September gifted me with a great mix of YA fiction and adult contemporary romance. The former included the immensely satisfying Moxie, by Jennifer Mathieu, about a girl pushing back at the sexist bullshit pervading her high school and Julie Murphy’s utterly charming Dumplin’, which will soon be debuting in movie form on Netflix. Both books are set in Texas—-resulting in what’s probably the most productive amount of time I’ve spent in Lone Star State!

In the romance realm, I traveled up to Kentucky for Tiffany Reisz’s hilarious and sweet BDSM romance, Picture Perfect Cowboy. The story features characters from her Original Sinners universe in a much lighter context, and it really whet my appetite for BDSM romcom. More funny kink, please! Then I left the States entirely, stopping in South Africa for my first Christmas romance of 2018 —- Therese Beharrie’s adorable Her Festive Flirtation —- and immersing myself in New Zealand’s desi community via Nalini Singh’s steamy arranged-marriage plot, Rebel Hard. Both of these romances feature women of color navigating family expectations and weddings, and they really hit home while also warming my embittered soul!

The reading rundown:
Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali (young adult fiction)
Her Festive Flirtation by Therese Beharrie (out 10/22, contemporary romance)
Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet (out 1/1/19, sci-fi romance)
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (young adult fiction)
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (young adult fiction)
Witchmark by C.L. Polk (gaslamp fantasy, LGBT romance)
Picture Perfect Cowboy by Tiffany Reisz (out 11/5, erotic BDSM romance, contemporary romance)
Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh (contemporary romance)
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (young adult fantasy)

In backlist adventures, I finally got around to reading Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas. I really thought Leo and Catherine’s book would turn out to be one of my favorites, but it didn’t quite live up to my high expectations. I enjoyed it, but it’s a solid third after Cam/Amelia and Kev/Win. I still have two Hathaways to go–Poppy and Beatrix!

On the TBR:
From a Certain Point of View by various authors
It Takes Two by Jenny Holiday
Mr. Hotshot CEO by Jackie Lau
A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik (out 2/5/19)
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (out 11/13)