I am ending the year on a fairly strong note, folks! I’m kind of proud of myself! From a slew of strong contemporary romances to mainlining three of Rosie Claverton’s Amy Lane mysteries in one weekend, I really made some good choices—and I’m even excited about what I’ll be reading in December!
The Reading Rundown:
Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy, novella)
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (young adult romance)
Captcha Thief by Rosie Claverton (mystery, romantic suspense)
Terror 404 by Rosie Claverton (mystery, romantic suspense)
Hard Return by Rosie Claverton (mystery, romantic suspense)
Against All Odds by Jezz de Silva (contemporary romance)
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo (young adult romance)
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (contemporary romance)
The One You Fight For by Roni Loren (out 1/1/19, contemporary romance)
Captive Desire by Robin Lovett (erotic romance, sci-fi romance)
Personal Geography by Tamsen Parker (erotic BDSM romance, contemporary romance)
Currently reading: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri; Rogue Nights by Talia Hibbert, Annabeth Albert, Rebecca Crowley, et al.
On the TBR/wish list:
Hired by Zoey Castile (out 2/26/19)
An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (out 2/26/19)
Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (out 6/19)
A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik (out 2/5/19)
Last month was a little light on romance reading for me, but a goldmine for my other go-to genres! I read some great YA, really compelling litfic-y fantasy rooted in Indian mythology, and some awesome urban fantasy. Rebecca Roanhorse’s UF debut, Trail of Lightning, rooted in Navajo culture and lore, is just brilliant–reinvigorating a subgenre that, at least for me, had begun to feel kind of samey-samey. Her heroine, Maggie, is SUCH a badass. I cannot wait for the next book, Storm of Locusts, which is set to come out April 23, 2019. And I finally got around to Anne Bishop’s Lake Silence, the latest visit to her Others universe. It’s so weird to say this, because Bishop’s books are really violent, but I always feel warm and fuzzy after I’m done with one of her titles. There’s a real softness and kindness woven throughout despite the frequently bloodthirsty content. I hope she’s not done with the terra indigene yet!
The reading rundown:
Mr. Hotshot CEO by Jackie Lau (contemporary romance)
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!
I sort of threw myself head-first into reading in August. It was a rough month for various reasons, and books turned out to be a great place to hide. I was able to channel a lot of rage and frustration into Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone, an incredibly timely (and entertaining!) thriller about a sociopathic woman getting revenge on a man who definitely deserves it. Meanwhile, the Obama-Biden bromance mystery Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer was a wonderful and funny reminder of when we had kindness and competence in the White House. Despite its noir tone and hints of melancholy, it was basically like a hug from “Uncle Joe” Biden. And historical romances by KJ Charles are always a good bet, because they reflect England as it was, not as most white Regency and Victorian authors imagine it to be. Unfit to Print features a British Indian lawyer as a protagonist and deals with Victorian pornography and sex work—and it’s just a damn good romantic mystery!
Like Never And Always by Ann Aguirre (young adult, mystery/thriller)
Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer (mystery/thriller)
Forever Knight. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel. Moonlight. True Blood. The Vampire Diaries. There’s been a lot of beloved vampire content on TV over the years. I’m here to tell you that The CW’s The Originals, which took its final bow on Aug. 1, ranks at the top.
Is it weird that I feel guilty if I haven’t read 10 books in a month? I feel like I’m slacking! Fortunately, it’s really about quality, not quantity—and July had no shortage of quality reads! In fact, I met two of my favorite heroines of the year so far: Portia Hobbs, in Alyssa Cole’s A Duke By Default, and Cherry Neita, in Talia Hibbert’s The Princess Trap. Two amazingly relatable women, written by two amazingly talented women! Portia, who is trying to get her life together and eventually discovers that she has ADHD, really spoke to me. I felt so seen as I recognized my own mess in hers. As for Cherry…? Man, I wish I had her take-no-shit attitude!
