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Books by Sally Thorne, Ruby Dixon, & More

The American Roommate Experiment

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas is $1.99! I know her previous book The Spanish Love Deception got a lot of buzz, but I know little about this one. Have you read it?

From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, the eagerly anticipated follow-up featuring Rosie Graham and Lucas Martín, who are forced to share a New York apartment.

Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.

Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Ice Planet Barbarians

Ice Planet Barbarians is $2.99 at Amazon! I read the print version and I’m unsure if the first ebook edition differs in content. If you know, please chime in below. Be warned that there is mention of sexual assault and dubious consent/power differentials.

The international publishing phenomenon Ice Planet Barbarians, now in a special print edition!

Fall in love with the out-of-this-world romance between Georgie Carruthers, a human woman, and Vektal, an alien from another planet, in this expanded edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue–in print only!

You’d think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you’d be wrong. Because now the aliens are having ship trouble, and they’ve left their cargo of human women–including me–on an ice planet.

We’re not equipped for life in this desolate winter wasteland. Since I’m the unofficial leader, I head out into the snow to look for help.

I find help all right. A big blue horned alien introduces himself in a rather . . . startling way. Vektal says that I’m his mate, his chosen female–and that the reason his chest is purring is because of my presence. He’ll help me and my people survive, but this poses a new problem.

If Vektal helps us survive, I’m not sure he’s going to want to let me go.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match

RECOMMENDED: Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne is $1.99! Carrie gave this one a B:

If you like offbeat characters and found family, and you don’t mind your books being on the far end of quirky with some doses of hardcore horror mixed with sexy times and whimsy, you’ll enjoy this.

From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected… a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein’s sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man.

For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.

When her handsome scientific miracle sits up on the lab table, her hopes for an instant romantic connection are thrown into disarray. Her resurrected beau (named Will for the moment) has total amnesia and is solely focused on uncovering his true identity. Trying to ignore their heart-pounding chemistry, Angelika reluctantly joins the investigation into his past, hoping it will bring them closer. But when a second suitor emerges to aid their quest, Angelika wonders if she was too hasty inventing a solution. Perhaps fate is not something that can be influenced in a laboratory? Or is Will (or whatever his name is!) her dream man, tailored for her in every way? And can he survive what was done to him in the name of science, and love?

Filled with carriages, candlesticks, and corpses, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is the spooky-season reimagining of the well-known classic that reminds us to never judge a man by his cadaver!

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Lunar Love

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen is $2.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal. Aarya mentioned this one a previous Hide Your Wallet and was tempted by the main characters being enemies in the matchmaking industry.

This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.

Always a matchmaker, never a match…

Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .

Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Links: Drag Queens, Horror, & More

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.Welcome back to Wednesday Links!

What’s new with me? I’m sick! Have a sore throat that I’m definitely not loving and doing everything I can to soothe it. We also have a long weekend here in the States for the 4th of July. Boston definitely goes all out, but I will be staying inside, cranking my AC, and probably playing Power Wash Simulator (there’s a new Spongebob Squarepants DLC dropping tomorrow!)

How are you all doing?

Cashmere Magazine has an essay on Black women writing erotica, which feels particularly apt given the pearl-clutching over Katrina Jackson’s sexy, special edition illustrated cover (art done by Lucy Eden!).

This link was sent in by Linda!

You might already know this amazing tidbit, but I figured it would not hurt to let you know the Big Gay Fiction Podcast did a great interview with KD Casey who publishes romances with Jewish characters (episode 418) and makes a point that at minimum one of her heroes is Jewish. Additionally, there is a website (I have not looked into it throughly) mentioned by KD Casey called “Bookishly Jewish: Jewish Authors Reviewing Jewish Books.”

It’s still Pride Month! (Did any of you get up to Pride activities?) And given that it’s still Pride, it’s a great time to talk about queer horror, though let’s be honest, I’ll talk about queer horror any time, day, or place.

Dungeons and Drag Queens is a new campaign starting tonight by my favorite D&D content creators, Dimension 20! The trailer is below. I will say that watching on Dropout does require a subscription, but the $6 a month is so worth it, even if you just consume the D&D content.

I also found a Trixie & Katya D&D Character Creator!

https://twitter.com/Rabdoidal/status/1669463784698818561

Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

The Rec League: More Audiobook Recs

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old bookThis Rec League comes from Anne, who wanted a part two of audiobook recommendations. Our previous audiobook Rec League dropped in 2016!

I am an avid audiobook listener and am always searching for new narrators. I know that you posted a couple Rec League requests about audiobooks, but the most recent one that I found was from 2016 and I wondered if you would consider an updated Rec League request for audiobooks. It turns out that I have worked my way thru most of the recs from 2016, which is the other reason for my request.

Amanda: What newer books can we recommended?

Tara: I’m pretty sure the audiobook for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor-Jenkins Reid ( A | BN | K ) wrecked me harder in audio than it would have on my Kindle or in print.

Artfully Yours
A | BN | K
Similarly, Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran ( A | BN | K ) is incredible in audio. It’s a past/present novel, not a romance although it has a love story. CW/TW for a botched abortion pre-Roe and marital rape in one scene. If you can stomach it, it’s an incredible book that I’ve never forgotten.

I also love all of Ann McMan’s books in audio, because Christine Williams always narrates them and her voice is perfect for the tone. Some of them are romances, some not.
If people are into sapphic romances in general and are looking for good narrators, popular ones that I personally enjoy include Lori Prince, Abby Craden, and Angela Dawe.

Sarah: cracks knuckles

I just finished the Speedwell series on audio, and Angele Masters is terrific.

I always recommend the Peter Grant series narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, because his narration is stellar.

And of course Kevin R. Free and the Murderbot books. The production wasn’t always terrific (I swear there’s one where he burps a little and the production left it in?) But his performance is wonderful, especially ART.

Ana María and the Fox
A | BN | K
I haven’t listened yet but have heard much praise for Mary Jane Wells’ performance of Sarah MacLean’s Hell’s Belles series.

Wells also narrated Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell and the sample I listened to was very good.

Shana: I just finished Ana Maria and the Fox on audiobook, and it was zippy and swoony. I was really impressed with the narrator’s accent work. I also burned through the horror novella What Moves the Dead and while it terrified me—I screamed for the first time while listening to a book—the narrator is excellent.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
A | BN | K
When I listened to For Her Consideration ( A | BN | K ) the narrator gave the love interest this slippery, gravely voice that was ridiculously sexy. Definitely recommend!

If you don’t mind multiple narrators, I loved both Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, and Rebecca Roanhorse’s epic fantasy novel, Black Sun. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Also, Zenzi Williams is one of my favorite romcom narrators because of her comic timing. She makes a good book extra fun, and has me laughing at books I might have just found mildly funny in print. The Missed Connection by Denise Williams ( A | BN | K ) is one of my favorites she’s read.

What audiobooks would you recommend? Tell us below!

Books by Danielle Jackson, Sarah Hogle, & More

Thank You for Listening

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan is $1.99! Sarah mentioned this on Hide Your Wallet and was interested in the meta-ness of it. She also had Whelan on the podcast!

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger.

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her.

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Accidental Pinup

The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson is $1.99! I believe we’ve talked about Jackon’s beautiful covers before. This one features a photographer heroine who inadvertently becomes a model.

Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.

Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.

Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film…

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

And They Lived Happily Ever After

And They Lived Happily Ever After by Therese Beharrie is $1.99! I’d say this is a contemporary romance with some light, fantastical elements, rather than being a full-fledged contemporary fantasy. Have you read this one?

From acclaimed South African author Therese Beharrie, this #OwnVoices rom-com about a romance novelist with a touch of magic is loaded with heart, heat, and smart, sexy banter, while also addressing timely, weighty issues around the foster care system, mental health, and the power of creativity.

In this sparkling new novel, acclaimed author Therese Beharrie delivers a delightfully magical romantic comedy about a woman literally living her dreams—and conjuring a real-life hero . . .

One unexpected kiss . . .
Successful romance author Gaia Anders has a secret: anything she dreams at night is magically written into her bestselling novels. After a lonely childhood in foster care, her dream life is the only one she trusts. Gaia’s waking life just can’t compare—until she gets caught in one utterly surprising, crazy-passionate, real-life kiss . . .

One near-perfect guy . . .
Workaholic businessman Jacob Scott has had a crush on his brother’s best friend, Gaia, since forever—but he never expected to literally share her dreams. Living out their magical nighttime fantasies is explosive, but it’s their waking desire turning his single-minded ways upside down. It’s making him want a future he didn’t think was possible . . .

One dream that could come true . . .
But Gaia has secrets from her past she won’t reveal. And Jacob’s attempts to keep the peace in his own fractured family puts him up against her deepest fears. Soon, they’re facing hard truths about who they are and what they’re running from. And the only way to break this curse is realizing true love’s real-life power . . .

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

You Deserve Each Other

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle is $1.99! This contemporary romance was featured in a previous Hide Your Wallet by both Aarya and Catherine. I’ve heard good things about this one from fellow romance readers, though some did find the barbs the leads throw at one another to be particularly mean at times.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

569. Romance in Libraries with Robin Bradford

Librarian Robin Bradford has a new book: The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Romance! We talk about what reader’s advisory is, and how she teaches libraries to welcome readers looking for romance, and introduce romance to readers who aren’t aware it’s something they like.

Robin talks a lot about book covers as marketing devices on Twitter, so of course we talk about the evolution of romance covers, too, plus summer book lists from schools and the media, and different online sources for book discovery. (Yes, I’m still navigating low-grade grief at the loss of Twitter personally and professionally.) Robin also gives library workshops to other librarians (a profession that is eighty-six percent White) about diversifying collections, and we talk a lot about that experience.

Most important – how do you support your library? Robin has suggestions!

Music: purple-planet.com

Listen to the podcast →
Read the transcript →

Here are the books we discuss in this podcast:

You can find Robin on Instagram and Twitter @Tuphlos. 

We also mentioned:

If you like the podcast, you can subscribe to our feed, or find us at iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher, and Spotify, too. We also have a cool page for the podcast on iTunes.

More ways to sponsor:

Sponsor us through Patreon! (What is Patreon?)

What did you think of today's episode? Got ideas? Suggestions? You can talk to us on the blog entries for the podcast or talk to us on Facebook if that's where you hang out online. You can email us at [email protected] or you can call and leave us a message at our Google voice number: 201-371-3272. Please don't forget to give us a name and where you're calling from so we can work your message into an upcoming podcast.

Thanks for listening!

Remember to subscribe to our podcast feed, find us on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S20 E1: Charity’s Season

Elyse Watches The Bachelorette with Kraken Rum and Coke with a big rose at the bottomIt’s a Cruel Summer indeed–The Bachelorette is back.

I clear my mind between seasons and, honestly, if my life depended on it right now I could not tell you who the last Bachelor was despite having watched the entire season. I do vaguely remember this season’s Bachelorette, Charity, sometime around when they all had Covid. I think.

Pudding, my cranky seventeen-year-old Siamese says she can’t even bring herself to look.

Pudding lays with her face smushed down into a blanket

Charity, who is 27, tells us she’s been “waiting my entire life” to find true love.

Click for me

Seth Meyers says ok

We cut to product placement for cosmetics while Charity gets ready for the parade of limos.

Aaron, who has not actually met Charity, says that he likes that she’s “emotional aware.”

Xavier is a knitter, which according to Pudding makes him “the least objectionable” contestant.

They don’t let the contestants have books, TV or movies or their phones. I wonder if they can bring their knitting, though?

Chris is the world record holder for the highest standing jump.

One of the guys mutters, “That guy is doing backflips and I’m in HR.”

One of the guys is named Spencer and his introduction to Charity is really, really awkward and tell if it’s real or part of his act or what. I feel like it’s a schtick and it makes me uncomfortable.

Michael is a yacht captain and now Pudding is pissed at me that she doesn’t have a yacht. She deserves one, frankly.

Charity talks to the host, Jesse

So then the host, Jesse, tells Charity that the next limo has a person she already has a history with riding in it.

Charity starts to freak out.

The limo door opens and… it’s her brother.

He puts on a terrible wig and poses as a bartender so he can spy on the guys.

Pudding: His fake mustache looks like something I threw up last week.

Nehemiah, in his awful disguise, listens to yacht captain Michael saying he doesn’t go for “the petite type” (which I would say Charity is).

Nehemiah glues on a mustache

Then they all convene in the living area, and Chris just does this random high jump like an over-caffeinated toddler. Aaron S says, “Mating season is on a full display here on Animal Planet.”

Imagine just fucking high jumping every time you need attention. Middle of a meeting BAM on top of the filing cabinet! It’s so weird and attention seeking and I hate it.

Spencer pulls Charity aside to tell her he has a son. He’s still clearly deeply uncomfortable and now I don’t think it’s an act. I think he’s incredibly anxious.

Brayden, who looks like Dollar Store Johnny Galecki, tells Charity about how awful his last relationship was and they kiss. Then he goes to the bar to brag about it.

So then Nehemiah announces he’s in fact Charity’s brother.

No one cares.

He goes and talks to his sister. He compliments Aaron B, but says he’s not a huge fan of Aaron S. I had forgotten both of them already. He calls Brayden arrogant.

Charity asks to talk to Brayden and says Nehemiah told him he was overconfident about getting the First Impression Rose. He says he wasn’t trying to be cocky, but felt like they had a real connection.

Charity surprises everyone by giving him the First Impression Rose.

Charity gives Brayden the first impression rose

Then it’s time for The Dreaded Rose Ceremony.

Chris, Joe, Khalid, Peter, Nick and Taylor all go home.

A group shot of Charity and the dudes

Are you watching this season?

KDDs: Fantasies, Recommend Reads, & More

Inda

RECOMMENDED: Inda by Sherwood Smith is 99c! We had a guest Squee from the Keeper Shelf about this one:

I read Inda for the first time in 10th grade, and it totally blew me away. It was different from anything I’d ever read, and it permanently altered the way I read (mostly by making me wayyy pickier). I adore this series, the characters, the world, everything.

Indevan-Dal is the second son of the Prince and Princess of Choraed Elgaer, destined to become his elder brother Tanrid’s Shield Arm-his military champion. Like all second sons, he is to be privately trained at home by Tanrid, the brother whose lands he will one day protect.

When the King’s Voice comes to summon Inda to the Military Academy, he might well feel foreboding, or even fear-war is imminent-yet youthful Inda feels only excitement. But there are things that Tanrid hadn’t prepared him for, and Inda will soon learn that the greatest threats to his safety will not come from foreign enemies, but from supposed allies within his own country.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Act Like It

RECOMMENDED: Act Like It by Lucy Parker is $2.99! If you haven’t read this yet, it was one of Sarah’s favorite reads in the past couple years. She says, “I mean, I could squee at you some MORE beyond my review but I think you’ve heard me already. I loved this book. You should read it. It’s delightful.” This one is part of today’s pages of romance deals.

This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre’s Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham

Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard’s antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Torn

Torn by Rowenna Miller is $2.99! This is a fantasy novel with a seamstress main character. Carrie read this one and gave it a C+. The pacing was too slow for her, but it’s possible future books may pick up in momentum:

This book is the first in a new series. It has a lot of potential – good technical writing, multiple female characters, discussion of class and class mobility, clothes porn, and more. If other books pick up the pace, it could be great, but this first book was too slow to keep me invested.

TORN is the first book in an enchanting debut fantasy series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions, for fans of The Queen of the Tearling.

Sophie is a dressmaker who has managed to open her own shop and lift herself and her brother, Kristos, out of poverty. Her reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself — and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke.

Meanwhile, Kristos rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes him hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s Midwinter costume — or Kristos will die at their hand.

As the proletariat uprising comes to a violent climax, Sophie is torn: between her brother and the community of her birth, and her lover and the life she’s striven to build.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

A Curse of Queens

A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet is $1.99! This is book four of the Kingmaker Chronicles, which I enjoyed, but kicks off an adventure with a new couple. You  might be able to get away with starting here.

Discover an all-new adventure in USA Today Bestselling author Amanda Bouchet’s thrilling, white-hot fantasy series, The Kingmaker Chronicles!

The queen has been cursed, and no one knows who’s behind the plot to threaten the realm’s fragile peace. Desperate to help, Jocasta hatches a plan to find Circe’s Garden, a fabled island where she hopes to discover an antidote. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the strong arm and unflinching bravery of the warrior she’s loved since childhood—her brother’s right-hand-man and captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta.

Together they can do the impossible. Yet with treachery brewing on Mount Olympus, one thing is clear: Thalyria and its new royals are still pawns in an epic game of power—one that might end in a War of Gods.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Kickass Women in History: Zabel Yesayan

Zabel Yesayan, a kickass Armenian woman, survived the Armenian Genocide, exile, and WWI, all while reporting on and speaking out about injustice. She was a feminist and a pacifist, as well as a reporter who told the world about the Armenian Genocide and its impact with passion and empathy. She was an unconventional wife and mother who spent long periods away from her family, assisting Armenian refugees and reporting on the many atrocities that she witnessed.

In her lifetime. Zabel wrote ten books as well as articles and essays. Her books discussed the roles of women in Armenian culture, the impact of the Armenian Genocide, and the lives of Armenians in the diaspora. She wrote in French and in Armenian. She usually wrote under her own name, but used a pen name when exposing atrocities became too dangerous. She fought for Armenian sovereignty while also challenging the traditional roles of Armenian women.

Black and White photo of Zabel looking seriously into the camera

Zabel was born in 1878 in Constantinople (the city now known as Istanbul) during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. She published her first poem when she was sixteen. Her father encouraged her to become a writer, and she persevered despite being warned by author Sırpuhi Düsap, a female Armenian novelist, that life as a women and an author would be difficult:

When Ms Düsap heard that I was also about to embark on a literary career, Mrs. Düsap warned me that a crown of thorns rather than a crown of laurels awaited women on this road. In this world of ours it is not tolerated when a woman does well and claims a place for herself. In order to achieve this, it would be necessary for a woman to be far above average and she added: “A man can be a merely average writer but a woman, never!”

Zabel went to Paris, where she studied at the Sorbonne University. There she met a painter named Dickran Yesayan, with whom she had a son and a daughter. She returned to Armenia following the Young Turk Revolution, which promised (but failed to deliver) more rights for Armenians living in the Ottoman empire. She reported on atrocities against Armenians, particularly the Adama Massacres of 1909, which she described in journalistic articles as well as in her book Among the Ruins.

Black and White photo of Zabel from the shoulders upAttacks on Armenians within the Ottoman Empire escalated during WWI, culminating in the Armenian Genocide. Many feel that the Genocide really began on April 24, 1915, when Armenian leaders and intellectuals were arrested and deported or imprisoned. Zabel was the only woman on the list of those selected for exile and prison. She escaped and fled the country. While she interviewed and assisted Armenian refugees in the Caucasus, her son stayed in Constantinople with her mother, and her husband and daughter lived in France. In 1933 she moved to Soviet Armenia with her children, where she stayed until she was arrested in a Stalinist Purge in 1937.

After her arrest she was interrogated and tortured and sentenced to execution. She spent the night prior to her execution writing on the inside of a matchbook, with her own blood and a pin. At the last minute she was spared execution and instead exiled to Siberia. She disappeared, and is presumed to have died in 1943. Her words live on:

Literature is not an ornament, a pleasant pastime, a pretty flower. Literature is a weapon to struggle against injustice.

Here are some websites with more information about this remarkable woman:

Pomegranate Film Festival: Finding Zabel Yesayan

Oxford Feminist Press: Zabel Yesayan

EVN Report: Zabel Yesayan, the Hope for Justice Hidden in a Matchbox

Istabul Kadin Muzesi: Zabel Yesayan

https://www.zabelyesayan.info/2013/

SBTB Bestsellers: June 17 – June 30

Our latest bestseller list is brought to you by hot dogs, fireworks, and our affiliate sales data!

  1. Inda by Sherwood Smith Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
  2. Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  3. The Footman by S.M. LaViolette Amazon
  4. The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  5. Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  6. Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  7. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  8. The Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  9. The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  10. Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend reading was everything you wanted and more!

Cover Awe: Lots of Pink!

Welcome back to Cover Awe!

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur. An illustrated cover with two women embrace. The blonde woman is on the right and looks like she wants to dip the brunette. She is wearing a pink ombre, floor-length dress with lots of ruffles. The brunette is wearing a soft pink, high-low dress with kitten heels. Both dresses are sleeveless. The background has gauzy curtains, fairy lights, and two big arrangements of pink and white flowers.

Cover design by Diahann Sturge

Carrie: Love the pink against the gray and how the two shades of pink and styles of dress tell us so much about the characters!

Amanda: The gauzy curtains, fairy lights, and pink arrangements add some lovely softness.

Sarah: Everything about this illustration is gorgeous. Pink on gray makes the figures stand out – it’s so lush.

To Get to the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert. An illustrated cover of a woman with black hair, in a white t-shirt, pink knee-length skirt, and black flats chasing a white chicken across a busy street. The cars and cityscape behind her are in pastels of green, pink, orange, and purple. A man in a white tee and jeans looks on, horrified.

Cover illustration by Carolina Melis

Amanda: This cover just tickles me to pieces. I’m not in “awe” of it, but it elicits a positive, silly reaction for sure.

Elyse: His look of anxiety is amazing.

Sarah: The art direction meetings must have been really fun!

Leather, Lace, and Locs by Anne Shade. An illustrated cover with three black women from the chest up. The top woman has curly, Afro styled hair, gold hoops, pink lipstick, and a brown tank top. The middle woman has locs, flipped over to the left side and deep purple lipstick. She also has gold hoops and a dark tank top. The bottom woman has braids, pulled into a ponytail. Her lips are a deep red and she has green, drop style earrings.

Shana: Wow, look at Bold Strokes, pulling out this beauty!

Tara: I know! Can you believe it? Hopefully we’re going to see more cover excellence from them.

Amanda: It’s the eyes and lips for me!

Sarah: Oh, my, the cheekbones and the warmth of the eyes.

UK cover - for her consideration by Amy Spalding. A brunette and a blonde woman on a red carpet. The blonde woman has short hair and is wearing a pink pantsuit. The blazer is slightly open and she has nothing on underneath. The brunette woman is curvier and is wearing a coral dress with birkenstocks and is walking off the carpet. Her phone is in her hand.

Amanda: I love this UK cover. The figures and their fashion choices are much more detailed than the US version.

Sneezy: Ma’am, you can’t look that sexy in that blazer.

Sarah: This reminds me of Kristen Stewart on the red carpet, blazer no top. Also: Birks!

Curses, College, & More

Reel

Reel by Kennedy Ryan is $2.49! This was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet. I love this cover and the color palette they chose! This is a romance set in Hollywood, if that happens to be your catnip.

Award-Winning Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a brand new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession, and unrelenting love.

One moment in the spotlight.

For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings,
preparing for my time to shine.
I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.
Canon Holt.
Famous film director.
Fascinating. Talented. Fine.
Before I could catch my breath, everything changed.
I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.
From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone’s lips.
Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic,
catapulting me into another stratosphere.

But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.
Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime—cost me everything?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Kiss Curse

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling is $1.99! This is book two in The Ex Hex series. Small town vibes with some witchy, enemies to lovers. I personally find the series a bit too twee for me, but for those who love it, I’d love to hear you sound off in the comments.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Serpent & Dove

PODCAST RECOMMENDED: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This was recommended on one of our podcast episodes with Sarah J. Maas. It’s a YA/NA fantasy with a marriage of convenience between a secret witch and a witch hunter. (I enjoyed it!)

For her sixteenth birthday, Louise le Blanc’s mother gave her three things: a sacrificial altar, a ritual knife, and a wicked scar.

Lou’s death would have ended the ancient war between the Church and witches, but Lou refuses to become a martyr. Forsaking her coven, she escapes to the gloomy city of Cesarine and hides her magic as a thief in the criminal underworld. But life in Cesarine has its own dangers. Huntsmen roam the city revered as holy men. Witches burn without trial. And the Archbishop, the Church’s austere patriarch, revels in violence.

As a huntsman, Reid Diggory lives by one verse: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. 

He’s devoted his entire life to eradicating the occult and making his surrogate father, the Archbishop, proud. Finally given the chance to capture a witch of his own, Reid is devastated when a foul-mouthed thief thwarts him—and doubly devastated when she too disappears. Hell-bent on bringing her to justice, Reid vows she won’t escape again. But when Lou tricks him into public scandal trying to avoid capture, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.

Marriage to a huntsman could provide real protection from the witches—if Lou can convince Reid she isn’t one herself. The secret proves difficult to keep as Lou begins practicing magic in secret within the heart of the Church, determined to prepare for her mother’s inevitable return. As time passes, however, Lou discovers yet another danger lurking: her own growing feelings for her husband. But Reid is still dangerous. He’s just as likely to tie her to the stake as defend her if he learns her true identity. With enemies closing in—and more than her own life at stake—Lou must decide who she can trust before it’s too late…and she’s not the only one with a secret.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Begin Again

Begin Again by Emma Lord is $2.99! This is another KDD. This one came out in January and Aarya mentioned it in HYW:

Not my favorite Lord, but still a fun read. Always here for more college-set books.

As usual, Andie Rose has a plan: Transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together.

But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor only gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack at a time.

But sometimes, when all your plans are in rubble at your feet, you find out what you’re made of. And when Andie starts to find the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school’s legendary pirate radio station–the same one her mom founded, years before she passed away–Andie learns that not all the best laid plans are necessarily the right ones.

Filled with a friend group that feels like family, an empowering journey of finding your own way, and a Just Kiss Already! romance, Begin Again is an unforgettable novel of love and starting again.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Hide Your Wallet: July 4th Release Week!

Hide those wallets because it’s Tuesday, and that means new releases.

Admittedly, I think it’s a slow start to the month, but the next two weeks are looking overloaded with new books we want to pick up. All I’m saying is get ready and gird yourselves for the next two HYW posts.

This one has a couple rereleases of previously published books with new covers or updated content. There are also contemporary romances and mysteries!

Role Playing

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

Author: Cathy Yardley
Released: July 1, 2023 by Montlake
Genre: ,

From Cathy Yardley, author of Love, Comment, Subscribe, comes an emotional rom-com about two middle-aged gamers who grow their online connection into an IRL love story.

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal―he’ll be more social if she does the same―she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face―after a rocky, shocking start―the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

Elyse: I love that the hero and heroine meet while gaming, and that the heroine is over 40!

Shana: Cathy Yardley writes coziness and consent SO well, I can’t wait for this.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Business or Pleasure

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Released: July 4, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: ,

Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in “ghostwriter” until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. But Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there’s a way for them to have both.

Solomon’s newest contemporary romance with a hero who thinks he’s better in bed than he really is!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

The Housekeepers

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

Author: Alex Hay
Released: July 4, 2023 by Graydon House
Genre: ,

The night of London’s grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs launch a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class

“Rollicking fun and entirely original… Anyone who relishes a good party gone wrong will devour this.”
—Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she’s made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows.

When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King’s predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.

Their plan? On the night of the house’s highly anticipated costume ball—set to be the most illustrious of the year—they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there’s one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she’ll run any risk to get it…

After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs.

“A deliciously clever novel… You’ll never have so much fun cheering on grand larceny.”
—Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair, a Reese’s Book Club Pick

Sarah: A housekeeper is dismissed and recruits a group of women below stairs to help her get revenge. (It had me at ‘revenge.’)

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Silence for the Dead

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

Author: Simone St. James
Released: July 4, 2023 by Berkley
Genre: , , , ,

“Portis House emerged from the fog as we approached, showing itself slowly as a long, low shadow….”

In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?

Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.

Elyse: I will read anything St. James writes, and this Gothic WWI thriller is no exception.

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The Wall of Winnipeg and Me

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Author: Mariana Zapata
Released: February 28, 2016 by Mariana Zapata
Genre: ,

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mariana Zapata’s most beloved book, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me—now with new exclusive content!

Vanessa Mazur refuses to feel bad for quitting—she knows she’s doing the right thing. The thankless job of personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans for her life, and none of them include washing extra-large underwear one more day for a man who could never find it in him to tell her good morning, congratulate her on a job well done, or wish her a happy birthday—even when she was spending it working for him.

The legendary “Wall of Winnipeg” may be adored by thousands, but after two years Van has had enough.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door begging her to come back, she’s beyond shocked. Mr. Walled-Off Emotions is actually letting his guard down for once. And she’s even more dumbstruck when he explains that her job description is about to become even more outrageous: something that takes the “personal” in personal assistant to a whole new level.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

This is a rerelease after being picked up by a traditional publisher and has some new, exclusive content.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

Contemporaries, Madeline Miller, & More

Act Your Age, Eve Brown

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert is $1.99! It’s the third book in The Brown Sisters series, which we’ve all enjoyed at the site. Do you have a favorite of the three? Mine might be Take a Hint, Dani Brown.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is $1.99! This has been a frequent member of several bestseller and “best of” lists in many bookstores I’ve been to. I prefer Circe just slightly, but I have many friends who list this as their favorite Greek mythology Miller.

The legend begins…

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Built on the groundwork of the Iliad, Madeline Miller’s page-turning, profoundly moving, and blisteringly paced retelling of the epic Trojan War marks the launch of a dazzling career.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Honey Girl

RECOMMENDED: Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers is $2.99! Tara read this and gave it an A-. She obviously loved it, but did say this:

First thing first: Honey Girl is not a romance. That said, it has a very strong, swoonworthy romantic element to it.

A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Vibrant Years

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev is $2.99! This is more women’s fiction than romance, I believe. It’s also published by Mindy Kaling’s imprint with Amazon, so I believe it’s Amazon only for the ebook.

Living on their own terms means being there for one another.

When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded―and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. On an impulse, Bindu quickly spends it on something unexpected: a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.

The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for her own dreams.

As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors―and they want the dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.

From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt novel about three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women who embark on a shared journey of self-discovery. Join the Desai women as they come together to embrace the hijinks and heartbreak of facing their greatest fears to finally live their most vibrant lives.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Off the Map by Trish Doller

Off the Map

B+

Off the Map

by Trish Doller
March 7, 2023 · St. Martin's Griffin
Historical: EuropeanMystery/Thriller

CW/TW

CW: Death

This book messed me up. Yes, I read it while I was going through a rough time, but the point stands: this is an emotionally intense book. The problem is that it is so well-written that it’s also un-put-downable so the emotional intensity is unrelenting.

Carla is filled with wanderlust. She works in a bar to save up money and then travels the world in the Jeep her father gave her when he was diagnosed with dementia. Carla has your classic case of ‘running from issues,’ specifically, running from the reality that she is losing her dad.

Carla flies to Dublin for her best friend’s wedding. (The best friend was the star of book 1 in this series – another emotionally intense story). There, she meets the groom’s brother, Eamon. Eamon is Responsible, with the capital R. He works as a cartographer, but has never actually done any traveling himself. He’s been so busy trying to do what his family expects and tick the right boxes that he’s never actually taken the leap to do what he wants.

Carla and Eamon embark on a spicy affair as they turn a 4 hour trip to the wedding venue into a week-long road trip. (Side note: It’s briefly discussed how this is a dick move on their part. They’re the maid of honour and the best man and they decide to have a sexy road trip rather than be there to support the bride and groom.)

Along the way they fall in love, but they have to get out of their own way, face their issues and make some tough decisions. This is where the book really excels. These are complex characters dealing with difficult circumstances. There are tough conversations with parents, boundaries set with siblings, a devastating loss and an absolute ton of emotional growth for both parties.

I sobbed reading this book. Absolutely sobbed. Which makes it tough for me to be objective when rating it. I felt a bit bamboozled by the blurb and cover. Both say ‘adventure romance’ (which is accurate) BUT it leaves out that this book will devastate you emotionally. Overall, it’s really well written and I’m glad I read it, but I will approach this author’s books with caution in future. I’m not a fan of being put through the emotional wringer, especially when I’m not expecting it.

Fantasy Novels!

Every Heart a Doorway

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is $3.99! I love this series. The writing is so beautiful and I would happily send 300+ pages in the world McGuire has created. However, I will warn that these books have a haunting sadness to them or can be downright horrific.

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Stardust Thief

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah is $2.99! This fantasy novel was mentioned in a previous Hide Your Wallet. I’ve also seen it recommend in the comments a few times, like our Rec League for Book Club Suggestions.

Neither here nor there, but long ago…

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Final Strife

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi is $1.99! I mentioned this adult fantasy novel in a previous edition of Get Rec’d. I liked the “chosen one” narrative and the chosen one having some real issues. Triggers for addiction and graphic violence, but that is no means an exhaustive list, so please check on your preferred TBR cataloging site.

In the first book of a visionary African- and Arabian-inspired fantasy trilogy, three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.
Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.
Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.

Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.

Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But dust always rises in a storm.

Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution.

As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Silver Under Nightfall

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco is $1.99! This is a horror mystery, I’d say, with a queer, poly romantic subplot. I know that descriptor will perk someone’s ears right up!

Full of court intrigue, queer romance, and terrifying monsters—this gothic epic fantasy will appeal to fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania.

Remy Pendergast is many things: the only son of the Duke of Valenbonne (though his father might wish otherwise), an elite bounty hunter of rogue vampires, and an outcast among his fellow Reapers. His mother was the subject of gossip even before she eloped with a vampire, giving rise to the rumors that Remy is half-vampire himself. Though the kingdom of Aluria barely tolerates him, Remy’s father has been shaping him into a weapon to fight for the kingdom at any cost.

When a terrifying new breed of vampire is sighted outside of the city, Remy prepares to investigate alone. But then he encounters the shockingly warmhearted vampire heiress Xiaodan Song and her infuriatingly arrogant fiancé, vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who may hold the key to defeating the creatures—though he knows associating with them won’t do his reputation any favors. When he’s offered a spot alongside them to find the truth about the mutating virus Rot that’s plaguing the kingdom, Remy faces a choice.

It’s one he’s certain he’ll regret.

But as the three face dangerous hardships during their journey, Remy develops fond and complicated feelings for the couple. He begins to question what he holds true about vampires, as well as the story behind his own family legacy. As the Rot continues to spread across the kingdom, Remy must decide where his loyalties lie: with his father and the kingdom he’s been trained all his life to defend or the vampires who might just be the death of him.

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You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Links: Fruit, Book Binding, & More

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Wednesday Links!

I’m getting over the flu, so that should give plenty of indication how my weekend went. I also got to see a little bit of my partner’s hometown and grabbed some delicious bagels from a local shop (toasted sesame with bacon scallion cream cheese). I love me a bagel, though the best I’ve had was in Montreal (St. Viateur – sesame with just butter). Any fellow bagel lovers in the audience?

I’m definitely thankful for the long weekend and for the opportunities to laze around.

As a reminder, Tara from SBTB hosts a podcast with author Kris Bryant called Queerly Recommended. They just dropped one of their most important episodes yet on book banning and the targeting of LGBTQ+ books. You can listen here.

I’m obsessed with this cat club Instagram profile. The cats are beautiful and the cat show judges are hilarious.

Are you a forager or are interested in foraging in your area? Check out this cool map of urban harvesting locations. You can also learn more about urban harvesting and the site’s non-profit on their About page.

This Instagram page is really making me fight the urge to pick up yet another hobby. This person is redoing their entire library and turning their books into the Penguin clothbound classic aesthetic. I love seeing which images are used for the cover and what sorts of end papers will go in the books!

Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

Elyse Watches The Bachelorette–S20 E2: Spring Break

Elyse Watches The Bachelorette with Kraken Rum and Coke with a big rose at the bottomIt’s a holiday week here in the US, but I’m avoiding the heat, illegal fireworks and public intoxication and staying in the AC with Lady Pudding.

For her part, Pudding doesn’t celebrate the Fourth of July as she’s an avowed monarchist…

…although she believes she should be the queen.

She’s not wrong though.

Pudding lays in her fuzzy bed

We immediately establish that Brayden has not met an accessory that he doesn’t like.

Brayden wears dangling earrings, a scarf and a beaded necklace and glasses

“I feel like you won the First Impression rose and just said fuck it,” says Jesse.

Ed. note: Please seek first aid for that burn. Ouch.

The first date goes to Aaron B. They immediately bond over both having military dads.

The two of them take a red convertible to a spot near the Hollywood sign and toast champagne.

Back at the McMansion some of the guys complain that Aaron B isn’t here for the right reasons (take a shot).

Adrian feels that at 33 here’s more mature than most of the other guys.

Pudding: I have things in my litterbox that are more mature than half these guys.

Aaron B and Charity drive through Hollywood

Later Aaron B and Charity go to dinner (that they aren’t allowed to eat) at a theater.

He says that in the past he was vulnerable to his partners and implies he was cheated on. He admits he goes to therapy, which Charity thinks should be normalized among men.

Then there’s a pop-up concert and they slow dance. Why are there always country singers at the pop-up concerts?

Aaron B gets the date rose.

The next day everyone goes to Venice Beach for a group date.

Jesse, wearing beach wear that consists of jeans and a plaid blazer, announces that the guys will be competing in the Fourth Annual Dodge Bowl. The winning team will go to the afterparty.

The guys will be competing in neon speedos.

click for me

Hayden Panettiere rolls her eyes

Xavier wins the game for the pink team despite a strong showing by Caleb B on the green team.

Caleb B has long hair and the numbers 3:16 written on his chest.

During the afterparty, Brayden and Charity make out.

“It’s like in the movie Avatar where they connect the braids,” he says.

I…okay.

Pudding: Guess we know what they were playing on his flight to LA.

Click for Brayden and Charity... I guess

Two characters from Avatar kiss. I've never seen the movie.

Later Brayden complains about Adrian being named MVP of the game, but I tune a lot of it out because it feels incredibly childish.

Adrian tells Charity that he has a daughter and it was hard for him to leave her for filming. Man, do you think there is a support group of “my parent left me for months to film The Bachelor/Bachelorette” out there?

He tells Charity he feels like the McMansion is like a spring break house. She doesn’t love that.

She addresses the group and says that if people are treating this like a vacation, they should leave. Then she gives the date rose to John. Adrian and Brayden look pissed.

The next day Charity is still worried people aren’t there for the right reasons (take a shot).

The next group date takes place in a park in downtown LA, and Gabby and Rachel from last season join Charity. Neither of them are with their last season picks, BTW, because THIS SHOW NEVER ACTUALLY WORKS.

They ask the guys a bunch of questions about kissing. She likes Joey’s answers the best so then they two of the break the record for the longest kiss on the franchise (just over 3 minutes).

Two people kiss under a banner that reads Longest Kiss in Bachelor History

It’s really awkward you guys.

They actually kiss for four minutes and twenty-five seconds.

Joey winds up also a getting a one-on-one for that night.

Brayden feels “disrespected” by having to watch them kiss and debates packing his bags.

click for me

Seth Meyers says okay goodbye and waves

During their date, Joey says his parents divorced because his dad came out as gay, but that his parents are still close and were great co-parents.

He gets the date rose.

The next day Jesse announces that instead of a cocktail party, they’re going to have a barbeque.

Brayden is wearing a velvet shirt and feather earrings, the tried and true apparel of a poolside barbeque.

He asks to talk to Charity about the kissing date giving him doubt. The date he wasn’t on.

Charity talks to the dudes

Later Adrian says a lot of the guys are emotionally immature and says that Brayden called her “classless” after the kissing date.

“My conversation today really did reflect what Brayden said, but it didn’t have the same verbiage,” she says.

Ed. note: What? 

So then Jesse tells the dudes that Charity was upset by some of things she heard today and… THEY ARE GOING STRAIGHT TO ROSE.

Straight to rose, people!

A dude shouts alarm!

Adrian admits what he told Charity and some of the other guys are frustrated.

Then it’s time for The Dreaded Rose Ceremony.

Adrian gets a rose, and so does Brayden. Can’t let the BS drama end so soon.

Spencer, John Henry, Caleb A, Josh, and Kaleb K go home. That’s it. Are you watching?

Death in Soho by Emily Organ

Death in Soho

C+

Death in Soho

by Emily Organ
July 31, 2021
Historical: EuropeanRomance

This was an excellent airplane book. I found it on Kindle Unlimited in the airport, and read it on a two hour flight. It held my attention, but was light enough that I could read quickly and not feel like I was taxing my tired brain.

There is a lot of dialogue and in just about any other circumstance that would make me very happy. I love dialogue. But the characters do a lot of As You Know Bob filling in of the story, telling each other things they already know, or tossing memories back and forth in a clumsy, artificial manner: Remember when we did this? Oh, yes, and then that happened! 

So as much as the mystery is very dialogue driven, most of that dialogue is plot development, not character development. Augusta has some secrets about what she did during the first world war, and clearly has connections and skills in surveillance, but readers don’t learn a lot about her in the first book. On one hand that makes sense: it’s the start of a series. On the other, the book as a whole felt superficial. The lack of character depth made me think of paper dolls against a detailed backdrop: limited in nuance amid an interesting setting.

That said, I read this book very quickly and on an airplane where it held my attention enough that it was the activity I wanted to do instead of stitching and listening to a podcast I was in the middle of. I had intended to pod & stitch, but this ended up being a much more engaging option – which makes it difficult to evaluate overall. I can see the limitations, especially where the characters were flat vehicles for plot to arrive in the form of clumsy dialogue, but I was engaged nonetheless, surprised by the mystery, and remain curious about book two. This book isn’t a meal, but it is a very good snack.

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