The reason I picked up K. J. Charles’s Jackdaw, despite not having read any of the books in her Charm of Magpies series, is simple. On her blog, Ms. Charles said that when a reader found out who one of the heroes is, they couldn’t believe that someone they hated was going to get a…
N.R. Walker used to be one of my go-to authors, but very few of her recent titles have worked for me. I think the last book of hers that wowed me was 2019’s Tallowwood, but I pick up her books occasionally, hoping to find the emotional depth and complex characters that used to characterise her…
Now, THIS is how you do a ‘vibes over plot’ book. A.J. Demas returns readers to the alternate ancient Mediterranean world of her Sword Dance novels for The House of the Red Balconies, a quiet and sweet slice-of-life romance about finding one’s place in the world and making a life. Unlike Sword Dance and Honey…
I recently made a comment, on another review thread, about the fact that when I read contemporary romance, I generally stick to books by a handful of tried-and-tested authors, because I find so many novels in the genre are filled with the same stock-in-trade characters and the same tired tropes and plots that lack depth…
This month’s Bananapants! prompt kinda stumped me because I don’t generally go for the all-out-bonkers-crazy in books, so I decided to look for something that might qualify as being ‘unusual’ instead. I’ve been meaning to read something by Lyn Gala for some time, and when I read the synopsis for Deductions, book one in the…
Rebecca J. Caffrey’s Pole Position is a veteran/rookie contemporary romance set in the fast-moving world of Formula 1 motor racing. It’s not a sport I see written about all that often in romances (it’s only the second F1-set one I’ve read, although I know there are more out there) which is what attracted me to…
Eden Winters’ Darkness is an inventive and intriguing mixture of police procedural and urban fantasy with a dash of sci-fi and a touch of romance, and is quite unlike anything else I’ve read recently. The worldbuilding is excellent, but the pacing is uneven; I liked that the author takes time to set up the story…
Skeletons in the Closet gets Nicky James’ new romantic suspense Shadowy Solutions series off to a great start. It’s a spin-off of her popular Valor and Doyle stories in which the author continues her winning combination of intriguing, twisty suspense and sexy, emotionally satisfying romance with a new and compelling central couple, one of whom…
In His Corner is a low-angst contemporary romance about a grumpy chef and the ex-con who goes to work at his restaurant. It’s well-written and steamy, and I like the author’s voice and style, but the romance is rushed and lacks a certain spark. Top chef Hayden Quinn has worked hard every hour of every…
Nicolas DiDomizio’s Nearlywed is not so much a romance as it is a story about romance and what happens to a couple after they’ve found their HEA. The blurb’s description of an engaged couple’s compatibility [being] put to the test during their ill-fated early honeymoon did give rise to a teeny bit of apprehension, but…
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