Love Lettering is a way to end the decade on a perfect note. Or perhaps it’s a way to start the new decade on a perfect note. Whichever option you choose, my enthusiastic recommendation remains the same. It’s not a book to race through and devour in a short span of time. My advice is to linger on each page and let the words engulf you. Love Lettering is about signs, art, words, and the … Continue reading Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Generally speaking, I do not cry while reading. Oh, I’ll want to cry. I’m the opposite of stoic, but I’ve become skilled at holding back tears for one reason and one reason only: glasses. Once I start weeping, my frames turn foggy and any attempt to wipe them with my shirt generally makes it worse. Then, I’ll have to make a decision: do I continue reading without glasses and squint at my tablet, or do … Continue reading Open House by Ruby Lang
I really adored so many things about Duchess by Design. I loved the heroine. I loved that she had a circle of female friends who support and protect her. I love the idea of subverting the patriarchy through fashion. I love the fact that this was set among the Four Hundred in Gilded Age New York City. Where I struggled was the hero. And let me be clear, my struggle was likely reflective of my current … Continue reading Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale
Normally I don’t buy into a lot of YA romance because I’m pretty cynical at the realism of finding HEA in high school. I mean, I know that a lot of people do marry their high school sweethearts; I just remember what I was like at that age. Growing out my bangs was enough to send me into existential crisis – no way did I have the emotional bandwidth to manage a serious relationship. But … Continue reading The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
When I saw that Lauren Willig was one of three authors of what was described as “a blend of romance, historical fiction and family saga,” I was like OMG PUT THAT IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW. The Forgotten Room checks the box for all three categories, but unfortunately I found a lot of the tropes within the book to be tired and I struggled to really engage with the heroes. As family saga/ historical fiction … Continue reading The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig
Once again I invite you to join me for Romance Wanderlust. This month we celebrate our nerd love by venturing to New York City and The Museum of Sex, a place filled with such explicit displays that my search engine kept blocking it. Daniel Gluck founded the Museum of Sex in 2002. Its primary mission is to educate, but that doesn’t stop it from being riotous and fun (there is, for example, a “Bouncy Castle … Continue reading Romance Wanderlust: The Museum of Sex
The first full novel in Shupe’s Knickerbocker series, Magnate is about the Gilded Age in New York, a man who went from Five Points childhood to owning basically half of New York City, and a woman who wants to start an investment firm. It’s also one of those situations where the hero is a huge asshole, and the heroine only goes about halfway to call him out on it. Elizabeth Sloan is the only daughter … Continue reading Magnate by Joanna Shupe
Before We Go is marketed as a drama, a comedy and a romance, and it marks Chris Evan’s debut as a director. When the film opens we see Nick Vaughan (Evans) sitting on the floor at Grand Central Station, fiddling with his trumpet. No, like an actual trumpet. Get your mind out of the gutter. Brooke Dalton (Alice Eve) goes running by, dropping her phone and breaking it. She makes it to the platform, but … Continue reading Movie Review: Before We Go
I had just finished two rather heavy books (Asking for It and Beauty and the Rake) and was looking for something silly and light, and The Navy SEAL’s Email Order Bride was free and seemed just the ticket. It sounded RIDICULOUS (based on the title alone) and there’s a whole series of the Dudes From The Branches of the Military and their email order brides and I did not expect to enjoy this nearly as … Continue reading The Navy SEAL’s E-mail Order Bride by Cora Seton
