 
 
This month was an incredibly satisfying reading month. I DNF’d very few books (which we will not discuss) and really hit romance harder than in January. There are just too many great titles being published in the genre and I had to dive into that bounty. Reviews are presented in no particular order.
The Earl I Ruined/The Duke I Tempted/The Lord I Left – Scarlett Peckham (Audiobooks)
This month, I was fortunate to attend a panel on historical romance during Coastal Magic Book Convention. One of the panelists mentioned the importance of virtue as necessary for a reader to accept a romance heroine. I am so glad I had just finished Scarlett Peckham’s Secrets of Charlotte Street series because one thing these alpha-heroines are not is entirely pure…and I am glad of it!
Each of the leads in the trilogy are women who, in one way or another, represent unconventional femininity in Georgian-Era England. The women are true “alpha women,” turning the typical power dynamic between common women and landed men on its head.
Book 1, The Duke I Tempted, centers on the story of Poppy Cavendish, a self-taught botanist who will go to great lengths to fulfill her ambitions to own her own nursery and maintain her freedom – including entering into a marriage of convenience with the secretive and legendary Duke of Westmead. The Duke surrenders his heart to Poppy but struggles to come clean about his desires, which creates constant emotional tension as both he and Poppy try to arrive at what they both most want – each other.
Book 2, The Earl I Ruined, is about Lady Constance Stonewell, who accidentally ruins the life of the Earl of Arthorp with her anonymous gossip column and offers her hand in marriage to save his reputation. What she doesn’t know is that he’s been secretly in love with her, making for endless misunderstandings and frustrated feelings that are at the heart of this trope.
And finally, book 3, The Lord I Left, my favorite installment, tells the story of Alice Hull, a country girl who’s escaped to London in search of freedom and goes to work at Charlotte Street, the most secretive and notorious whipping house. Lord Lieutenant Henry Evesham, who readers meet in Book 2, is an Evangelical reformer bent on reforming the pleasure trade in London. The unlikely love affair of a “fallen” woman and a vigin minister is one of the best inversions of this trope I’ve ever read.
There is a planned fourth book in this series, which I am eagerly awaiting. The audiobook experience was worthwhile, though the changes between POV characters happened fairly frequently, leaving me at times confused about who was speaking.
A Taste of Sage by Yaffra S. Santos
The premise of A Taste of Sage is irresistible – Lumi (Illuminada) Santos is the owner of a failed restaurant who goes to work for the Julien Dax, an arrogant, pretentious head chef at his famous French Restaurant. Lumi has a special gift – she can sense the emotions of a person through the foods they cook. This is an incredible gift, giving her insights into the people’s emotions, no matter how they mask them from others.
However, Lumi’s first encounter with Julien leaves her so infuriated, she promises never to eat his cooking. Thankfully, this doesn’t last long and soon Lumi discovers there is a disconnect between the nearly intolerable Julien and the emotions he transmits into his food. She learns who he is and slowly falls in love with him.
The novel’s sensibility is well-developed – there is no question Lumi lives for and through food. Her relationship with food reminds me of Tita de la Garza in the novel Like Water For Chocolate, and in fact, Santos makes reference to this novel as an inspiration in her author’s note (fun fact – the first novel with romantic elements I read which featured Latinx leads was also Esquival’s masterpiece). Santos does a very good job of imbuing the food in the novel with meaning beyond that of mere sustenance – the care for the recipes and dishes created by Lumi’s hand is obvious throughout the narrative. The romance develops well, though Lumi’s character is more richly developed than Julien’s, even with the benefit of his POV chapters. There is more to Julien’s character than meets the reader’s eye, though he does too good of a job convincing everyone otherwise.
For me, the story was a lovely elegy to the importance of food as a means of communicating, not only culture, but value, affection and, eventually, love. There are strong elements of women’s fiction which might make a romance reader a bit impatient but in the end, what emerges is a delightful book that had me craving the delicious dishes featured within and the desire to share them with as much love as I could muster.
ARC graciously provided by the author.
Salt + Stilettos by Janet Walden-West
*cover reveal end of March
I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book from the author. Set in Miami’s South Beach, this forced proximity romance is one of the best books I’ve read this month. Brett Fontaine is a celebrity image consultant fresh from a traumatic stalker and abduction situation that has left its mark on her in the form of panic attacks and insomnia. She is tasked by her best friend and restaurateur Richard with reforming chef Will Te’o’s image in advance of their four star restaurant opening. Will Te’o, an American Samoan who’s left his family and his island to realize his dream of opening a restaurant one of the most competitive culinary communities. What starts off with preconceptions and skewed first impressions turns into an undeniable attraction that threatens to up-end both their lives.
The representation is on point in this novel. Brett, coming from an impoverished background, possesses all the fears and flaws of a woman who has had to depend on herself and can’t afford the weakness that comes with surrendering herself to someone else. Will is ambitious but carries the wounds of a person rejected for nothing more than who he is and struggles to reconcile his insecurities, ambitions and culture, all while trying to build something solid with a woman who wants nothing to do with commitment. It’s nice to see the such a wonderfully strong female character depicted unapologetically, and a male character who is strong but also given permission to be vulnerable and emotional. Wonderful read.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Audiobook)
Acevedo’s verse narratives speak to the poor, somewhat confused teenager in me, the one who was raised by a single mom in Jersey City with small resources and big dreams. With the Fire on High presents us with the utterly compelling story of Emoni Santiago, a teen mother who possesses the extraordinary ability to create magic from nothing in the kitchen. The steretypical story of a single latinx teen mom is turned on its head by a story that highlights the aching beauty of a young mother for her daughter, the importance of dreams, and the sustaining power of love in all its forms. I identify powerfully with both Emoni and Xiomara, the protagonist of The Poet X, in the way lives that are often discounted by the dominant culture are often the ones that sparkle the most brightly with the rich beauty and significance. I had the pleasure of listening to Acevedo read this book in audiobook format, which added immensely to the experience.
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
ARC provided by NetGalley
This book is everything I want in a romcom – Carolina (Lina) is sassy, driven and so much more in need of a real connection than she lets herself believe. Max Hartley wins it as a patient, witty and hot partner who proves himself worthy of being with her. Their chemistry makes for some swoon-worth and hot scenes. The fact that he should be the off-limits brother of the Lina’s ex-fiancé and is now forced into close proximity by their respective work situations makes for a delicious and passionate read, and both Lina and Max really grow as characters by the end of the novel. Brazilian culture informs Lina’s character and it is one of the pleasures of reading an #ownvoices novel, because the authenticity is undeniable. The tias in this story remind me of mine, women who have been through real challenges and confront life with high expectations, wisdom and not a little bit of racy humor.
I am so happy to see the success of this novel because it is well-earned.
Shadows & Dreams by Alexis Hall
Click here for blog post/review of Iron & Velvet.
Book two in the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series, Shadows & Dreams continues Kate’s escapades as she avoids the usual cabal of supernatural beings while not being murdered, possessed or otherwise fed too many bananas by her assistant. Previously self-published, Carina Press reissued the trilogy with a new cover and some revisions to the writing. The third, never-released book, Fire & Water, is set for release later this year.
If you’ve been following the series, you’ll know Kate is the daughter of the Queen of the Wild hunt in Fairy who would like nothing more than to take over her mortal body each time Kate exercises her power. This makes Kate obviously hesitant to unleash her significant abilities, a problem she confronts with her typical sangfroid. Her ex is the Witch Queen of London, and her current squeeze is a Vampire Prince (catch all that?). She’s currently working a case in which she has to discover who is creating a vampire army all while trying to keep from being executed for murder.
Being an older book of Hall’s, I still struggle to find his voice in all the dry sarcasm and devil-may-car badassery that characterizes Kate. Still, the books are funny, ironic and just a ton of fun to read.
Fire & Water by Alexis Hall
Unlike many other readers, I came at this series in the last 12 months, so I never saw their previous iterations, nor did I have to wait so long for the third installment.
So I had another sensibility altogether when I picked up this series. While I found the first two books to be witty and engaging, I felt the writing was strongest in this installment. There is still a lot happening in these books, so many creatures betraying and realigning their allegiances, engaging plot twists and a break-neck pace that sucks you in, as is fitting of a suspense novel. Elise really comes into her own, and enjoyed the concept of her “sisters,” running amok (the scene between Kate, Russell, Lisbeth & Elise had me cackling more than it should have).
This installment really hiked up the stakes, which I think was hinted at in the earlier books, but is now coming to fruition in this book (god, it’s hard to write without spoilers but I’m trying!). The ending is…wow. But it’s good, even somehow appropriate, and opens up the possibility of future installments. I really liked this novel on its own merits and I’m not at all put out by the direction it’s taken. It’s perhaps my favorite of the three books.
*Note: The author has recently announced that there are, in fact, two more books in this series!
ARC provided by Netgalley
Pansies by Alexis Hall
Click here for original Goodreads review of Pansies.
And since we are on the subject of Hall’s work, I had the pleasure of listening to Pansies on Audiobook (released in January, 2020.) Just as with Acevedo’s With the Fire on High and Scarlett Peckham’s books, listening to an audiobook is another experience, especially if it is a book that you’ve read before. While I’d enjoyed the reading of Pansies the first time around, there was definitely an improvement in my opinion of the book after listening to it, so much so that I upgraded my 4-star rating to 5-stars. If you get an opportunity to do so, I highly recommend you listen to the Spire’s novels in addition to reading them. They are novels of place, and the audio allows listeners to capture the different dialects of the characters and get a better sense of who they are.
Best Women’s Erotica of the Year, Volume 5
This collection contains excellent erotica . It’s well written and diverse, offering a range of kinks and tastes for everyone. Consent is a big and safety is addressed, which I matters to me as a reader because I like a dose of reality with my fantasy (if that makes any sense whatsoever).
In addition to writers I recognized, such as Sierra Simone, Sabrina Sol and CD Reiss, there were a few new-to-me writers that now I’m eager to read and follow.
Of course, not every story landed for me. I’m not interested in dubcon or intimations of abuse but, honestly, that was maybe one story out of all of them and I happen to have very firm personal limits that should not constitute the rule for anyone else.
An excellent read, probably one of the best collections I’ve read in a while. The representation is strong and there’s really something for everyone.
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
A hilarious story with a biting humor that borders on meanness, I had mixed feelings about this novel. If you enjoy an enemies to lovers story, this one of the most refreshing ones I’ve read in a while, because the trope takes place within an already committed relationship. The premise is about a couple that no longer wishes to be together, so they do everything possible to get the other to break it off without being the one to call it quits. It becomes a cautionary tale on the ways resentment can build in a relationship until the relationship sours, revealing what we all know to be true about relationships – if they are not well-tended, it doesn’t matter how passionate or promising their coming together is, the relationship will fracture until there is nothing left.
It’s sad, gutting, and amusing at the same time, which speaks to the talent of the writer. At times harsh, it is nonetheless an excellent read.
When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
This novel is simply epic! The MC, Zelda is born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome from an alcoholic mother, who later dies. Her father is also deceased and she is raised by an abusive uncle. Here, the enemy for both Zelda and her brother, Gert, are the cycle of poverty and generational trauma that manifests in subtle and sinister ways in their lives.
Zelda is a triumph of characterization, embarking on her own heroic journey to protect her small group and save herself and those she loves from the tragedy that seems to lurk at every turn. The disability rep is powerful in this book and I found myself cheering for Zelda at every turn.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
The Bear by Andrew Krivak
The Bear is a post-apocalyptic novel in the spirit of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, except our archetypal characters are a father and his daughter. Girl is born during the summer solstice and they climb to the top of a mountain to visit the mother, who rests under a ledge shaped like a bear.
Each day is a struggle to survive, but also a grappling with the immense loss, not only of the human community, but the more personal loss of family and love. Less violent than The Road, the journey in The Bear is an emotional one that leaves you with a deep appreciation for the myths and stories that bind us to one another, and keep the memory of our loves alive.
Night of the Scoundrel by Kelly Bowen
This novella works well as a standalone, which is good because I hadn’t read any of the other books in the series. I love that Adeline is an assassin – making her a formidable love interest or King. The plot moves quickly and the sexy times are hot but King’s vulnerability and trust in Adeline make this novella worth reading. Suspense, heat, emotional depth and an excellent plot make this historical novella a worthwhile read.