CW: Self-harm, suicidal ideation, abortion It’s difficult to review a book that is so, so good, but you don’t want to reveal too much for fear of ruining it for others. The Guest List is one of those books; it’s a thriller that is so superbly plotted that I’m afraid to say anything about it because I want other readers to enjoy every reveal as much as I did. I just want to shove it … Continue reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley →
The Write Escape is a delicious vacation romance with a heroine who runs away to Ireland as her life is falling apart. This had everything I need from a travel story: Evocatively described location? Check. Handsome local who charms you off your feet? Check. A heroine in need of a fresh start? Yep. Entertaining characters who subvert cultural stereotypes? Oh yeah. Flirting using literary references? Did not know I needed this, but YES Antonia is … Continue reading The Write Escape by Charish Reid →
It’s Wednesday already?! When did that happen? Hope you all are doing well as we settle into some links. An update on reviewer applications, we hope to have it all finished up next month. We’re so very excited to have some new voices and even more romance coverage. … Tor.com has released a big list of their summer releases! Yay for learning about new, upcoming books. However, my TBR pile isn’t as appreciative. … Looking … Continue reading Links: Dodgeball, Summer Releases, & More →
I love gothic mysteries and gothic romance. When I was a teen I found a whole shelf of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney in our basement and devoured them. When I’d finished them, my mom gave me historical romances to read. Gothics were my gateway drug. The Darkling Bride is a gothic mystery set in Ireland with the requisite crumbling castles, ghosts, and family secrets. It also features a side romance. I found the mystery … Continue reading The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen →
The Dark Affair is a dark historical that doesn’t involve ballrooms or ratafia, and features themes of addiction and madness. I’d say it’s what would happen if Bellatrix Lestrange started writing a historical romance and then Hermione finished it for her. Margaret Cassidy is a former noblewoman, now impoverished due to the Irish famine. Her parents are dead, her brother has fallen onto the wrong side of the law, and her world is collapsing. When … Continue reading The Dark Affair by Maire Claremont →