Red alert people, this is not a drill. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi is a book about: A woman in her 40s with a bad knee Who is also a pirate queen Who is also Muslim and plying the seas of the Indian Ocean Who lives during the Medieval Period Who is also a mother who struggles with parenting and pirating And who has built a found family without fully realizing it And who becomes … Continue reading The Adventures Of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty →
Alison Goodman’s new book, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is out this week, and you are definitely going to want to read this book – and listen to this episode! We talk about her book, of course, and about writing female-forward action scenes featuring “old maids.” We also talk about her recently completed doctorate, which was in historical fiction research methodology. So come for the Regency spinsters, and stay for the deep dive into … Continue reading 567. Historical Research and Ill Mannered Ladies with Alison Goodman →
RECOMMENDED: Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope is $3.99! Ellen gave this on a B and mentions trigger warnings to be aware of and that they had higher expectations for the romance.
I found Song of Blood and Stone to be exceptionally skillfully crafted in many ways and I think it deserves huge plaudits for how it uses fantasy to engage with injustice in the modern world.
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I think it’s safe to say that I am not the target demographic for Best Men, a romantic comedy between two Gay men in New York City. I say this not because I am a woman, nor because I live in the suburbs of Sacramento instead of in an apartment in Manhattan. No readers, I say this because I am OLD and the lives of these characters, all of whom are in their early thirties, … Continue reading Best Men by Sidney Karger →
This Rec League comes from Nicole. Thanks, Nicole! I’ve been eyeing shifter romances after not reading them for a while, and I’m not quite sure where to begin! I’ve read the Kate Daniels series and both series by Patricia Briggs, and am looking for some non-wolf shifter romances that SBTB enjoyed? Sarah: Dragon shifters? DRAGON SHIFTERS. If you want bloody, violent, burn it all down stories with dragon shifters, Dragon Actually by GA Aiken (aka … Continue reading The Rec League: Non-Wolf Shifters →
Welcome back, everyone! We’re chugging along through June. How are we all doing? It was my partner’s 30th birthday over the weekend and we attended a yummy tasting menu. One of the highlights was a duo of flaky biscuits with smoked maple and miso butter. The executive even gave us some to take home at the end of the night. It’s also a busy week! I’m doing some volunteer work, trivia with friends, and then … Continue reading Links: Wholesome Games, Yarn, & More →
RECOMMENDED: Well Played by Jen DeLuca is $2.99! Carrie gave this a B+ in a Lightning Review:
This is a gentle and obvious Cyrano de Bergerac story with very little conflict.
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What’s the last book you were reading where you thought midway through, ‘This book is FUN’? Maybe it made you laugh, maybe it was extremely clever, maybe you were in the perfect location or brain space to enjoy it? (I love when that happens.) Elyse: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Sarah: Really? That’s awesome! Elyse: It’s very much a “get the old gang together for one last heist” story and it’s funny and just generally fun … Continue reading Books That Are a Really Fun Time →
Romance author legend Julie Garwood has died at the age of 78. At the memorial online, readers are leaving hundreds of comments about how much her books meant to them, to their parents, relatives, friends. For romance readers, especially those around my age, Julie Garwood was a foundational author. I wrote about Garwood at NPR in 2015 during their “Summer of Love,” spearheaded by the late and also great Petra Mayer. Garwood’s books kept me … Continue reading Julie Garwood 1944-2023 →
Some Like It Scandalous by Maya Rodale is $3.99! This is the second book in Rodale’s historical romance series set in Gilded Age New York. Aarya gave this one a C-, but notes your mileage may vary depending on how you feel about certain tropes.
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This HaBO is from Gina, who wants to track down this romance: I am trying to remember the title or author of this one, and it may be part of a series. The heroine meets the hero at a friend’s wedding. She ends up poisoned by some flowers (by accident) and he saves her. She later marries a deadbeat guy who racks up debt with a loan shark. He then bails and sacks her with … Continue reading HaBO: Poisoned by Flowers at a Wedding →
