After ending February on a discordant note — the disappointment of the exoticizing elements in Hello Stranger — I kicked off March with a wonderful book that wholeheartedly embraces the realistic diversity of the past. Beverly Jenkins has been doing the work for years, celebrating how black men and women lived and loved in the Civil War era, the Old West, etc. And Tempest is glorious, featuring an independent heroine who accidentally shoots the doctor hero, a thread of mystery, family strife, and even issues involving Chinese railroad workers. There’s just SO much to this beautiful novel, and I came away from it ‘shipping at least three sets of characters and wanting their stories, too!
After my trip back in time, I hurtled forward — returning to the Sectors, as my fave Kit Rocha released their latest Gideon’s Riders book, Ivan, and discovering new-to-me author Vivien Jackson’s futuristic cyberpunk-ish Wanted & Wired series. Give me allll the queer-friendly multiracial future scenarios, please!
Against the Dark by Carolyn Crane (romantic suspense)
The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran (historical romance)
Bad for the Boss by Talia Hibbert (erotic romance, contemporary romance)
Wanted and Wired by Vivien Jackson (dystopian/sci-fi romantic suspense)
Perfect Gravity by Vivien Jackson (dystopian/sci-fi romantic suspense)
Tempest by Beverly Jenkins (historical romance)
On the Brink of Passion by Tamsen Parker (erotic romance, contemporary romance)
Ivan by Kit Rocha (dystopian romantic suspense)
Lady Rogue by Theresa Romain (out 4/24, historical romance)
Sinner by Sierra Simone (erotic romance)
I also reread Meredith Duran’s stunning debut Duke of Shadows (which interlaces perfectly with The Sins of Lord Lockwood) and finished Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes. Am I embarking on my own year of yessing? Only time will tell!
January was a little slim, reading-wise, but I more than made it up for it in February! I really stumbled upon some gems these past few months — like Kate Clayborn’s charming contemporary Luck of the Draw — and The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, which is a lush, evocative YA fantasy about the ugliness lurking beneath a veneer of beauty.
Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn (out 4/24, contemporary romance)
Love on the Tracks by Tamsen Parker (contemporary sports romance)
Unfortunately, I had some really problematic reads, too. Like The Master, by Kresley Cole, which featured truly egregious “fiery Latina” stereotypes and Boris-and-Natasha Russian representation that almost had me flinging my Kindle across the room. And Lisa Kleypas’ latest, Hello Stranger, which would’ve been an enjoyable historical read from a longtime favorite author had it not been for completely unnecessary — and, frankly, hurtful — use of India to inform the white hero’s fighting and sexual prowess.
And I already have two books to add to the “Best of 2018” — A Princess in Theory, which is Alyssa Cole’s hilarious and heartfelt spin on Coming to America, and Santino Hassell’s Down By Contact, in which rival football players who are nursing more than a grudge are forced to do community service together.
Favorite Books
I know. It’s a weird and bold statement to make. And it might remind some people of all those ridiculous post-Fifty Shades of Grey debates about the unhealthiness of women getting off on violence. (Knock that shit off. Liking kink does not mean we want people to abuse us, folks.) But work with me here. I’m going to try to articulate why Frank Castle, the long-running Marvel Comics vigilante, is — in the capable hands of showrunner Steve Lightfoot and portrayer Jon Bernthal — the hero of a romance. It has nothing do with his capacity to hurt other people. It has everything to do with the hurt he carries within.
My favorite thing about October was probably the day I binge-read three Ilona Andrews books in a row. I reread the first Hidden Legacy novel, Burn For Me, and then promptly mainlined the second and third book. My brain felt like pudding at the end of it, but GOOD pudding! The writing team of Gordon and Ilona Andrews clearly got a huge kick out of creating this well-built, beautifully characterized, off-the-wall trilogy. It shows on the page!
