What’s everyone reading?
So what’s everyone reading? I’m currently listening to Apples Never Fall by the always enjoyable Liane Moriarty. I’m a third of the way through and I have no idea what’s going to happen so, if you’ve read it, don’t tell me! I’m actually reading Holly Black’s upcoming first book for adults, Book of Night. I adored The Folk of the Air trilogy so I’ve high hopes for this one.
You?
Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series (that starts with Still Life) is my most recent non-romance find/rec. Yes, I’m late to the party. Still Life was published in 2008 and the series is up to #17. But I prefer character development over detailed depictions of violence in my mystery reading, and Penny delivers in spades. In addition, the Canadian setting and depictions of French/English culture is as interesting as any of the characters.
Also, just did a reread of the Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon and, darn if it doesn’t still work for me. There is a clear path from it to Gregory Ashe’s (more graphic) work.
I love that series but around book five I became weirded out by how many murders this little town had!
You are referring to the Gamache series as being set in a small town, yes? Because the Adrien English series is set in Los Angeles.
I’m still very early in the Gamache series. ;-)
I had to jump back in and put in a huge shout-out for Cate C. Wells’s wolf-shifter romance (with a very HP-esque title), THE TYRANT ALPHA’S REJECTED MATE, which I finished yesterday and immediately added to my list of favorite books of 2021. It has excellent world-building (especially wolf-pack politics and the resulting gendered hierarchy); a scrappy and self-sufficient heroine, who refuses to give in to self-pity because of her damaged leg or the fact that she’s never been in heat or shifted; and an alpha hero, bordering on alpha-hole, who is completely baffled by the heroine claiming he is her mate. He doesn’t believe it, but the fates have other plans. And I love the way Wells describes the interactions between the MCs’ human and wolf personalities—it’s almost as if there are four main characters, two human and two wolves, each of them with their own motivations and agendas. Wells is also good at stoking some nice sexual tension between h&h. Plus there are moments of real humor (as when some of the pack go to an ice cream shop and are completely disappointed with the “thick milk” sold there and feel that the cow statue outside the store mislead them). There is violence—including sexual violence in the past and the threat of it in the present—but it’s not gratuitous and is worked into the plot in an organic way. Overall, a great read—even if, like me, you don’t read much shifter romance. Highly recommended.
You’ve read Maria Vale’s books, right? Her first heroine also has a damaged leg. I’ll check this out!
No—I haven’t read the Vale books, but I’ll add them to my never-ending tbr now. Other than Kati Wilde’s HIGH MOON and TEACHER’S PET WOLF, I haven’t read much shifter romance, but I loved the Wells, so I’m going to start adding some shifter books to the mix.
I don’t tend to like shifter books but Vale’s in a class by themselves.
I am half way through Cates’ book and am really enjoying it. That said, there are so many similarities to Vale’s world that it’s a little disconcerting.
Perhaps the book resonated more with me because I don’t read much shifter romance and am unfamiliar with Vale’s work. I’m also hoping Wells does write more about the Quarry Pack. There’s one female who, when she shifts, becomes a male wolf. That should make an interesting fated mates story!
I really like it. But it feels like she lifted ideas straight from Vale’s world. On the other hand, I’ve not read a lot of shifter romances so these things may be more commonly used than I know.
Right! I’m never sure when I’m reading a romance sub-genre that I don’t often read if what I’m reading reflects some of the standard conventions/ expectations for that particular sub-genre or if I’ve hit on something new & unusual.
I finished this today and enjoyed it. The best part was watching both characters work towards meeting each other–I loved how equal the relationship felt.
This is one of the reasons shifter or paranormal romances have been of interest. Authors can create social structures between characters that are different than ours (humans) while at the same holding many mainstream ideas or “traditional values” up for examination. I credit the popularity of many of these romances with helping some people get used to the idea that “love is love”.
Cates does a good job in this novel of examining how some people think about/treat people (and particularly women) who are not particularly interested in being married and/or having children (e.g. they are somehow defective).
I really liked Killian’s whole understanding that the clan’s sex roles weren’t in keeping with his values.
Vale’s most glaring/interesting departure from “mainstream” shifter stories is the practice of the pack to be literally hidden from humans (who are not aware that shifters exist) and for there to be absolutely no interaction between the average pack member and humans e.g. shifters don’t have to pass as human. This gives Vale some leeway in how her characters speak or behave (they don’t have to react to situations or believe things that otherwise more “human-like” characters might).
In Cates’ work, humans are aware that shifters exist but Quarry Pack keeps its females away from town/technology/humans because they believe it is the only way to keep their females safe – from both humans and other packs. Although Cates’ plays with some of the same socialization ideas as Vale.
In mainstream shifter/paranormal stories, non-human characters regularly mingle/live/work with humans while also hiding in plain sight of most humans – whether humans are aware of the existence of paranormal entities or not.
I find Vale’s world more persuasive although I enjoyed Cates’ book a great deal and look forward to book #2.
I agree with both thoughts. Vale’s world is quite different from ours, and that makes it particularly interesting. Her prose is excellent, as well. But I appreciated Cates’ sense of humor and the “lightness” in her writing.
Me too. I very much enjoyed reading it. I loved the leads and their voices.
Ok, DDD, the title alone would put me off; but you’ve made me curious!
I’m actually not reading m/m right now! I’m reading Anthony Horowitz’s A Line to Kill, book 3 of a mystery series. Before that I comfort re-read Merry Measure by Lily Morton. Before that, The Geek who Saved Christmas. I think this is my favorite Annabeth Albert in a long, long time. Maybe it’s because the characters were older and seemed more settled.
After Horowitz’s mystery, I’m going to give another, Aspire to Die by MS Morris a try. There are so many good recs in the comments here, though, that it might get pushed further down the line.
I am reading A Time Traveller’s Guide to the Regency by Ian Mortimer. It’s non-fiction but as a life-long lover of Regency romance, as well a serious academic interest in the period, it’s a fun read, not all difficult and very informative. Mortimer looks at many aspects of day-to-day life telling the reader what to expect if they found themselves back in time. Clothing, food, hair styles, makeup, transport, medicine, architecture, development of cities and towns, smells, sights, sounds, where to stay the night and where not to. I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Just before this one, I read his guide to medieval England in the 14th century which, again, was a real tour de force and huge fun to read. I recommend both if you are finding, as I am, a bit of a dearth of enticing HR, why not immerse yourself in the real aspects of these interesting times?
I just finished reading this bonkers duology. It is the Barbarian Duet by Keira Andrews. The first book is Wed to the Barbarian and the second is The Barbarian’s Vow. I guess they would be considered historical fantasy. It has the trope of refined royal being married off to uncouth, rough barbarian from another land for political reasons and then having to make their way in the new land without all the amenities they are used to. However, it is a M/M romance where the various lands don’t quibble about M/F, M/M, or F/F pairings – all are accepted. I’ve read a lot of M/M contemporary romance but never M/M historical fantasy. I was super amused to see how the tropes I have seen so often in M/F books were mirrored in this one. The books were rather over the top but I really enjoyed them (book 1 is better, I think, but you definitely have to read both). I have read several other contemporary M/M books by the same author that I liked, especially her holiday novellas (she does Christmas and Hanukkah ones), so I was willing to take a chance on the duet and don’t regret it!
I haven’t read them yet (one day!), but I think the Andrews is meant as a pastiche of ye olde innocent-meets-barbarian m/f bodice ripper and its attendant tropes – I saw the author posting about how the cover design is a definite imitation of those often found in that particular genre.
Something about WED TO THE BARBARIAN didn’t quit work for me and I’m not sure I’ll read the next, even though none of the story arcs are completed in this one. I haven’t rated it yet. I thought I’d do that after I finished the second one and saw how they worked together since it’s really one story, but now that I’ve continually put off going to the second for over 2 weeks, I’m not sure I ever will. I guess if I had to rate the first one on story and writing I’d give it a C+,maybe B-.
Since I never really read any old skool “innocent-meets-barbarian” bodice rippers, as Caz put it, maybe I’m missing the tongue-in-cheek nod to the genre.
Carrie, I think you had to have read those old school romances to really appreciate the Barbarian Duet. If this is your first book by this author, please don’t let the Wed to the Barbarian put you off her other books. I recommend her holiday novellas Eight Nights in December and Merry Cherry Christmas – high steam factor but both very sweet.
I’m in the middle of What If You & Me by Roni Loren. It’s the second book in her Say Everything series and I’m enjoying it so much that I just reserved the first book in the series from the library.
I also picked up from the library While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory – really enjoyed her other Wedding Date books so I’m looking forward to this one.
After since I so enjoy m/m romances, I’ll squeeze in reading The Underdog by Briar Prescott. Loved the second book in that series (The Dating Experiment) so I can’t wait to read this one.
I adored The Dating Experiment. I feel like I’ve recommended it a lot on this website but that’s just how much I loved it. The Underdog was great too and I think you will really like it.
I love when you do these topics! I’m very nosey about what others are reading.
For me right now:
A Pirate’s Pleasure by Heather Graham (pb), which I’m reading for the Historical Hellions YouTube group since I love doing the live chats when I can. It definitely has the 80s bodice-ripping tropes, but when it’s done well like it is here, they’re a lot of fun. Plus, I’m a sucker for pirates/adventures on a ship.
Falling Into Bed With A Duke by Lorraine Heath (pb)- I read the second in this series first, loved it, so I’m going back. I love her writing story and the chemistry, but the plot is a bit repetitive in this one so far, which surprises me with Heath. Still enjoying it, however.
The Heiress and the Hothead by Sabrina Jeffries (library ebook)- I have a lot of Christmas/holiday ebook novellas lined up! This one is great so far: The hero and heroine are working together to improve the working conditions in mills while coming from very different worlds, and I adore how much the hero looks up to the heroine and is constantly hunting for mistletoe to catch her under!
I haven’t been reading much romance this year. I have mainly been catching up on my fantasy TBR. My most recent read was Margaret Rogerson’s Vespertine, which is a fairly recent release. There’s no romance in this one. There are some nicely developed friendships. I really enjoy this author’s writing. Her stories are well crafted, even when I can quibble about internal logic or whatever. She does not write in present tense, which is a bonus. I am so tired of YA fantasies written in present tense! Anyway, I enjoyed the setting and characters in this and look forward to more by the author.
I’m reading R Lee Smith’s Land of the Beautiful Dead. I’m really enjoying it. I just finished Heat and Cottonwood by the same author. Thank you to whoever it was on this site who mentioned/recommended Heat as a fantastic read. I’ve read historical romance for many, many years and am finding it difficult to find anything to gain my interest again in this genre, after sampling something totally different.
It was, I suspect, me. I love Heat, The Land of the Beautiful Dead and The Last Hour of Gann. All three are books I’ve thought about for years after finishing them.
I’ve been waiting for one of these “What’s everyone reading” posts so I can gush. :-)
First, I just finished reading the early Medieval era m/m novella The Lion of Kent by Aleksandr Voinov and Kate Cottoner, published by Carina Press in 2010. If you’re looking for a historically grounded (there’s that term again!) HR that leans more toward the erotica side of things, check this one out. I hadn’t read anything by Voinov before, but he is a “trained historian” according to his bio. It shows in his work without becoming a big info dump. All the characters feel like they are from 1176 England rather than time travelers having fun pretending to be knights. Awesome.
So, plot and characters: The POV hero William Raven is a hot tempered young squire who is miffed for being a bit older than average to be a knight (give him a break; he has to be modern-day legal age for this kind of story). His lord Sir Robert de Cantilou returns from the Crusades, along with an entourage that includes his annoying clergyman brother and some French diplomats he has to appease with a hunting trip. There’s some intrigue that keeps the plot moving, a bit of a coming of age arc for William, and lots of well-written steam. Big complaint: it should have gotten the full novel treatment.
I also recently enjoyed the Harlequin Romantic Suspense Rancher’s Hostage Rescue by new-to-me-author Beth Cornelison. Wow! This was exactly what I was looking for right now: forced proximity between the hero and heroine because they are being held hostage by a wounded escaped bank robber in the heroine’s late sister’s home. Phew! While there were some romance clichés that annoyed me (why throw your late girlfriend under the bus? you can love the heroine and your deceased SO, ya know), I liked it overall- well-written villain too whose POV we actually get to see on occasion.
Finally, I’m in the middle of reading My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin. So far, it’s awesome! My Fair Lady set in Tang Dynasty China? Sign me up ASAP!
Anyway, after lots of bad luck with my recent romance reading, I am so glad to hit three greats in a row.
Voinov wrote a sprawling epic m/m (in some places m/m/m or even m/m/m/m) military story titled SPECIAL FORCES which is about one million words and covers about 20 years between two soldiers (one Russian, one British). I don’t know if it’s still available, but it’s worth a look (although very violent) if you can find it. I would also recommend the Market Garden series of erotic novellas he co-wrote with L.A. Witt, especially QUID PRO QUO, TAKE IT OFF, and PAYOFF.
Thanks for the recs. I saw some of the L.A. Witt/Voinov co-authorships in Overdrive, so I might have to take a look. I also need to check out some K.J. Charles titles eventually (braces self for scolding from Caz).
I like how you’re saving me the trouble of telling you off! ;)
Heh-heh, no pressure, Nan. But once you do get around to reading K.J. Charles, I recommend you start with the Society of Gentlemen series, book 2, A Seditious Affair. (Book 1 is pretty good, as is the prequel novella, but you can circle back to read those later. My favorite is actually book 3, A Gentleman’s Position, which should be read after A Seditious Affair.)
I also think you might enjoy Think of England, which is a very good standalone. From Good Reads: England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.
Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts. [He is also Jewish and treated by a number of the story characters accordingly, if you get what I mean.]
Thanks for the breakdown of your faves. At the moment, I have A Fashionable Indulgence (Book 1 of the A Society of Gentlemen Series) checked out on Overdrive. Of course, I had it checked out a few weeks ago, never got around to it, and had to renew it. But at least it’s there.
I’ve heard nothing but praise for KJ Charles, so after I finish My Fair Concubine, I might have to hop on over to her work to keep the winning streak going. ;-)
I’m re-reading A Fashionable Indulgence now. It definitely sets the stage for book #2, A Seditious Affair, which I would venture to say is the most popular book in the Society of Gentlemen series.
I love Lin’s work.
She’s a new-to-me author, and I’m glad she lives up to the praise I’ve seen here at AAR and elsewhere. :-)
I put a library hold on APPLES NEVER FALL, but I’m something like number 76 on six copies, so it’ll be a while. I loved Moriarty’s THE HUSBAND’S SECRET, but have struggled to get into her other books. My audiobook-listener daughter started listening to it on audiobook, but she didn’t like the narrator and eventually gave up. One of the reasons I prefer reading to listening: the only narrating voice I hear is in my head.
I just finished Jewel E. Ann’s NOT WHAT I EXPECTED, which straddles the line between romance and women’s fiction. It has some romance tropes: age-gap, older-heroine/younger-hero (42 and 30, respectively), and antagonists-to-lovers (the h&h own rival specialty-food stores). But the primary focus is on the heroine’s first year of widowhood and her interactions with her four young adult children, her friends, and the hero. We never see anything from the hero’s point-of-view and he does a few things in the course of the story that are definitely not romance-hero-like. Plus, the book’s ending is decidedly an ambiguous HFN rather than HEA. I enjoyed NOT WHAT I EXPECTED but take the title seriously: don’t go into it expected a standard romance.
Right now I’m in the middle of an HP, AFTER THE BILLIONAIRE’S VOWS by Lucy Monroe, about a five-year marriage that’s in big trouble. Monroe isn’t generally one of my go-to HP Queens, but on the Fated Mates podcast I listened to this weekend, one of the women listed this book as one of her favorites of 2021–plus it was available through Kindke Unlimited (apparently, Harlequin is now permitting some of their earlier HP titles to be borrowed through KU; AFTER THE BILLIONAIRE’S VOWS was published in February of this year).
Another m/m fan here. I’ve been listening to KJ Charles’ books on audio the last few days while I sort though years of photos and try to decide what the hell to do with them all. I’ve listened to ANY OLD DIAMONDS (Lilywhite Boys 1) narrated by Cornell Collins and AN UNNATURAL VICE (Sins in the City 2) narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies. KJ Charles is such an amazing author, blending history, suspense/mystery, and romance as well as anyone writing today (better than the majority). I have GILDED CAGE (Lilywhite Boys 2) lined up next. This one is m/f.
In print I’m reading CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN by Garrett Leigh and KING’S MAN by Sally Malcolm. KING’s MAN is wonderful. The Garrett Leigh is good, very well written and emotional, but still isn’t as good as my favorite of this author, ANGELS IN THE CITY.
Lined up I have several Christmas themed books, including THE GEEK WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS by Annabeth Albert, DEAREST MALACHI KEOGH by N.R. Walker, and another Garrett Leigh book, HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS.
I liked Hometown Christmas, although I agree it’s not on a par with Angels in the City. And damn – for some reason I didn’t think Christmas Mountain was out yet! I was planning to review it!
Get a wiggle on, Caz! It’s not like you’re busy or anything! :-)
Oh, no, not busy at all… ;)
I finished Any Old Diamonds about 20 minutes ago. It’s somewhere between a B and a B+ for me. The plot was clever and the prose satisfying.
“What news?” Jerry enquired once they’d addressed a generous portion of steak and kidney pudding.”
I tell you, I was tickled by the choice of “addressed a generous portion of” over “eaten most of”. Is there such a thing as ASMR for the eyes?
I hear you about the author’s word choices! So lovely and satisfying. I think ASMR is defined as both sights and sounds, as well as tactile experiences like petting a dog or having your hair brushed, so I’m going to unofficially state that reading great prose can and does match the criteria!
I remember reading All Quiet on the Western Front and how some passages had this mesmerizing effect on me. They were so beautiful and evocative.
I read Dearest Malachi Keogh last night. It was just a sweet little nugget of a story that was a perfect cap to Dearest Milton James. I think you will like it.
I know it’s not your thing, but I’m listening – on and off – to an absolutely fantastic m/m romantic suspense series called Diversion by Eden Winters. The main characters work for a drug enforcement agency, BUT their job is based around preventing the “diversion” and misuse of prescription drugs rather than illegal ones, and that’s not a plotline I’ve come across before. The characters are compelling and the stories are terrific – I’m just past half way through the nine book series and I can’t stop listening! The narration by Darcy Stark is excellent, too. I know we have a few Gregory Ashe fans around here, so to them, I’m saying that if you’re a fan of his books, I think you’d love this series, too!
Speaking of Gregory Ashe, I just finished listening to the audio of The Same Place (another great listen with superb narration from JF Harding) – and as The Same End has just come out, I’ll be diving into that soon.
Otherwise, it’s mostly review books for me. I just finished Lily Morton’s latest (review on the way) and am about to start A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske – I’ve heard good things (someone mentioned it on another thread here) and am really looking forward to it.
I’m hoping A Marvelous Light is good! It looks promising.
Yes – someone on another thread here recommended it; it’s not out in the UK until next month so I was able to get a copy for review from NetGalley UK – look for a review in early December.
I just saw the other day that Lily Morten has a new book out soon. It looks to be somewhat outside of her usual fare (which I love—nothing against delicious fluff) with the potential to be meatier. I’m really curious to see what your thoughts on it are.
Agree with @Carrie G. A Marvellous Light looks promising. This probably isn’t the place to ask, but I wondered about the note at the end of the blurb that states the publisher requested the title be sold without DRM applied. Why would they do that?
I’ve been working my way through Colleen Hoovers backlist. I’m curious why you have no reviews of her books? She’s quite popular!
The short answer to that is “I don’t know”! More accurately, it’s probably that AAR reviewers aren’t assigned books to review – we choose what we want to review and maybe the books just didn’t interest anyone on staff. Also, back in the day, it may have also been a question of what review copies were available to us; we would have been restricted to reviewing whatever print ARCs we were sent before digital review copies became the norm. Maybe someone who’s been around here longer than I have can shed more light?