The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is $1.99! This is book two in Big Shots sports romance series. I remember Elyse mentioning it in Hide Your Wallet and enjoying the series as a whole. A lot of Bailey’s books have been on sale recently, probably because she’s on tour.
RECOMMENDED: A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers is $1.99! Lara gave this an A in a Lightning Review:
If you want an immersive reading experience that will absolutely result in a Bad Decisions Book Club event, then this book is for you. Please excuse me while I go read it again.
RECOMMENDED: How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long is $1.99! This made our Best of Reviews 2023 list at number five. There are also many of Long’s books ons ale, including book one, Perils of Pleasure, in her Pennyroyal Green series. Lara gave this a Squee grade:
This book made me swoon IRL. Reading it was a fever dream and not just because of the sex scenes. I was so immersed in it that the real world and its troubles didn’t even occur to me for the duration of the book. (I am anxious by nature, so this is a feat.)
Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver is $1.99! This is book one in a new series. It came out last year and I mentioned it on Hide Your Wallet. I do love Weaver’s blend of dark humor and romance, but often find the pacing to be a bit lopsided in her romances. What do you think?
A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander is $1.99! This was featured on Cover Awe. I also recommended this one a couple times during the latest round of quarterly recommendations for After Dark members.
The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers is $2.99! This released in November and was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet.
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is $1.49! This is book one in The Ruinous Love series. I read this one and these are my thoughts from my Goodreads review:
This one started off really promising. Unfortunately, the pacing started to falter about about a third of the way into it. The last quarter was suspenseful and I appreciated the twist, but yeah…the middle of the book felt mostly like filler. I also didn’t feel a ton of romantic progression between the leads.
One thing that really confounded me was that Sloane is described as being in her early twenties. She’s an accomplished serial killer and quotes Zoolander (which came out in 2001). Look, I love Zoolander as much as the next person, but it’s not exactly the Criterion Collection. It really took me out and had me wondering when exactly did this story take place.
Overall, I enjoyed the tone and dark humor. It’s a unique romance, but needed some refinement.
RECOMMENDED: The Roommate by Rosie Danan is $2.99! I liked this one and gave it a B+. Ellen also read the follow-up and gave that on a similar grade.
RECOMMENDED: Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai is $1.99! Lara read this one and gave it an A- in a Lightning Review:
Because of my absolute abhorrence of a Big Misunderstanding plot, I nearly didn’t come back to this book, so if that turns you off, too, don’t make my mistake. You’ll be rewarded with a fun, emotionally nuanced, and surprising heist adventure – a very memorable one!
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young is $2.99! This is Young’s adult debut and is a fantastical and dark, small town mystery with a hint of romance. Have any of you read this one?
RECOMMENDED: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale is $1.99! This is one of those romances that is frequently talked about and in a previous Whatcha Reading, several of the Smart Bitches talked about the level of feels this book gives them. Have you read it? And, if so, do you have fond memories of it?
