Ignore your first impressions of the cover — yes, I’m already frantically googling that dress for the inevitable closing date of my Gothic mansion, but the cover doesn’t exactly scream romance novel. Rest assured, The Widow of Rose House is 100% a historical romance, complete with charming sequel-bait family members, protagonists smelling like sandalwood (it’s the heroine this time!), sex scenes with protection (more of this in historicals, please), and a central love story that … Continue reading The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller →
Here’s what was going through my head when I finished this book: wow woah wow woah wow woah wow woah wow!! In a good way. I’ve been majorly excited about this book since June when I saw the beautiful cover and read these words in the synopsis: “an impossible love between two girls—one human, one Made—whose romance could be the beginning of a revolution.” This book features SO many things that are right in my … Continue reading Crier’s War by Nina Varela →
Hollow Kingdom is NOT a romance novel, I repeat NOT a romance novel. However, I believe some of our readers will, like me, see the crow and dog on the front cover and the octopus on the back and say “GIVE IT TO MEEE.” This review is for you. Much profanity ahead. TW for gore, profanity, violence between animals, and gratuitous Cheeto® consumption. This is not Bambi. Actually, Bambi was terrifying, so…maybe it is Bambi, if Bambi … Continue reading Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton →
A Lily Among Thorns is a standalone Regency romance from Rose Lerner following Solomon Hathaway, a chemist and fabric dyer, and Lady Serena Ravenshaw, a former sex worker who’s now a hotel owner and terror to all who cross her. Many years ago, he gave her the money she needed to start a new life, and now he’s come to seek her help in finding stolen family heirlooms. Unfortunately, he’s arrived during one of the worst … Continue reading A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner →
I learned so much from Juliet Takes a Breath. I gained a new sense of humility as well as the joy of knowing that many readers who rarely see themselves represented will find themselves in this book. I also laughed my face off. The book is not a romance although there is romance and sex in it. It’s 2003. Nineteen-year old Juliet lives in the Bronx with her Puerto Rican family, with whom she is … Continue reading Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera →
Frankly In Love has a lot of romance in it, but it’s a coming of age story, not a romance, and the ending is bittersweet. There’s some really painful stuff in here and some wonderful stuff, too. It’s a lovely YA that should also appeal to adults because of the strength of the writing and the power of the book’s themes. The book is narrated by Frank Li, a Korean-American high school senior. The narration is … Continue reading Frankly in Love by David Yoon →
Sherry Thomas is the rare writer that I’ll follow to any genre. I inhaled her gorgeous European historicals as a teen and reread them at least thrice a year (The Luckiest Lady in London remains in my list of Top 10 Favorite Romances of All Time). When she wrote YA fantasy in the Elemental Trilogy, I mourned the loss of her historicals but nonetheless gobbled up those new books as well. When she moved on … Continue reading The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas →
This book was like a warm hug. The characters were people I would love to know in real life, the relationships (romantic and otherwise) were tender, and gentle emotional healing was a major theme. In other words, my crops are watered, my skin is clear, my checkbook is balanced, etc., etc., etc. Let us start with our protagonists, Verity and Ash, who felt very real and immediate. Verity is clever, ambitious, and practical, and these … Continue reading A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian →
A respectable widow of means seeks resourceful frontiersman for the purpose of matrimony. The lady seeks passage west to land owned in Mokelumne Hill, California. The advertiser presumes her manner and appearance will recommend her and expects applications from responsible parties only. Interviews are scheduled for the 6th of next month, beginning at nine o’clock in the morning, in the front parlor of the Grand Hotel. Please be prompt. What a premise! Yes, please! Welcome … Continue reading Bound for Sin by Tess LeSue →
The Blacksmith Queen is my very own Dragon Age video game fantasy come to life. There are powerful women, plus quippy banter between friends and family, and a talking dragon. It’s fantastical, fun, and I’ll immediately be buying a physical copy to add to my own library. The Old King has died, sending the kingdom into turmoil as his sons murder one another for the throne. However, the Witches of Amhuinn have prophesied that the … Continue reading The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken →
The Wallflower Wager delivered many things I love with humor, pathos, and sexy times. It involves a woman who loves everything and everyone and a Very Bad Man who is helpless against her powers. It also involves animal rescue. While there are some structural flaws and the pace of the character revelations bothered me, I ate it up. Lady Penelope (Penny) Campion rescues animals that no one else loves. She is, at the start of the … Continue reading The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare →
