Out of the Ice by Ann Turner is a deliciously creepy mystery set in Antarctica, and while I loved the first 80% of the book, I found the ending to be a little compressed and unbelievable. That said, it was enjoyable and chilling enough that it made for a Bad Decisions Book Club moment and I stayed up finishing it until 1:45 a.m. Laura Alvarado is an environmental scientist stationed in Antarctica. She’s selected to … Continue reading Out of the Ice by Ann Turner→
Falling for Trouble is a small town romance between a rock star and a librarian. I found it to be light as a feather, which was great because I was too stressed at the time to handle any high angst levels, even with the promise of an HEA. If you need a comfort read that is funny, big on female friendship, and mostly angst-free without being dumbed down, this book should do the trick. Joanna … Continue reading Falling for Trouble by Sarah Title→
UPDATE: An updated version of Hello Stranger has been released digitally to all retailers, and updated copies should have appeared in digital libraries. The scene in question described below has been removed entirely from the book. … I had been waiting so impatiently for Hello Stranger to come, mostly because the heroine is inspired by the first female British physician, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. And I was so mad that it let me down. Why did it let me … Continue reading Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas→
I don’t know if someone at Avon went “Hey, you know what would be smart? Releasing this book around the same time as Black Panther!” or if it was a grand coincidence, but it’s brilliant synchronicity. Naledi Smith is a graduate student in epidemiology in New York. She has a tiny apartment, several jobs, two mice she rescued from a failed experiment, and a history of being shuttled from foster home to foster home. She’s … Continue reading A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole→
NB: We have a guest squee from Castiron, who has a series that might be of interest to many of you. It’s epistolary-esque in nature and sounds all sorts of fun. When not data-wrangling or family-wrangling, Castiron divides her time between textile crafts, reading, and genealogy. She says of this series: The Comfortable Courtesan series is the memoir of Clorinda Cathcart, a (fictional) courtesan in Regency London who eventually moves up in the world. Originally … Continue reading Guest Squee: The Comfortable Courtesan series by L. A. Hall→
I really wanted to like My Once and Future Duke but despite a heroine I loved and a great depiction of female friendships, the hero ruined it for me. Sophie Campbell was orphaned at a young age and her aristocratic grandfather wanted nothing to do with her, so he paid only for her education until she was of age and then he cut her off. Sophie has (successfully) been working her way toward financial security by … Continue reading My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden→
Waaaay back in the day, I used to work at an independent bookstore, and between customers I would sneak-read the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella. This was when chick lit was all the rage and half of the spines on the books I shelved were neon pink. I remember liking the Shopholic series, so I thought I’d see how I’d enjoy Kinsella’s work all these years later. Surprise Me is sometimes funny, sometimes a little too … Continue reading Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella→
This book is more fiction than romance but I was tempted by the reconciliation storyline mentioned in the cover copy: After more than a decade, Mae and Gabe find themselves pulled back to Alexandria Bay. Hoping to find solace within the Summers’ Inn, Mae instead finds her grandparents in the midst of decline and their past unravelling around her. A lifetime of secrets stand in the way of this unconventional family’s happiness. Will they be … Continue reading Things to Do When It’s Raining by Marissa Stapley→
This guest squee/review comes from author Rhoda Baxter, who discovered the Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency adaptation on Netflix. It stars the adorable Elijah Wood! Rhoda writes contemporary romantic comedies with a hint of cynicism. She likes to write about smart women and nice guy heroes. She lives in East Yorkshire, England, where there are lots of excellent tea shops, which is just as well because Rhoda is fueled by tea and cake. Her latest … Continue reading Guest Review: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Season Two→
Before I get into this romance, I want to state that I don’t really follow much of the Olympics. I get my Olympic news from my roommate and from Twitter, which means I can’t really comment on the accuracy of how the events are portrayed in this book. However, I did feel like reading a romance between two veteran Olympians would help me contribute to the Olympic spirit currently permeating every one of my personal … Continue reading Shot on Gold by Jaci Burton→
I was all excited to read The Man in the Black Suit. It’s a jet-setting, glamorous romantic suspense set around the art world, and if you wrote all those things on a piece of paper and put it under a propped up box, you’d have yourself an effective Elyse trap. The first part of the book was good, really good, but the last third went completely off the rails and enraged the hell out of me. The … Continue reading The Man in the Black Suit by Sylvain Reynard→
