I came to Eclipse via these two tweets shared on Twitter. It was the second one which really got me. I love a good magical school story, but the Harry Potter books never quite worked for me. Eclipse, which promised a view from the staff room of a magical school in the 1920s, sounded like my catnip. (Also, the author’s page has a content warning that includes a warning for ‘academic politics including an unpleasant … Continue reading Eclipse by Celia Lake →
The Nature of a Lady is a gorgeous story full of secrets and treasure hunts and mysteries and adventure, with a very sweet central romance and a strong sense of place. It is also that rare gem, an Inspirational romance that really works for me both as a romance and on a theological level, while also being just a really good read. Lady Elizabeth Sinclair has never been good at fitting in where she is … Continue reading The Nature of a Lady by Roseanna M. White →
I should know better by now than to start a Courtney Milan novel in the evening before I have to work in the morning. I renew my membership of the Bad Decisions Book Club every single time. The Devil Comes Courting was no exception to this rule. Grayson Hunter wants to build a telegraph from Shanghai to the USA, but to do this he will need someone to invent a Chinese telegraphic code. He comes … Continue reading The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan →
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 →
This was a light, somewhat sweet contemporary romance that hinted at potential depth but never quite got there. Ekaterina “Kit” Averin is a lab tech at a university, overworked and overqualified for her job. Before the book began, she and her two close friends, Greer and Zoe, played the lottery on a semi-drunken whim and won the jackpot. Greer and Zoe collected the winnings but Kit begged them to keep her windfall a secret, so … Continue reading Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn →
Intermediate Thermodynamics is a romance between an aerospace engineer (“literally a rocket scientist”) and a screenwriter in LA. The cover bills it as a romantic comedy, which is fitting since it’s all told from the point of view of the heroine. Esther (the rocket scientist) and Jinny are best friends. Jinny has just broken up with an emotionally abusive man named Stuart but is considering going back to him. In an attempt to stave this … Continue reading Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix →
This guest review from S.M. Lundberg is a perfect tie in to our recent guest rant on academic heroine, as the heroine works in a STEM field! S.M.’s a recovering journalist turned tech support and hobby writer. She got started with romance novels as a teenager, sneaking paperbacks in and out of her mom’s closet (sorry, Mom). Now she proudly reads romance novels while enjoying a happily ever after with her husband and four kids (she … Continue reading Guest Review: Remedial Rocket Science by Susanna Nix →
I downloaded a sample of this book after Courtney Milan raved about it on Twitter. I’ve been doing a lot of sample shopping, and not many books make it past the sample with me. I’m in something of a grumpy slump with my reading, a state which is entirely my own fault, and when I wanted more past the sample of Beginner’s Guide, I was very excited. Kaya Rubio is a grad student studying molecular genetics in … Continue reading Beginner’s Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions by Six de los Reyes →
