Welcome back! It’s time for our second Whatcha Reading of the month. Here’s a peek at what we’re reading right now:
Lara: I’m trying romance adjacent non-fiction. It’s the first non-fiction book I’ve read in years and years. Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s a total change of pace for me. I’m only a couple chapters in but I’m enjoying being brought along on this hunt for rare books.
Carrie: That book is so good!
Sarah: I have wandered into the Hoopla Hall of Harlequin Presents and it’s wild in here. The tycoons are angry, the Greeks and Sicilians are always wearing expensive suits, and the plots are outlandish, just as I expected. When I find a good one, I’m so happy. But the time investment is such that if the book isn’t grabbing me, I can move on quickly.
Whatcha reading right now? Let us know in the comments!
Never posted before despite at least 7+ years of lurking, but wanted to send a huge thank-you out into the universe to all the SBs as I wrap up maternity leave and head back to work at the end of this month. Y’all don’t even know how you’ve kept me company at 4am. A not-so-brief summary of my last four months of reading:
I was in a huge reading slump at the beginning of the year (funny how pregnancy and a toddler will do that to you…) First to end the drought was MY FUNNY DEMON VALENTINE by Aurora Ascher– binged the whole series, and it led me to sign up for a free trial of KU. I think the first book in that series was actually my least favorite, which I find to be pretty unusual, except it also happened with THE SPELL SHOP by Sarah Beth Durst. Spell Shop was a B book that I desperately wanted to be an A, but THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE and SEA OF CHARMS were definitely A’s so well worth continuing the series.
Guys, I was sleeping on T. Kingfisher. I had the impression all her stuff was creepy and was giving it a pass. I don’t know if I’ve ever made a bigger mistake in my book-reading life, but the upside was that I got to read them all now. Started with WIZARDS GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING and moved on to SWORDHEART and then PALADIN’S GRACE, etc. and at my peak I was reading one a night, finishing them at 5 am and then (graciously) waiting until at least 7 am to text anybody who would listen about how goooood they were. My Libby hold for DAGGERBOUND says I’m currently still six weeks out, so I might have to break down and buy it.
Some odds and ends authors who had new-to-me books available on KU (or Libby – I also discovered the reciprocal cards feature on Libby thanks to SBTB!!!) which then of course prompted a binge of re-reading: Roxie Noir (ROOM SERVICED was a delight), Shelley Laurenston, Meljean Brook, Kimberly Lemming, Courtney Milan, Nora Roberts (re-visited the BORN IN trilogy to get a glimpse of SB Sarah’s “proto-Roarke”; how had I never heard of ANGEL’S FALL – that was a twisty one) and Talia Hibbert. At one point I devoted a week of my life to reading/re-reading twelve of the Harmony series by Jayne Castle (JAK) because that’s what my brain wanted (but wow those backstory sections get REALLY repetitive when you read them back to back to back).
Some books I had meant to read for ages and finally did: PSALM FOR THE WILD BUILT by Becky Chambers and EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett. So glad I did (though I admit I DNF’d for now book 3 of Emily Wilde because I was a bit burnt out). Olivia Waite’s MURDER BY MEMORY and NOBODY’S BABY were both great reads but regrettably short. Also finally tried but DNF’d a Cate C. Wells (AGAINST A WALL) based on a “where to start” rec on this site. I think it was the wrong book for me – but it DID lead me to the realization that I simply can’t stand a dumb male lead… I may eventually try another that’s more my speed.
Excellent finds from SBTB: WILD GOOSE CHASE by Sarah Beth Adler, COOKISH (very inspiring for getting off the Doordash habit I’ve got going), HALF A SOUL by Olivia Atwater (though I couldn’t get into book 2), and NOBODY TOLD ME DRAGONS USE LIBRARIES. WOOING THE WITCH QUEEN by Stephanie Burgis (and its sequel), and VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN were also delightful, but I found THAT TIME I TOOK DOWN A CULT to be just meh. THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer was also recommended to me by a friend who described it as “a love letter to readers” – couldn’t have said it better and immediately passed the recommendation on once I finished it. I think CALCULATED WHISK by Lindsay Buroker was a KU algorithm rec, but enjoying that series as well. I know I bought and read THE DONNELLYS OF DOGWOOD COVE series by Julia Jerrett from a daily deal post, but honestly don’t remember much besides that I finished all of them.
A HUGE thank you to the commenter who led me to MURDUKO. Some of those puzzles took me two plus accumulated hours (WHY is there a timer?) but I got them in the end (okay, so I cheated on one). Bought the paper version for my suduko-loving dad when I was only three puzzles in (he appreciated it, but my mom asked “do you HATE us?!” Ooops).
Final total (including short stories but not DNFs): 87 books in 4 months. Well, it probably will be 88 since I left THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME as a back-to-work treat for myself. A bit more cosy fantasy than my usual mix, but the heart wants what it wants.
Thanks again for the journey, SBs. And Amanda, you’ve got this! It helps to have a good book and a good partner for all those every-two-hours wake-ups 🙂
Apparently September was about rereading after some disappointing new books that I had library holds for. Lily Chu´s The Comeback has turned into a comfort book for me, then I went through books 3-7 of Chloe Liese´s Bergman Brothers series and some Cara Bastone. All contemporaries, which is weird for me, I normally pick up historicals for comfort reading.
I am reading fanfic. This is a new development for me. Maybe I just needed the right fandom? Someone here has been doing a deep dive into Heated Rivalry fanfic, which sounded interesting, so I downloaded a couple and really enjoyed them. Still trying to figure out how AO3 works in terms of finding recs. Would appreciate recs and advice. Are there threads somewhere with specific fandom fanfic conversations? Or should I be looking in the comments of individual fics?
Also reading Willing Prey by Allie Oleander. This is closer to erotica than I usually read and way darker, but I’m enjoying it. I think it helps that this is not a dystopian novel or mafia novel.
Hmm, I think the only thing I’ve finished since the last Whatcha Reading is OUT ON A LIMB by Hannah Bonam-Young, which was cute but had the noticeable conflict avoidance “nice people” vibe that so many romances have II thought the book was leading up to something in the final act. I get that the third act breakup is considered a bit contrived and manipulative at times, but I could see seeds of conflict (both internal and external) that could test their relationship. But instead we have two characters who both felt insecure, they had a nice conversation at the end and boom, they were together for life. If I had read this as a piece of fanfiction as a little dessert for two characters I loved who had been through the wringer, I would love it. Heck, I’ve written that fanfiction. But for two original fiction characters I’m left wondering if they will even make it through a real conflict.
Also, this is very specific,but I found the heroine’s best friend super annoying. I think she was meant to be the “fun one” but she seemed like a thirteen year old hyped up on sugar. Then she was weirdly shamey and judgey about her husband and other people playing Dungeons and Dragons? Of course, it’s played off as jokey and then ha ha she gets into it. But I kept thinking, is this the 1980s? Are you a mean girl trapped in an adult’s body? I don’t really like Dungeons and Dragons much either, but I’m an adult and happy that other people can find hobbies they enjoy. I see there’s a book about her and her husband. I’m assuming it’s about how “their perfect marriage” isn’t perfect. I hope she grows as a person, but I don’t think I could take a whole book in her head.
I might try another book by this author b/c she has some intriguing ones, but I’ll wait a bit.
Other than that plugging away on the last Scythe book by Neal Shusterman for the sake of my youngest. I do enjoy the plot, but everything else feels very thin and sketchy. I also just started a really promising romance and I’m hoping to dig into this weekend, but I don’t want to jinx it by mentioning it yet.
I’m celebrating a quiet birthday as we wend our way towards the end of September. The much anticipated books releasing at the end of this month are totally worth celebrating as well.
The Hocus Pocus Handbook by Ann Aguirre
This tale of a free spirited changeling woman dwelling in the Winter Court of the Fae and her forced alliance with the Court’s huntsman had a huge amount of potential. I read The Only Purple House in Town so long ago that I couldn’t recall the details of the changeling switch, which bugged me a bit. I liked the characters of both Thea and Kerboros, but I felt they were short-changed by the conventions of coziness. In the end, the stakes weren’t high enough to make the HEA truly satisfying to me. YMMV, I guess.
Fossil Feud by Maggie North
First, a big thanks to SB Lara, @Neile and everyone else on the site who talked this book up. I tend to be impatient with Indiana Jones/Romancing the Stone mash-ups, and that unserious title completely misled me. I loved this book, and happily put it on my best of the year list. The paleontological background was exceptionally interesting and soothed my yen for competence in action. The romance between Ripley and James hit all the high notes I want in a love story. The secondary characters rocked, and their climactic covert operation was a banger. Even the third person present tense single POV worked for me. Perfect 10, across the board.
Unrivaled by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James
This is yet another hockey romance between two antagonistic players on rival teams, who start with casual hook-ups that evolve into feelings. I liked that there was actual hockey involved, both organizationally and on-ice, though some of the details seemed a bit sus. Grady and Max were entertaining characters, with the latter being a little more approachable, but that could have been his doggo. The fact that the MC’s were not some sort of pioneers on a mission was kind of refreshing too. I also liked the portrayals of teammates and family. I was not so fond of the way player trades drove the plot. Nor did I care for the frequent, sloppy, and rather soulless sex scenes. My least favorite quality, however, was the sameness of it all, though that may be the product of an over-saturated subgenre. Definitely YMMV.
The One Month Boyfriend by Roxie Noir
This book is first in the Wildwood Society series, which is Loveless Brothers adjacent. Silas and Kat’s first disastrous meeting was years ago in college, and for Kat their reluctant reunion as adults is one more misery in a very bad year. Surprisingly, they find common ground hating on her douchey ex-fiance, but the factor that truly unites them is the powerful mutual empathy generated by their personal angst. Also, they are wicked hot. Recommended.
Daggerbound by T Kingfisher
I’ve been postponing reading this since it came out–saving it for a rainy day, I guess–but I finally succumbed. Sometimes I delay reading books that I have high hopes for. I don’t know if it’s fear of disappointment or saving the best for last. Anyway, I read it, and it’s all the good things readers have said about it. It’s my favorite kind of road trip fantasy, and I see that there will be a third book next year, so I’m bouncing in place hard enough to break my recliner. That is all.
An Unrivaled Off-Season by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James
This short hockey novella is a sequel set in the post season and focused on Max and Grady each trying to figure out how to put a ring on it. It’s cute and not too explicit with a lot of family and friends interaction. Entertaining fluff.
Love Felt Like This by Julie Olivia
This was a weird book for me. The basic premise appealed so strongly, yet the execution often failed to land. Beverly Lark is the scion of a pioneering family of puppeteers whose artistry is no longer trendy. She is struggling to fund a comeback when she encounters rock musician and single dad, Griffin Harvey, who is having difficulty composing his second album. I really liked everything about Bev and Griffin. I loved their competence and their struggles, and I was drawn in to their story despite my many issues with the storytelling. Outside of the MCs, many of the supporting characters were composed of quirks that disguised a certain lack of substance. Worse, this was one of those books where the writing would periodically go off the rails as though it was created in a world of inflated prose and no dictionaries. A lot of the writing was repetitive and overly padded, making the book seem overlong. I thought maybe the problem was a lack of editing, but this was traditionally published, so I’m at a loss. I did finish it, but I doubt that I’ll seek out more by the author.
A Killer Heart by Helen Harper
This book was the fifth in the Cat Lady Chronicles, and it was the book that fit the moment as well as my current mood. Like all the books in the series, this one was a quick moving, adventurous mystery with a well-defined magical background, touches of humor and an ongoing romance. These books are competently written with excellent character development and limited angst. They deliver a satisfying level of unpretentious enjoyment and prime cattitude. Moggies 4-evah!
Season’s Change by Cait Nary
This M/M hockey romance might be my new favorite in this much abused subgenre. The writing is stellar, featuring a third person, past tense, dual POV and well developed characters. Roommates Ollie and Benji approach their first season with a new team from very different backgrounds. As they help each other adjust, their tentative friendship evolves into something more, despite struggles and setbacks. There’s a well balanced blend of angst and personal growth against a background of hockey action and team shenanigans. The mental health rep is excellent, but do read the content warnings.The romance develops slowly which works for me. I really like a slow burn–the gradual build up, the anticipation, the shock and awe of discovery. This book delivers it all. Recommended.
Taming the Tycoon by Amy Andrews
Reread
I’ve read this book multiple times over the years, but I just needed a sure thing. The story is short and sweet with a new age heroine and a wealthy workaholic hero clashing over a two hundred year old rose garden in the center of London. Underneath the push-pull of conflict and attraction, there is a kernel of painful truth that gives the story emotional weight.
Trade Season by Cait Nary
This M/M romance combines two of my favorite subgenres, music (country) and sports (hockey). When Seamus and Brody are accidentally outed online, their management teams put together a fake relationship to ward off potentially negative reactions. While their initial encounter had been hot, “the course of true love never did run smooth” is not just a bardism. So this is less a slow burn than a scattering of fireworks as the MCs figure out their shit. I especially like that neither player was “fixed” by the other, but each realized independently that they owed the other some honest communication. Recommended.
Morel Dilemma by Lindsay Buroker
This book is the third Tale from the Dragon Diner, wherein Jildarin, an aristocratic dragon warrior continues to demonstrate to all species that food prepared in the Dragon style is both sophisticated and flavorful. In this, he is aided by Rylana, his former adversary in the Orc Wars and current bookkeeper and practical business partner. The action centers on a visit from the Elf Queen, a connection with Ry’s Elven comrade-in-arms, and a celebration of magic mushrooms and gourmet coffee. The novel is a fast-paced, witty adventure set in an entertaining fantasy world–not subtle but a lot of fun..
Book Club Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
Thanks to @Neile for first mention of this book. Since this author can be hit or miss for me, I might otherwise have missed it. I love me some bookish fiction, but this one was truly extraordinary with its complex, troubled FMC and assholic MMC. I loved how turmoil lurked under Blair’s shiny blonde surface and impressive intelligence, but I felt like the character of Jack was a true masterpiece. He starts out as a caustic, judgemental asshole and never reveals a soft marshmallow center. Yet by the end of the book, I understood him and accepted both his flaws and his virtues. I thought the mental health content was well done, and I would have read thus book for the book discussions alone. Definitely one of my faves this year.
Play Me by Adriana Locke
I picked this up because it was a bargain, and I’d seen good things about the author’s work online. Also I really like sports romance. Sadly, the only actual rugby shows up in the epilogue. It started with Astrid and Gray having a verbal fracas in a gas station. Of course, they end up working together at the behest of their mutual boss, and continue to carry on like mean, nasty children until the boss brings the hammer down. Compromise then evolves into boning,then feels. Both MCs are dealing with painful personal trauma, and I was okay with it all until the 85% mark when a completely manufactured blow up occurs, and I was ready to lob my ebook at the wall. No spoilers, but that ending downgraded this book from a C to a D for me.
Read MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite, which I believe I picked up on sale a while back. Short novel; listed as thriller but I’d say it’s more dark comedy/family drama. Korede’s sister Ayoola keeps murdering her boyfriends–each time she has a good reason, each time Korede cleans up after her. Now the doctor Korede has a crush on has started showing interest in Ayoola, and Korede has to decide how much to tell him to protect him without getting her sister arrested. The sisters’ father was a real piece of work, and how much of his personality Ayoola inherited (and what exactly happened the day he died) is up for questioning. There’s a lot of questioning what you’re willing to do for family and who you believe. Obviously, not a romance.
Finished Anthony Marra’s MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS. Adored it. Keeper shelf. B-movie studio and the people in it trying to survive WWII, the identities we make for ourselves and those thrust upon us and what we do with them.
Started THE TALE OF NEFRET by M L Bullock, a saga about sisters struggling for the throne of ancient Egypt…or so they tell me. It’s bad. Like…possibly so bad it’s good, but I’m not sure how much time I plan to invest in it. I have very low tolerance for plot moppets and saintly heroines/heroes who can do no wrong and are constantly martyred by eeevil scheming villains.
Read a lot of fanfiction but other than that, I’ve bounced around and had a hard time getting invested in anything. September has been a stressful month.
Book_reader_ea01sj71r4, oh, no! You’ve stumbled on one of my special interests. You might try a reddit forum for your fandom (if it’s popular like Heated Rivalry). I believe there’s also private discord servers, but I am too old to figure out another social media.
There’s no right or wrong way to read AO3 and you will figure out what works for you w/time. What I y do is pick a ship tag (as a romance fan I’m all about the ships) for my fandom. I sort by kudos (most kudos at the top) and I also tend to select for only finished works and only stories under about 10,000 words. If I’m in a rush and I want a quick dopamine hit, I might go for only 5,000 words. That’s my personal preference b/c a lot of fanfic writers (understandably) get bogged down and don’t finish things or lose steam and even if the story ends it kind of peters out.
Then I start at the top, scan the tags and the story summary and if I don’t see anything that turns me off, I click open and read it. I tend to be able to figure out pretty soon if the author and I are simpatico. If I like that author’s style, I will kudos and comment, particularly if I see the author responds to comments w/even just a quick emoji or “thanks.” I will click on their handle and see if they have read anything else in that fandom. I might park myself there and read more of their writing (even something longer or unfinished) b/c now they have my trust as a reader. If I really, really like them I might see if they have any public bookmarks and see who they recommend as an author.
I don’t save my search, I tend to just close out of a reading session when I’m done. When I am ready to read again, if I don’t have anything particular in mind, I will do the exact same search and skip the ones I’ve already read. Yes, this can bog you down a bit in a large fandom, but in a large fandom, you tend to find enough authors that you don’t have to lather, rinse, and repeat to find something to read. In smaller fandoms, I will readt about every single thing that is posted and yes, sometimes in desperation I will try much longer fics and unfinished fics, but I save those for last. If I’ve read everything in a particular ship, then I just check the ship tag and sort by latest to see if anything new catches my eye.
You can filter things as a reader and exclude tags, I don’t like to do that b/c even if there’s things I don’t care for, most fic writers are good about tagging. If you see something that isn’t for you, you can skip to the next, fic. Plus, sometimes if it’s intriguing, I click on it and find something new that I enjoy.
If a fic doesn’t work for me, I back out and go on to the next thing. It can feel like falling down a wiki hole but I enjoy that aspect, when I am shipping a couple hardcore. I will say that one top fic in a fandom is not always my favorite (bearing in mind that can evolve w/time). Sometimes it’s something that is so broadly appealing it feels generic, but not always! Generally there are some good fics and good writers you can find right at the top.
Books I particularly enjoyed:
DAGGERBOUND by T Kingfisher, to no one’s surprise was absolute heaven to read. And then I wanted nothing else. I had just reread everything in the world of the white rat in celebration of the new book, and had to reread it all *again*. I was hoping for Judith (I am still looking forward to Judith please) and had some trepidation that it was Learned Edward. But also the Dervish! And I have such love for T Kingfisher my anticipation was nevertheless dangerously high. It was everything I wanted, pure joy, no notes, a thing that almost never happens I might add. I feel badly that I am always so inarticulate when I love a book, but yeah. DAGGERBOUND is perfect, I love it.
After the second round I was able to move on to some more Kit Walker. THE CASEFILES OF JAY MORIARTY series has been excellent all along, even though they are short, and I hate short stories. I dole them out to myself like candies, and I have been trying to go slowly but. Well. I just finished the 9th one, my favorite to date, THE ILLUSIVE CONSULTANT. Idk how they would strike someone who doesn’t care excessively about the Sherlock Holmes stories, but they are deeply gratifying if one does.
Other books worth mentioning:
THE WOLF AND HIS KING by Finn Longman came out recently and I will always be here for Marie de France fanfic. Unfortunately this was actually… not that good. I mean, it’s worth reading, if you feel like I do about the possibility of Marie de France fanfic! But fair warning: it’s pretentious, by which I mean there’s a lot of bad poetry, it’s frequently written in the second person, it’s ponderous, and no joke *no one gets a name* for the entire book except the werewolf. It’s trying really hard to be a medieval romance and also a modern type romance which is cool except Marie de France already covered the medieval part, and I for one believe the werewolf/king love is also canon (although of course I wanted to hear more about what happened in the bed they shared). This is just a really drawn out version of her plot, and what is added is that we’re inundated with the distasteful interiority of the heroes. It’s lots of self-indulgent angsty overwrought petulant entitled shittiness. I am always team werewolf, yet somehow found myself solidly on the side of the “betrayers.” Srsly, the king is a terrible king, and a terrible lover, and being in his head is gross. In this retelling Bisclavret’s cousin points out that if you don’t tell your wife you’re a werewolf she can’t actually consent to the relationship – and Bisclavret agrees but goes ahead lying to and raping her anyway! Then has the fucking audacity feel victimized by her protecting herself from his actual violence, and constant emotional manipulation. I guess this king and werewolf deserve each other, so there’s that, and it’s a sort of fascinating look at abuses of power even if I don’t think the author intended it to be.
The good news is that it turns out, as mentioned here previously tysm smartbitches, there’s a better fanfic already publised: BISCLAVRET by KL Noone. It’s not trying to be arty, mercifully. It’s short, it’s sweet, it alas also doesn’t show on page what happens in the bed the king and his werewolf share, but it makes it clear that they are in an extremely happy consensual romantic and sexual relationship. (The deal with the wife remains… not ok, but there is at least some real acknowledgment of mistakes and no one’s nose gets bitten off.) Idk that it would be in any way memorable, or that it adds much that wasn’t in the original, but apparently not everyone understands or agrees that the Lais of Marie de France are already queer and awesome and delightful, and this really makes a *great* argument for them.
Book warning:
TUXEDO SOCIETY (spy caper but make it gay, no, gayer) started off so promising. It’s witty and cute and referential. The references are relentless though. It’s all tell no show, so depending on my mood either just an endless mashup of cliches, or silly absurdist over the top fun. I wound up skimming because everything – a character, an outfit, an action, a reaction – absofuckinglutely everything is like three other pop culture things (that I could not give less of a fuck about, presumably if one cared it would be less tiresome?) so it takes at least three times as long as it should.
@book_reader: there is a subreddit devoted to Heated Rivalry fanfic (r/heatedrivalryfanfics) where members discuss & recommend the enormous quantity of HR fanfic on AO3. Most posts include a link along with the fic’s premise, tropes, and triggers (if any). That might be a good place to start. It’s possibly apocryphal, but I read somewhere that AO3 had to add more servers to accommodate the overwhelming number of HR fanfics that are continually uploaded. If true, they better line up more for when Season 2 premiers, lol.
@PamG: SEASON’S CHANGE is one of my all-time favorite romances and a reliable comfort reread. I didn’t like CONTRACT SEASON quite as much, and frankly I struggled to finish Nary’s third book, LUCKY BOUNCE (where the one thing I remember was the overuse of the word “whatever”). Alas, for me at least, Nary’s books seem to be a classic case of declining returns.
As for me, I haven’t had a chance to type up my notes—and I think I’ve only finished one book since the last WAYR, so I’ll probably wait until next time to post about what I’ve been reading.
Taking notes. Thank you @Jill Q. and @DiscoDollyDeb!
The past couple of weeks have been solid reading, but nothing I really want to gush or rant over.
Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms by Lindsey Devin (KU)
I picked this one up from a list of Amazon best sellers because I needed something for the “Shifter that isn’t a bear, wolf, or big cat” bingo square. It follows a rich dragon shifter who is trying to recover family heirlooms that were lost/sold/left behind during the Dragon-Phoenix wars and an intern at the law firm he hires to assist him. On the plus side, there’s lots of banter, a very good dog, and some fun antics as they recover the items together. Note that I said “fun” not “realistic”, or maybe law firms really would let interns go to auctions and serve papers? It’s a fairly slow burn.
The Devil In Winter (The Wallflowers Book 3) by Lisa Kleypas (library)
I know I read all of the Wallflowers books years ago, but my memory was fuzzy on all the details. (This was first published in 2006, so I think I’ve got a valid excuse for forgetting things!) This one follows Evie and Sebastian. Evie is a shy heiress with a speech impediment who desperately wants to escape her scheming family, so she settles on marrying Sebastian, who she knows is looking for a rich wife. He did try to kidnap and elope with her friend, the heiress heroine of the previous book, after all. I do enjoy a good villain redemption story. They come to appreciate each other through several murder and kidnapping attempts before the HEA. There’s one scene in particular that bothered me, so let’s pull out the spoiler warning.
The Greek Billionaire’s Love-Child (Billionaire Doctors) by Sarah Morgan (KU)
A Harlequin Medical Romance circa 2009, though I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised to find out it was older than that due to the “women are so emotional” sexism sprinkled in. The plot involves a doctor with commitment issues and a nurse who have a fling, but he breaks it off once he realizes that things are starting to get serious. To the surprise of no one who read the title, she then discovers that she’s pregnant. And he shows back up intending to marry her when he finds out about the baby, but he’s going to have to win her over first. I kept reading to find out what the deal was with her backstory, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to someone who doesn’t already appreciate the genre. This book is exactly what it says on the tin.
The Luckiest Lady In London by Sherry Thomas (library)
I put this one on hold at the library after listening to the author interview on the SBTB Podcast few weeks ago. Felix has responded to his tragic backstory by becoming The Ideal Gentleman. Louisa is a charming young woman who wants to marry well so that she can support her unmarried sisters, and while she finds herself instantly attracted to Felix she knows that he is beyond even her ambitious goals. Unfortunately, Felix finds himself attracted to the scheming young lady. Both of them understand the masks one wears for protection from society, but it means that they have trouble trusting the faces that they show each other. I’m glad I read it.
In a Jam (Friendship, RI Book 1) by Kate Canterbary (KU)
I grabbed this one because it was mentioned in the Rec League for Kinky Cinnamon Rolls. (The kink level is more that the hero is pretty assertive and wants things rough enough to leave a few marks, but like love bites. We aren’t talking sex clubs or whips here. Bonus points for a solid dirty talk game.) The plot follows Shay and Noah, who have both ended up back in the small town of Friendship, RI even though they both swore in high school that their biggest goal in life was to escape. Noah is back to handle the family farm and raise his niece. Shay has just inherited her step-grandmother’s farm, that happens to adjoin Noah’s land, but in order to keep the land the will stipulates that she has to be married and living there. Since her ex decided to break up with her on their wedding day a few weeks ago, she decides to move to the farm to reevaluate her life. Noah offers to marry her so she can inherit the farm, which is a perfectly reasonable thing to do in this situation and has absolutely nothing at all to do with the fact that he’s been in love with her since forever. I liked this one quite a bit. And additional bonus points for solid supportive friend group.
In a Rush (Friendship, RI Book 2) by Kate Canterbary (KU)
I liked In a Jam enough to immediately pick up the next book in the series. This time it’s a pro football player who has been pining for his high school best friend since they first met (but she doesn’t date athletes, so he never said anything). She’s a friend of the heroine in the previous book and also a teacher. He needs a girlfriend for image reasons, and she needs a date to her best friend’s wedding, where her cheating ex will be the best man to her maid of honor. So clearly a fake relationship is a perfectly reasonable thing to do in this situation. I liked this one as well, though maybe not quite as much as the first one.
A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions: A Cozy Regency Mystery (The Lord Julian Mysteries Book 12) by Grace Burrowes (library)
I always enjoy spending time with Lord Julian and his beloved Perry, though this one is more mystery than romance. It follows an attempt to locate Julian’s neighbor’s missing guest, who has vanished without a proper goodbye and leaving behind nearly all of this things. Is the missing gentleman a victim of his political rivals, his creditors, or an unfortunate accident?
Miss Beresford and the Beast (Daughters of Summerset Book 1) by Mimi Mathews
A Beauty and the Beast inspired historical romance with a “just kisses” level of heat. Miss Charlotte Beresford is done with finishing school and has traveled to the remote wilds of Yorkshire to visit a friend’s home before her Season begins. This is her chance to experience a little freedom from her doting family and just be herself for a bit. But, her bold and curious nature is intrigued by the rumors of a curse on the local village and dilapidated neighboring estate. Magnus Sterling, the new Earl of Eversleigh, just wants to find the fortune his dad hid somewhere on the estate and leave, but first he must deal with the amnesiac trespasser who took a tumble from the estate wall. It’s sweet.
@PamG: Happy Birthday!
I loved the first two novels by Laura Piper Lee, but was disappointed by her third, POT SHOT. Her new book, DOOMSDATE, was a winner for me. It had all of the beautifully constructed prose I’ve admired and enjoyed in Lee’s earlier books, a lot of humor (some of it sly political commentary), and an intensely cinematic plot– appropriate for a book whose MMC is a film studies professor. I wondered if I would enjoy a romance built on forced proximity and road-trip tropes fused with a zombie apocalypse that destroys most of the U.S. population; however, I liked it so much I joined the Bad Decisions Book Club and stayed up way too late (on a school night!) to finish. The last few chapters had me in suspense, knowing that an HEA was forthcoming, but wondering how-in-the-zombie-filled-world the FMC and MMC would get back together after a clever and plot-specific third act breakup of sorts. This novel has heartbreak (both MCs have significant pre-apocalypse emotional stressors, and when your best friend is bitten by a zombie there’s new grief to deal with), hot sex scenes, and lyrical descriptions of locations like Washington, D.C., New York City, and all the other landscapes the MCs get to appreciate while fleeing the zombies. I think this book is going to end up very near the top of my 2026 best reads list.
Also, I read a couple of forgettable novellas and re-read GET OVER IT, APRIL EVANS, the second book in Ashley Herring Blake’s “Clover Lake” series, in anticipation of starting the third book when it’s published next week. And I watched the just-released movie version of “The Love Hypothesis” on Amazon Prime and then started re-reading the book. Greatly enjoyed Lili Reinhart’s performance as Olive and overall, I think the movie is a fine addition to contemporary rom-coms. Not the best-ever but also not the worst attempt to translate a popular romance to film.
For work, I’m reading a lot of non-fiction about helping college students develop AI literacy while lessening their likelihood of cheating via AI. It’s not quite as scary as a zombie apocalypse… except when it is.
@book_reader for AO3 I don’t have specific recs for that fandom but I tend to do what @Jill Q describes. I filter for longer pieces (provided they are completed). However, I am all about the tags – for instance I love being able to exclude alpha/omega, and I have learned that “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” is not fucking around. When I like an author I will bookmark them and read all their stuff even if they are ships I don’t know. Sometimes certain combinations of tags that sum up what I am looking for in a pairing can work better for me than the actual pair tags, particularly in one that’s super popular, because if I am craving a certain kind of pining slow burn say, and there are a ton of fics where they’re already in love and exploring tentacle fantasies – or vice versa – I can zero in more effectively on what I am in the mood for.
Also, youcouldmakealife has imo far and away the best hockey romances on AO3, nothing to do with Shane and Ilya, they’re all original characters. Some of the stories have been made into books, such as indeed YOU COULD MAKE A LIFE, and are published under the name Taylor Fitzpatrick so probably start there. Plenty of great hockey snark and pining and autistic coded characters and idiots in love.
Other than listening to the most recent Murderbot (which was a “break glass” kind of situation) I have been deeply dissatisfied by everything I have picked up. Is it me? Some, but not all. I have a bunch of interesting stuff out from the library (I love the ebook library service, Libby, have I said that? My eyes are just too crappy to read print books most of the time) so I am going to give each of those a sincere try today. And I will eagerly devour your recommendations. They are much needed.
Hope all are well! Happy Birthday @PamG! Enjoy the fall where you have it, peeps!
Over the past two weeks ~
— For my book group, I read Playground by Richard Powers. This focused on four people and how their lives intertwined. The ocean and the growth of artificial intelligence also played a big role.
– read Rescue Me by K.M.Neuhold. This contemporary romance features a firefighter, off duty when the book begins, and a tattoo artist who meet at a gay bar. Shortly after they begin conversing, a mass shooting event takes place resulting in a number of deaths and serious injuries. The first of the leads carries out the second who has three gunshot wounds. He accompanies him to the hospital and ultimately offers his guest room while he convalesces.
— quite enjoyed Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper. The story begins when the female lead emails the male lead, the creator of a children’s music CD that her young daughter loves, to ask if he will perform in a program at her local library. Through a good part of the book, the female lead is grieving the death of her husband; the male lead is carrying a lot of baggage from his days in an ultra successful metal band. I plan to read more by the author.
— enjoyed a new contemporary romance Checking Out the Librarian by Anna Richland which features … surprise! … a librarian and also an elementary school teacher who meet after connecting on an app. This author wrote a favorite novella that I reread recently, His Road Home. That is still my favorite of her works, but I will likely reread this, too.
— enjoyed rereading Astounding! by Kim Fielding. This contemporary romance features the owner/editor of a pulp science fiction magazine which is close to death and the individual who persistently sends him awful stories asking that they be published. After the former drunkenly sends an incredibly rude rejection letter, he goes to the latter’s home to apologize. The latter claims to be an extraterrestrial. This story involves a road trip with friends of the editor.
— enjoyed Two for Charging by S.B. Barnes which is a contemporary romance featuring two hockey players with very different personalities. One is extremely outgoing (though he misses a lot of social cues); the other, who is quickly drawn to the former, is reserved. Feelings develop.
I’ve been slowly making my way through “The Kennedy Rule” by KC Carmichael – basically it’s my alternate read when I’ve run down the battery on my phone reading HR fanfic on ao3. 😀 It’s very easy to get into – one of the MMCs has a terrible father and I hope the author suitably disposes of him as he deserves. I’m enjoying it and am looking forward to reading the next book, “The Call-Up”.
THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE by Kirsty Greenwood: In the end, I liked this book a great deal, but the experience helped me understand what bothered me about DEATH MEETS CUTE by J. Penner. Both FMCs were convinced only one course of action was available to them (find the soulmate, be evil). Any evidence to the contrary was immediately ignored or dismissed. What happened to listening to that inner voice that’s telling you something doesn’t quite add up?
If a man behaved as obsessively as Delphie in AFTERLIFE, there would be words and restraining orders.
I loved the rest of the book, but almost quit in the beginning. Delphie dies by asphyxiation, not a spoiler. But if you have ever seriously choked on something — and I have — I guarantee you’re only thinking about how much trouble you are in and will that next breath ever come; not worrying about what you’re wearing or who will take care of your elderly neighbor. Fortunately my BIL calmly stood up from the Thanksgiving table and used the Heimlich maneuver. I understand, fiction and humor, still terrifying in reality.
Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein, by Lita Judge
“A young adult biography of Frankenstein’s profound young author, Mary Shelley, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of its publication, told through free verse and 300+ full-bleed illustrations.
Mary Shelley first began penning Frankenstein as part of a dare to write a ghost story, but the seeds of that story were planted long before that night. Mary, just nineteen years old at the time, had been living on her own for three years and had already lost a baby days after birth. She was deeply in love with famed poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, a mad man who both enthralled and terrified her, and her relationship with him was rife with scandal and ridicule. But rather than let it crush her, Mary fueled her grief, pain, and passion into a book that the world has still not forgotten 200 years later.
Dark, intense, and beautiful, this free-verse novel with over 300 pages of gorgeous black-and-white watercolor illustrations is a unique and unforgettable depiction of one of the greatest authors of all time.”
Absolutely the best read of 2026 for me so far. Stunning. The author spent 5 years putting it together, it’s a labor of love.
Recently finished BRIGANDS AND BREADKNIVES by Travis Baldree, which I actually bought as a Christmas present for my son but read it myself first. (You know how it is with parents and Halloween candy? It’s like that with books too.) I’ve become a big Baldree fan; his books are very much comfort reading for me, even if I haven’t read them before. This one involves Fern, the bookseller from BOOKSHOPS AND BONEDUST, having a midlife crisis, getting drunk, and passing out in the wagon of a legendary elven bounty hunter who is escorting a chaotic goblin to justice. It’s a wonderful blend of derring-do and self discovery, which I really resonated with in my current situation.
Currently reading PARTNERS IN CRIME by Alisha Rai which was recommended several times by the Bitchery, and enjoying it hugely. I think what I love most about it, besides the very specific and unusual competencies, is the very very specific details Rai gets into at each step of the ever-changing plan. She clearly did a ton of research and it shows up in small but significant ways.
I loved the second book in Rachel Gillig’s Stonewater Kingdom Gothic f/m romantic fantasy duology, THE KNAVE AND THE MOON, which has cemented her as one of my favourite authors. Any description of this would spoil the first volume so really all I can say is that I loved this, world, plot, and characters, especially I am one of the many fans ofthe gargoyle Bartholemew. Delightful!
I had a great time living in the world of T. Kingfisher’s new m/m romantic fantasy DAGGERBOUND an am glad so many others here have, too! I love this world and the creatures and cultures and weird religions (and clearly need to fill in reading the rest of the books in this world). This is an adventure fantasy with a charmingly vain former mercenary bound into a sword. The magic forces him to protect the sword’s current wielder, who in this case is a scholar monk who is on his final mission for his order delivering books and a sword that his been in the order’s archives for many many years. So much fun and with depths, too.
I was having the best time reading Alexandra Bracken’s new m/f regency romantic fantasy (her first adult novel–I believe all her previous ones are YA) IMMORTAL ROSE until discovering at the last moment that it is the first in a duology (it’s not of course noted anywhere I could see in the ebook or Goodreads) and the second doesn’t even have a release date yet. This volume does resolve several issues of the plot so there’s that, but the cliffhanger felt tacked on, which shocked me after such a delightful, assured novel. It’s the story of the daughter of a disgraced daughter of a magical perfumer in a highly stratified society. Yeah, Regency. She has inherited her grandfather’s magic and when the king is poisoned a count forces her to create the magical perfume that might cure him. The situation, magic, and characters are all wonderfully laid out and I liked the romance (despite the MMC initially placing the FMC in a prison situation where she’s in horrible peril and using that to force her assistance–that part was tough). I suspect, though, that once I have the second volume in my hands I will be very pleased with this one. The FMC is strong and interesting and the MMC and secondary characters gradually become more and more interesting.
Elliot Fletcher’s contemporary sunshine/grumpy f/m romance, ONE FOR THE ROAD, is my favourite of her Macabe Brothers series set in a small town on the Isle of Skye (where I have travelled and which I love). In this a woman who married and had a child young is set adrift emotionally and financially when her husband decides he’s in love with former girlfriend and pushes her and her daughter out of their house. She winds up living on one side of a flimsily divided cottage duplex while a gruff doctor lives in the other. He’s had a work-obsessed life which crashed and burned then he inherited his demanding father’s medical practice. He intends to sell up and get out of there, but his grumpiness has ruined the practice’s reputation. They decide to fake date and quickly he’s obsessed and slowly she’s charmed. It’s pretty enjoyable.
Weirdly I skipped a large section of Natalie Messier’s contemporary relive-your-life f/m romance, EVERY VERSION OF YOU. I just couldn’t handle the early college relationship stuff and thought I’d DNF, but decide to jump ahead to see if I liked it more later and ended up reading on from my first jump. I’d say I read about 2/3rds of it, and honestly I really liked it from the point I jumped to onwards. I did look back to see if I wanted to read the sections I missed, but nope was happy with what I’d read and the way I did it. I don’t think I’ve ever done with this a book before.
Enjoyed Maria M. (Maria Maravilla’s) f/m hockey romance HIGH STICKING THE HEART. What made this stronger than the usual was the Latina FMC cultural rep and the charming golden retriever MMC. She’s a competence-porn-level athletic trainer and he’s the star player he is also the biological son of the team’s owner. Another that starts with fake dating for professional reasons.
I read an Austen sequel or fan-fiction novel from 1914, Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil Brinton. It wasn’t perfect, but an interesting read.
Well, since last time, I finished playing My Time At Sandrock, which opened up my reading time a bit, because I wasn’t as focused on gaming. I read Emily Wilde’s History of Dark Faerie by Heather Fawcett, which is the latest Emily Wilde book and comes out early 2027. Emily remains Emily, Wendell remains amusing, and the footnotes remain fascinating. Which brings us to nowish, in which I’m over 3/4 of the way through Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Everyone in my orbit was like “read it already!” and I was like “I’ll get to it when I get to it” and I got to it. I would die for Princess Donut, which I surmise is a common reaction to this book. So until next time, always check the loot boxes.
I am currently savoring the latest from Jackie Lau, a contemporary grumpy sunshine with a somewhat wacky revenge subplot, telegraphed clearly in the title, “Revenge of the Sunshine.” Absolutely joyful!
I just finished the first two T. Kingfisher Paladin books which had been languishing on my library list waiting for a time when the books were available and I had time to read them which turned out to be now. A great mix of character-driven romance, fantasy that’s deeply grounded in an imperfect world, and compelling mystery.
Like several others, I’m enchanted by T Kingfisher’s Daggerbound and thrilled to hear book three is on the way. Love that it has the same general theme as Swordheart but reads quite differently,
Finished a holiday book buy.Mary Beard’s Women and Power. Two linked pieces on how an aspect of classical patriarchal culture – mastering public speech while denying it to women – operates today in attempts to shut women up and out of public life. It’s stronger on describing the problem than suggesting solutions but well and interestingly written.
Hi @book_reader_ea01sj71r4! Welcome to the HR fanfic world where I’ve been living for over eight months. I lost my 17yo dog, Toby, this year so I’ve basically just been reading about Shane and Ilya (when I lost a dog in 2010, I spent a year reading Torchwood fanfic only, so apparently this is what I do for grief…).
Anyway I wanted to ditto the great previous advice as far as AO3 searching (I also do the pairing, then kudos sorting along with the tags if I’m in the mood for something specific). The HR fanfic subreddit is amazing with recs, and they keep them coming so the well never runs dry. One thing extra is definitely get an AO3 account if you don’t have one already; usually you can get out of the invite queue in a few weeks (I believe—I’ve had an account since 2014 so am not sure). But it’s worth it as there are fics that only registered users can access, and you can subscribe to users and fics rather than having a bajillion bookmarks to save.
For everyone else: my only non-fanfic reading is nonfiction audiobooks, and I just started END TIMES FASCISM by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor which is amazing. And I recently finished and really enjoyed THE MIDLIFE PLOT TWIST: How to Reboot Your Life Without Burning it Down (Even If You Really, Really Want To) by Lindsay Goldwert and Gabrielle Moss.
I just finished the Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews on audio which was ok but not a highlight of the Kate Daniels world books for me. Its a novella so it was a quick listen but I had a hard time keeping track of the different magical creatures especially into audio format because I couldn’t flip back and forth between pages.
I’m currently reading The Devil Knows Her Name which I’m pretty sure I heard about on SBTB (I can’t remember it if it was a review or a books on sale post). I’m not sure how I feel about it right now, horror really isn’t my usual genre so that is probably effecting how I feel. I really liked the start but right now I’m having a hard time with some of the MC’s choices. I do like the setting and the the MC is essentially a wildlife rehabilitator which was actually my first job! Usually I would notice and dislike inaccuracy related to the job but because the MC is a witch with magical powers I can happily attribute all the things I would disagree with to magic and just wish that I could do the same. (Being able to do a spell and prevent baby animals from getting imprinted or habituated to humans when feeding them would be SO helpful and I really wish it was possible in this world!)
I’ve also got the most recent Murderbot Diaries checked out from the library and I’m looking forward to blocking off a cozy evening to spend reading it!
All the good reviews for Season’s Change by Cait Nary has reminded me that my library has it available on Hoopla so I’m also bumping higher up my tbr plan!
Still mostly in re-read mode as far as fiction goes.
Romance I read:
–CELIA LAKE’s latest, BRAVE TRUTH (Claudio’s m/m romance, post WWII) and enjoyed it, as well as the collection of extras that go with it, New Landscapes. Lake has created such a spacious world, exploring different corners of it and focusing on a range of people. It’s impressive.
–Lake’s ILLUSION OF A BOAR, ECLIPSE, and FOOL’S GOLD (all re-reads).
–Lake just released a large collection of extras, LIGHTNING AND SILENCE, to accompany the Mysterious Fields trilogy (first book ENCHANTED NET) published (I think) last year. I’m the kind of person who loved DVD extras, so it was my jam.
–KATHRYN MOON’s TEMPTING MONSTERS series (first book A LADY OF ROOKSGRAVE MANOR).
–A couple of CASSANDRA GANNON books: MY UNTRUE LOVE, BEAST IN SHINING ARMOR, and HAPPILY EVER WITCH (re-reads).
–Have started Gannon’s from 2025, THE ALIEN WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS, which is just what I need at the moment.
Non-fiction:
–LUCY WORSLEY’s JANE AUSTEN AT HOME, a biography that focuses on the spaces where JA lived and the minutiae of daily living. I’ve read several bios of JA and learned things I didn’t know from this one. Worsley is a lively writer and fun to read.
–Current non-fiction read is SAINTS OF FEATHER AND FANG: HOW THE ANIMALS WE LOVE AND FEAR CONNECT US TO GOD by CARYN RIVADENEIRA. Essays on various virtues one can think about through observing and caring for animals. I am enjoying these, but they are written from a definite and particular Christian point of view, so just be aware if that is a turn-off for you.
I just devoured Freya Marske’s newest book, Bodies of Magic and I’m definitely going to be buying and rereading!
Take a fantasy med school, add 5 compelling almost-graduates, and have them deal with a classmate’s murder while trying to pass an intensive multi-day practical exam. All characters have problems and secrets that interact with the main plot in interesting ways. The author’s a doctor and has thought so hard about what medicine is, how things actually work, and what would change in a world with magical healing.
This is set in a queernorm world and the book contains multiple queer romances. I was a little thrown off at first that the voice alternates between the 5 narrators, but after the first few chapters I was so hooked it didn’t matter.
Christmas in Austenland, Ghost Me, Maybe (ARC I won), Some Kind of Haunted have been my latest reads.
It’s been a strange reading time for me. Still doing a lot of the grovel books, convinced many are heavily AI but am finding a few that I am pretty sure are not. Nothing worth writing about. But I spent a week at a lake with one of my longest friends and her husband who I have know since before he was born. I napped a lot and my friend introduced me to ASTRID, a detective show set in France, which I loved. The title character has autism and is well portrayed and the mysteries are great also. So I needed books I could just pick up and put down with no commitment.
I did read Julie Saman’s latest, FOREVER OFFSIDES. Our MFC is the daughter of the couple from Irresistibly Risky, where she was the team orthopedic doc and MMC was a player in many senses of the word, forbidden on some levels. And, yes, our new MFC is also an orthopedic doc for the team and our MMC is the coach, though they have ONS without knowing this. He is also older and the father of her ex. I have been a fan of Ms Saman for a long time. I have liked most of her stories and I love that she gets the medical aspects right. That said, there was a certain amount of deja vu as far as plot. We also had to meet the extremely large extended family, which might be overwhelming for a new reader. Happily less filler sex than some of her recent books. And no shame if you like filler sex, I just like more plot. I gave it 4 stars.
I also read Karla Sorensens’ latest, UNTIL I REMEMBER. I have also loved her forever though a little less the last few books. However, this one was amazing. SQUEE!! MFC wakes up in hospital with no memory of the past year and a husband that she remembers as her worst enemy/brother’s best friend. He is loving and affectionate and she is all, get him out of here. But she goes home with him because she has nowhere else to go. And she tries to figure out how they ended up married while he tries to get back to their apparently loving relationship. I gave it 5 stars.
I just today scored an ARC of Maya Alden’s THE LONELY ROAD, lawyer up against corporations meets man sent to spy on her. This is where I will be spending my evening if the call gods are good to me.
@C, @Big K
Thanks, y’all.
@DiscoDollyDeb
I’m 75% through Nary’s Lucky Bounce, and it’s tonally very different from the previous two books, but I’m not hating it. It’s extremely hyper & way fluffier. It makes me laugh, but I think it could be trimmed down without losing much. I had some excellent reads last month so I’m not complaining.
@Kareni
I love Louder Than Love so hard and have read it multiple times. It’s not flawless, but that’s part of its charm, and it’s my favorite by Topper. The full length sequel (Softer Than Steel) is pretty good and focuses on Riff Rotten post-reunion. I have not yet read the last book in the series, but the other two are novellas and didn’t work as well for me. I also loved Dictatorship of the Dress, and did a guest review of it here back in the olden days. Most recently, Topper has written several of the Matzo-Ballers Hanukkah Romance series. I may be prejudiced, but I like hers best of the lot.
I have been watching some home organization/decluttering videos, and I finally decided it was time to deal with my unread TBR shelves, which were no longer bringing me joy. I’ve cut the books down by about a third, in process trying some and quickly adding them to the library donation pile. One that stuck was Linda Lear’s BEATRIX POTTER, A LIFE IN NATURE. I didn’t know much about her beyond the children’s books, and reading about her scientific explorations and her attempts (as a dutiful Victorian daughter) to forge an independent life is fascinating. I think I’d vote her a Kick-Ass Woman!
I am working my way through a couple of short-story anthologies, starting with NEW ADVENTURES IN SPACE OPERA, edited by Jonathan Strahan. I picked it up originally because it includes stories by T. Kingfisher, Becky Chambers, and Aliette de Bodard. I was inspired to read one of Yoon Ha Lee’s books after reading his contribution, but it was too gory and grisly for me (though I loved the short story). The other collection is LADIES IN WAITING, JANE AUSTEN’S UNSUNG CHARACTERS (no editor listed). Some stories are stronger than others. I don’t think Miss Bates should have been paired with Mr. Wodehouse, even if Emma and her sister played matchmaker. On the Jane Austen front, I also read and enjoyed JANE AUSTEN IN 41 OBJECTS, by Kathryn Sutherland (I still have Jane Austen’s Bookshelves on the TBR shelves).
This was the year I re-discovered Sharon Shinn. I loved the Twelve Houses series, and I am reading the first in the Elemental Blessings series, TROUBLED WATERS. I intensely disliked a short story I read set in her Archangels world, so I won’t be reading those.
This will also be the year of Rebecca Thorne. I had impulse-bought CAN’T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA, but I ended up reading MOSS’D IN SPACE first, because I was in the mood for space stories. I then impulse-bought the other books in the Tea series.
Like everyone else, I loved DAGGERBOUND, and I was so excited to see that SHIELDBOURNE is coming out next year. I am curious whether we’ll ever learn the Dervish’s name, maybe he has told Edmund but isn’t sharing it with the world.
@PamG ~ thank you for the Jessica Topper recommendations!
It’s been a good month for books for me! In the last couple of weeks I finished MAGGIE AND ARTHUR’S MAGIC MOMENT and SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY, two very different romances that loved. M&A is a cozy magic romance and TUESDAY is a wish-fulfillment political campaign romance. Loved both! Can’t wait for the sequel to M&A. I’m just realizing one thing they had in common was both MMCs and FMCs were highly competent and excelled at their jobs, and the FMCs were so good they intimated the MMCs/that was what attracted them to the FMCs. Always enjoy that especially as I enter my crone era. Am now reading RETRO which is interesting, creative, and well written, but not quite suiting my mood, too stressful, however, my library loan expired so I have to finish it before I can get anything else on my kindle.
Also read most of Serena Bell’s Hott brothers series, a very frothy light set of romances, cute small town type, for some reason my libraries don’t have the last one? Not even on deep search? Maybe it’s a self-pub. Rather inane but I was in the mood for very light escapism and they deliver.
I also just finished a complete re-read of my all time favorite, Psy-Changeling, and am about to dive into Trinity so I can complete the reread before the next one comes out NOT SOON ENOUGH.
I also read Tarah DeWitt’s Spunes series and those were quite good. A little more real-life and angsty than the Hott series, with more realistic characters.
Back in Aug I read the last Dark Olympus book, Shattered Gods, which was unfortunately not good and not the wrap up the series deserved, it did not live up to the first few books in the series. I also read and LOVED Obstetrix, by Naomi Kritzer, not a romance but excellent speculative fiction about an OB/GYN abortion provider kidnapped by a cult. Highly recommend.
@LisaM, Elemental Blessings is so good! Love Shinn, she’s an underrated author for sure.
I feel like one of the last historical romance holdouts, and that’s mostly what I read this month. The exception was a contemporary British police procedural, BRICKS AND MORTALITY by Ann Granger, 3rd in a series.
THE FINEST PRINT by Erin Langston is set in the Victorian era. The hero owns a deeply in debt print shop and the heroine is an unpublished author. They decide to form a partnership to publish a scandalous “penny dreadful” serial which she writes, and it becomes a sensation. Langston is a new to me author, and I liked this book a lot.
MRS. MERRITT’S REMORSE by Christina Dudley, a Jane Austen simulation Regency. Good writing but the characters are so buttoned up most of the time, you have to be in the mood for that sort of thing.
AN INFAMOUS MARRIAGE by Susanna Fraser which I read after it came up in HABO comments. I thought I had read this years ago but it was not familiar at all, so maybe it wasn’t a reread? I may have confused it with another Fraser book, A MARRIAGE OF INCONVENIENCE. Anyway, she’s a very good writer, and I wish she had written more. Her military romances are also very good.
I have been reading a trilogy by Kate Bateman, whose books are always funny, with lots of action and adventure. This series has 3 heroines who are close friends and start a private investigative agency together. The books are SECOND DUKE’S THE CHARM, HOW TO FALL FOR A SCOUNDREL, and ROAD TRIP WITH A ROGUE, which I am in the middle of. They’re good enough for me to read back to back without getting tired of them. And if some of the events and attitudes strain credulity, I don’t care because they’re so much fun.
Not many finished books, but I read HUNTED, by Abir Mukherjee, which got a lot of buzz as a thriller. It involves a cultish group recruiting young Americans to be terrorists, focusing on the parents of two young Americans involved in the cult. It’s one of those twisty thrillers with lots of layers. I liked the beginning but thought it veered off into crazypants toward the end.
I also (finally) read AUTOMATIC NOODLE which was a quick fun read and was a rec on here a while back.
THE BORROWER by Rebecca Makkai was a bittersweet but satisfying book about a librarian who is floating passively through life. She encounters an 11 yr old boy with neurodivergence who is a great reader; however, his parents are strict fundamentalists and request that the librarian only recommend books with “the breath of God” in them (whatever that may be!). One day he runs away and sleeps at the library. The librarian starts to drive him home, when the boy refuses to give her directions, taking her instead on a very random road trip. It’s a funny book but also a little sad b/c their road trip can’t go on forever.
Just started the second Emily Wilde book and it’s a treat!