish insults. At the worse things happen that border on making them both look like lying, harassing stalkers. And the other characters were flat only existing as plot devices; worst of all there was an evil, lying psycho ex-financée (a trope that I thought had finally died out).
VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE by Emily Krempholz, like Marchetti’s Hate Mail, is a first book. Thankfully there are no evil ex-financées. This is a cozy fantasy F/M romance about Violet Thistlewaite, a witch, who, no longer wants to be the villainous Thornwitch, but instead longs for a normal life as a florist in a quaint, pseudo-medieval village. There are charming moments and some cute characters in this book, but I kept putting this book down for days at a time. Part of the problem was the MMC had no real character arc – it’s the old story that the plot drove his actions, even when those actions made no sense character-wise. As a result, the romance also felt very flimsy and superficial. But the biggest problem for me is the story both wants Violet to have a villainous past and wants to downplay that past. This means the story wrestles uneasily with questions about Violet’s ethical responsibilities for her past actions and what she should do to make amends. I thought in the end that the solutions offered were weak sauce and really undercut any belief that Violet is willing to do the hard work to become a truly better person.
I didn’t realize it before I read them but ANY TROPE BUT YOU by Victoria Lavine and THE BOOK TOUR by Emily Ohanjanians share some similarities. Both are contemporary F/M romances whose FMCs are online media-savvy, successful women – both are authors and fiercely protective and proud of their younger female relatives. Both women, a few years before, suffered from broken engagements that shook their trust in romantic relations. Both MMC are supportive, caring, hot guys, who love their own families. In both these books I really liked how much both FMC are hard-working and successful in their chosen fields. In ATBY Margot the FMC is a successful romance author, who has lost her romance writing mojo, but who has kept pretending because she loves the romance community (especially her romance-loving sister) and because, more practically, being a writer is what she is good at. In TBT, Ava the FMC is successful podcaster, who has written a self-help book, and is now on a book tour along with her best friend/female cousin, her videographer, and her handsome publicist. Ava, like Margot, loves her community that she has created through podcasts. Unlike Margot, however, she has not become disillusioned or worried that she may be selling false hope to people. In both these books the sister/cousin play important roles – both Margot and Ava love their younger sister/cousin, but they also have their blind spots about what these younger relatives want. ATBY depends more on broad comic moments, especially those of Margot being a city girl coping with a vacation in Alaska (à la Northern Exposure); while TBT has a more realistic vibe with its depiction of the demands and logistics of a cross-country book tour. Margot and Ava are unapologetic about the fact that they like sex and have had casual hook-ups. (In fact in a twist on trope of the rake; it’s Ava who’s the one with the “little black book”, while Ryan the MMC freely admits he’s not into one-night stands or no-strings relations). But both books also awkwardly introduce fake sexual harassment situations as a way of ratcheting up the tension and creating third act difficulties for our two couples. And just no please don’t do this – it’s just not a great idea and trying to handwave away the problems created by these set-ups just didn’t land well in either book.
I’ve been working my way through a couple of light, somewhat humorous Regency series. One is M.C. Beaton’s A House For the Season series. The recurring characters are on a group of servants who have bonded together in a found family. Each book is short and entertaining, and has a romance involving a different tenant of the house each season, with the servants playing a role behind the scenes. The last 2 I read were THE WICKED GODMOTHER and RAKE’S PROGRESS. The other series is the John Pickett mysteries by Sheri Cobb Smith. He’s a Bow Street runner who marries above his class. The last book I read was #7, MYSTERY LOVES COMPANY.
I read my first Aydra Richards book, HIS RELUCTANT LADY and liked it a lot! Now going to read the rest of the trilogy it’s part of. I also enjoyed THE SPINSTER STRIKES BACK by Ava Devlin, another new-to-me author. If you’d like to see a group of women(jilted fiancee, wife and mistress) gang up on a total a-hole, this is the book for you!
On the non-fiction side, I am now 29% into SOUTHERN STORM, with General Sherman still sowing destruction across Georgia. I must say, it’s quite cathartic reading about slave plantations getting looted and burned to the ground.