RECOMMENDED: The Stand-In by Lily Chu is $2.51! This is a debut contemporary romance. Elyse gave this one an A:
So we have a celebrity romance, women being friends and helping each other with their mental health, and reflections on identity and community. That’s a lot to pack into a book, but it all works and delivered by Philippa Soo’s incredibly soothing voice, it was totally my jam.
Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke is $3.99! This is book one in a series that started in Summer 2023. Book two in the series came out this summer. The heroine is a bookshop owner and this has some Pygmalion vibes.
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries is $1.99! This is an anthology of Miss Marple mysteries from a variety of wonderful authors. I remember Sarah was listening to his and really enjoying it.
In this week’s podcast episode, we’re looking at the book reviews for the May 1994 issue of RT Magazine. Thank you to Mari, the Romance Girl for this issue! You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind. And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and … Continue reading Romantic Times Rewind: May 1994 Reviews
RECOMMENDED: A Power Unbound by Freya Marske is $2.99! This is book 3 of The Last Binding series, a queer historical fantasy series that began with A Marvellous Light (which is in KU so if you haven’t read this trilogy, it’s easy to start). A Power Unbound was mentioned in Hide Your Wallet, and Freya Marske was a guest on the podcast to talk about the second book A Restless Truth. This trilogy is terrific, and A Power Unbound has a 4.39 star average on StoryGraph and 4.32 on Goodreads. Have you read this book?
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This fantasy novel was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet, and it is a bit of a dark read. Carrie, Elyse, and Aarya have all read this book, and had a lot of positive things to say – Elyse finished it and immediately had Rich download the audiobook so they could talk about it.
RECOMMENDED: Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin is $2.99! This was recently mentioned in the comments of our Podcasting Romances Rec League. Sneezy and Carrie read this one and gave it a B+:
Carrie: Although I’ve never been to Canada, I felt right at home in this book. Sneezy and I did a lot of squeeing over this story, just…not so much about the romance element, which was – eh, fine. Reader beware – this book will make you laugh and cry, but above all, it will make you so, so hungry!!
In Episode 606. Behind the Scenes of Classic Cover Art: Shirley Green and Sharon Spiak, I learned about the behind-the-scenes process of creating some of the romance covers I know very well. It was a fascinating conversation, and if you’re at all interested, there’s a transcript as well as a few pictures in the show notes. I also did a bonus episode video for the members of the podcast Patreon sharing images that Sharon and … Continue reading Vintage Cover Art Behind the Scenes with Sharon Spiak and Shirley Green
Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas is $2.99! This is book four in the Wallflowers Quartet. I can’t remember if this one or the first one was my least favorite out of the four, but that being said…they’re all very good.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is $1.99! Shana gave this one a C+:
Nora Goes Off Script made me laugh out loud, and offered a soothing fantasy about discovering your humdrum life is someone else’s perfection. It felt more like women’s fiction than romance, and I found myself wishing for more flavor in the love story, and in Nora’s meatloaf.
RECOMMENDED: Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas is $2.99! Carrie gave it a B+:
Devil in Spring was so delightful that I read it slowly because I had to take frequent squee breaks. I truly cannot sufficiently express how overjoyed this book made me. That said, I don’t think it will be everyone’s catnip, because the main character sometimes seems overly young and naïve, even given her character quirks.
